Joshua 14:10-12

14:10 Now then [a transition from remembrance to request; Caleb moves from recounting God’s faithfulness to claiming God’s promise], just as the Lord promised [Hebrew: dābar — spoken word; Caleb anchors his appeal in the reliability of God’s declared Word, not in sentiment or seniority], he has kept me alive [literally “caused me to live”; preservation attributed entirely to divine action — survival in the wilderness was not accidental but sovereignly sustained] for forty-five years [specific duration] since the time he said this to Moses, while Israel moved about in the wilderness [a gentle acknowledgment of national wandering without bitterness; Caleb does not rehearse grievance — his spirit remains whole]. So here I am today [language of availability and readiness; presenting himself for assignment, not exemption; compare Isaiah 6:8], eighty-five years old [age stated as fact, not excuse; maturity becomes a platform for courage rather than a retreat into caution]!

14:11 I am still as strong today [the Hebrew implies firmness or capacity; not merely physical vitality but sustained capability for mission; Caleb was 85 years old] as the day Moses sent me out [as a spy into Canaan (Numbers 13:1-3)]; I’m just as vigorous to go out to battle [Caleb does not redefine his role in old age — he still sees himself as a warrior] now as I was then.

14:12 Now give me this hill country [imperative request grounded in covenant promise; bold yet not presumptuous — he asks for what God already pledged] that the Lord promised me that day [the promise spoken in youth remains operative in old age]. You yourself heard then that the Anakites [the same giants reported in Numbers 13] were there and their cities were large and fortified [strongholds that intimidated ten spies still stand], but, the Lord helping me [conditional dependence; confidence rooted not in personal strength but divine partnership], I will drive them out [active obedience; faith does not negate effort — it energizes it] just as he said [promise remembered, promise claimed, promise pursued].