Lexical Definition

‎כָּלֵב‎ Kâlêb (kaw-labe') Caleb ^N:N-M-P
perhaps a form of ‎כֶּלֶב‎, or else from the same root in the sense of forcible

Caleb.

• § Caleb = "dog"
• Caleb, the name of three Israelites

1) the godly son of Jephunneh and the faithful spy who reported the Promised Land favourably and urged its capture
2) son of Hezron and grandson of Pharez and great grandson of Judah and the father of Hur and grandfather of Caleb the spy

Brown-Driver-Briggs

‎כָּלֵב‎ proper name, masculine (Nabataean proper name ‎כלבא‎ Eut (Nö)^{p. 55}. ‎כלבו‎ Vog^{Nab. 6}; compare also We^{Skizzen u. Vorarbeiten iii. 217}; on ‎כָּלֵב‎ = dog-clan, see RS^{K 17, 190 f., 219, 254}); — son of ‎יְפֻנֶּה‎ (ᵐ5 Ξαλεβ; compare Lag^{BN 78}), called ‎הַקְּנִזִּי‎ (see ‎קְנַז‎) in J E, Num 32:12; Josh 14:6; Josh 14:14, compare Josh 15:17 = Judg 1:13; Judg 3:9 (where ‎קְנַז‎ is brother of ‎׳‎‎כ‎), also 1Chr 4:15 treated as full Judahite only in P Num 13:6 (see GFM^{Ju p. 30 f.}) the one of the spies who (with Joshua) reported well of Canaan Num 14:6; Num 14:24; Num 14:30; Num 14:38 also Num 26:65; Num 34:19; Deut 1:36; Josh 14:13; Josh 15:13; Josh 15:14; Josh 15:16; Josh 15:18; Josh 21:12 (P = 1Chr 6:41*) Judg 1:12; Judg 1:14; Judg 1:15; Judg 1:20 (|| with Josh 15); = clan of Caleb 1Sam 30:14 (distinguished from Judah). Caleb is called ‎בֶּןחֶֿצְרוֺן‎ 1Chr 2:18, compare v1Chr 2:19 v1Chr 2:42 v1Chr 2:46 v1Chr 2:48 v1Chr 2:49 v1Chr 2:50 = ‎כְּלוּבָ֑י‎ v1Chr 2:9 ‎בְּכָלֵב‎ ‎אֶפְרָתָה‎ 1Chr 2:24, read perh ‎׳‎‎בָּא כ‎, so ᵐ5 ᵑ9, compare Kau^AT (see ‎אֶפְרָתָה‎ above)

Brown-Driver-Briggs References