Kenizzites

Biblical Text

The Kenizzites first appear in Genesis 15:19. When God makes a covenant with Abraham, He lists the inhabitants of the land He promises to give to Abraham's descendants, and the list begins with "the Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites" (Genesis 15:19-21). This covenant is discussed in the article Abrahamic covenant.

Numbers 32:12 and Joshua 14:6 and 14:14 call Caleb "the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite." The New Korean Revised Version renders the term in these verses as "Kenazite" (the KJV has "Kenezite"), but in Hebrew it is the same word translated "Kenizzites" in Genesis 15:19.

Background

"Kenaz" also appears as a personal name. First, there is Kenaz the grandson of Esau and son of Eliphaz, who is recorded as one of the chiefs of Edom (Genesis 36:11, 15, 42). Second, there is Kenaz the father of Othniel. Othniel is introduced as "the son of Kenaz, the brother of Caleb" (Joshua 15:17; Judges 1:13). First Chronicles 4:13 likewise records, "And the sons of Kenaz; Othniel, and Seraiah."

Caleb represented the tribe of Judah among the twelve spies (Numbers 13:6). When the land of Canaan was divided, he received Hebron (Joshua 14:13-14), and Othniel captured Debir (Joshua 15:15-17). On the basis of these records, some hold that the Kenizzites were a group associated with southern Canaan. However, exactly where they lived and what their name means remain uncertain.

Significance in the Whole of Scripture

In Genesis 15 the Kenizzites appear as earlier inhabitants of the land Israel was to enter. Yet Caleb, who bears the same name as this people, is portrayed as one of Israel's foremost examples of faithfulness. He and Joshua are commended because "they have wholly followed the LORD" (Numbers 32:12). Moreover, Othniel, a member of Caleb's family, became Israel's first judge (Judges 3:9-11).

The Kenizzites are not mentioned directly in the New Testament.

Interpretations and Issues

Interpreters differ as to why Caleb is called a "Kenezite."

• Foreign-origin view: Caleb's family originally belonged to the Kenizzites, a group possibly connected with the Edomites, and later joined the tribe of Judah. Those who hold this view read Caleb, like Rahab or Ruth, as an example of Gentiles being incorporated into the people of God. Some also connect this with Galatians 3:6-9, which speaks of the blessing of Abraham coming upon the nations.
• Clan-name-within-Judah view: "Kenezite" simply designates the descendants of an ancestor named Kenaz within the tribe of Judah and has no direct connection with the Canaanite people of Genesis 15.

The biblical text says nothing more about Caleb's origin than the verses cited above. Therefore the statement "Caleb was a Gentile" is an interpretive inference, not something the text states explicitly.

In the Korean Church

In the Korean church, Caleb is a more frequent sermon topic than the Kenizzites themselves. His declaration in Joshua 14:12, "give me this mountain," is quoted especially often. When preachers introduce Caleb's background, they sometimes mention the possibility that he was of foreign origin.