Numbers 14:38 (KJV)

Passage

But Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of the men that went to search the land, lived still.

Nearby Context

Numbers 14:36 And the men, which Moses sent to search the land, who returned, and made all the congregation to murmur against him, by bringing up a slander upon the land,

Numbers 14:37 Even those men that did bring up the evil report upon the land, died by the plague before the LORD.

Numbers 14:38 But Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of the men that went to search the land, lived still.

Numbers 14:39 And Moses told these sayings 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 into the top of the mountain, saying, Lo, we be here, and will go up unto the place which the LORD hath promised: for we have sinned.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "joshua", "caleb", "jephunneh", "went", "search", "land", "lived", and "still". 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 sayings 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.