v1-5: The land west of the Jordan was divided up; chapters 15-19 detail this. The individual tribes were then responsible for occupying the land allotted to them.

The writer repeats the statement that Levi had no inheritance in the land, see 13.33.

v8-9: Caleb had wholeheartedly followed the Lord; in him was a different spirit. This is no boast; rather, Caleb stood up for the Lord, and stood against the majority. When others did not follow the Lord, he remained faithful. He was courageous, and committed and devoted to God. He clung to God's promises made to him (Deut 1.36), and trusted God to fulfil His word (Num 13.30; v12).

v10-11: Caleb was 40 years old when the spies went into Canaan. 38 years later the Israelites crossed the valley of Zered (Deut 2.14); to make up the 85 years (Caleb's age), Israel had been in Canaan 7 years to this point. Caleb had honoured the Lord’s call for corporate victory first. Only later did he seek his own claim.

v12: The Lord had promised Caleb the land of the giants. These had been feared by the ten spies, but Caleb was confident that trusting in God, he would defeat them.

v13-14: Joshua gave Hebron to Caleb; later Caleb gave it back to God as a city of refuge. It is significant that this had been the city of the leader of the giants, and so a testimony that Caleb had been victorious through trusting in God.

v15: The writer notes that war now ceased; the land was occupied, although much remained to be possessed by the individual tribes.