Numbers 14:38 (ASV)

Passage

But Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, remained alive of those men that went to spy out the land.

Nearby Context

Numbers 14:36 And the men, whom Moses sent to spy out the land, who returned, and made all the congregation to murmur against him, by bringing up an evil report against the land,

Numbers 14:37 even those men that did bring up an evil report of the land, died by the plague before Jehovah.

Numbers 14:38 But Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, remained alive of those men that went to spy out the land.

Numbers 14:39 And Moses told these words unto all the children of Israel: and the people mourned greatly.

Numbers 14:40 And they rose up early in the morning, and gat them up to the top of the mountain, saying, Lo, we are here, and will go up unto the place which Jehovah hath promised: for we have sinned.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "joshua", "caleb", "jephunneh", "remained", "alive", "went", and "land". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "joshua" and "caleb", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 37's "even those men that did bring up..." into verse 39's "And Moses told these words unto all...", so "joshua" and "caleb" belong inside that flow. In Numbers context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "joshua" and "caleb" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.