And now, behold, the LORD hath kept me alive, as he said, these forty and five years, even since the LORD spake this word unto Moses, while the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness: and now, lo, I am this day fourscore and five years old.

JOSHUA 14:10KJV
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Joshua 14:10 (KJV)

What does Joshua 14:10 mean?

Joshua 14:10 records Caleb speaking about how the LORD has kept him alive for forty-five years since God made a promise to Moses, even as the Israelites wandered in the wilderness, and that he is now eighty-five years old. Caleb is reflecting on God’s faithfulness to keep him alive through all those years so he could see the fulfillment of God’s promise.

Caleb is speaking to Joshua and the Israelites as they are dividing up the land of Canaan. He is reminding them of a promise God made through Moses, and pointing out that he has now reached eighty-five years of age because the LORD (יהוה, Yahweh) has preserved him. This sets the stage for Caleb’s request for the land that was promised to him, showing both his trust in God’s word and the long wait he has endured.

The Hebrew behind Joshua 14:10

  • The word for "alive" is חָיָה (chayah), which means to live or to keep alive. Caleb is emphasizing that his survival through the wilderness years is directly because of God’s action, not just good fortune or personal strength.
  • The phrase "the LORD" is יהוה (Yahweh), the personal name of God in the Hebrew Bible. Caleb is clear that it is specifically Yahweh who has kept him alive, highlighting a personal relationship and covenant faithfulness.
  • The word for "wandered" is הָלַךְ (halakh), which means to walk or travel. This word often carries the sense of journeying without a permanent home, capturing the hardship and uncertainty of the Israelites' forty years in the wilderness.

Why Joshua 14:10 matters

  • Joshua 14:10 clears up that Caleb’s long life and strength are not accidental but are presented as a direct result of God’s faithfulness to His promise.
  • The verse emphasizes the long period—forty-five years—between God’s initial promise and its fulfillment, highlighting the importance of patience and trust.
  • This statement connects Caleb’s personal story to the larger story of Israel’s journey, showing how individual faithfulness and God’s promises are woven into the nation’s history.

Where else these words appear

“since” Hebrew H227 · used in 22 verses

  • Genesis 12:6 And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land.
  • 1 Kings 9:11 ( Now Hiram the king of Tyre had furnished Solomon with cedar trees and fir trees, and with gold, according to all his desire,) that then king Solomon gave Hiram twenty cities in the land of Galilee.
  • Ecclesiastes 2:15 Then said I in my heart, As it happeneth to the fool, so it happeneth even to me; and why was I then more wise? Then I said in my heart, that this also is vanity.

“fourscore” Hebrew H8084 · used in 37 verses

  • Genesis 5:25 And Methuselah lived an hundred eighty and seven years, and begat Lamech:
  • 1 Kings 5:15 And Solomon had threescore and ten thousand that bare burdens, and fourscore thousand hewers in the mountains;
  • 2 Chronicles 14:8 And Asa had an army of men that bare targets and spears, out of Judah three hundred thousand; and out of Benjamin, that bare shields and drew bows, two hundred and fourscore thousand: all these were mighty men of valour.

“forty” Hebrew H705 · used in 124 verses

  • Genesis 5:13 And Cainan lived after he begat Mahalaleel eight hundred and forty years, and begat sons and daughters:
  • Deuteronomy 8:2 And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no.
  • 1 Chronicles 12:36 And of Asher, such as went forth to battle, expert in war, forty thousand.