Bible Contradiction? Who drove the Anakim from Hebron?

 

For today’s post we will tackle the question the Skeptic Annotated Bible asked: Who drove the Anakim from Hebron?

Here are the two answers which the skeptic believes indicate a Bible contradiction:

Joshua

“Then Joshua came at that time and cut off the Anakim from the hill country, from Hebron, from Debir, from Anab and from all the hill country of Judah and from all the hill country of Israel. Joshua utterly destroyed them with their cities.” (Joshua 11:21)

Caleb

“Now he gave to Caleb the son of Jephunneh a portion among the sons of Judah, according to the command of the Lord to Joshua, namely, Kiriath-arba, Arba being the father of Anak (that is, Hebron). 14 Caleb drove out from there the three sons of Anak: Sheshai and Ahiman and Talmai, the children of Anak.” (Joshua 15:13-14)

(All Scriptural quotation comes from the New American Standard Bible)

Here’s a closer look at whether or not there is a contradiction:

 

1. When dealing with skeptics’ claim of Bible contradictions it seems one can never be reminded enough of what exactly is a contradiction.  A contradiction occurs when two or more claims conflict with one another so that they cannot simultaneously be true in the same sense and at the same time.  To put it another way, a Bible contradiction exists when there are claims within the Bible that are mutually exclusive in the same sense and at the same time.
2. One should be skeptical of whether this is a Bible contradiction given the Skeptic Annotated Bible’s track record of inaccurately handling the Bible.  See the many examples of their error which we have responded to in this post: Collection of Posts Responding to Bible Contradictions.  Of course that does not take away the need to respond to this claim of a contradiction, which is what the remainder of this post will do.  But this observation should caution us to slow down and look more closely at the passages cited by the Skeptic Annotated Bible to see if they interpreted the passages properly to support their conclusion that it is a Bible contradiction.
3. The skeptic tries to pit Joshua 11:21 against Joshua 15:13-14.  Joshua 11:21 was cited as support for the claim that the Bible taught “Joshua drove the Anakim from Hebron.”  Meanwhile Joshua 15:13-14 was cited as support for the claim that the Bible taught”Caleb drove the Anakim from Hebron.”
4. Some important background information is important here.
   1. Both Joshua 11:21 and Joshua 15:13-14 mentioned the “Anakim.”  These were a people group that lived near the city of Hebron before it became a part of Israel.  According to Numbers 13:33 and Deuteronomy 9:2 the”Anakim” were very tall.  Joshua 11:22 later state that none of these people were left in Hebron but “only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod some remained.”  Incidentally the Giant Goliath was form Gath according to 2 Samuel 21:15-22.
   2. According to Numbers 13-14 both Joshua and Caleb when they were younger made a name of themselves since they were the only two spies during Moses time who did reconnaissance  of the Promise land and recommended to possess the land.  At this point in both Joshua 11 and Joshua 15 both men were old and leaders of their tribe and also Israel.
5. The skeptics cited correctly Joshua 11:21 as the basis for the claim “Joshua drove the Anakim from Hebron.”  Likewise the skeptic cited correctly Joshua 15:13-14 as support for the claim that the Bible taught”Caleb drove the Anakim from Hebron.”
6. Still these passages don’t contradict one another.  In order for them to contradict at least one of these passages have to say “only Caleb” or “only Joshua” or “not Caleb” and “”not Joshua.”  But the verses do not state any of this.
7. To further understand the way “Joshua drove the Anakim from Hebron” and “Caleb drove the Anakim from Hebron” it is helpful to look at Joshua 14:6-15.  Joshua 14:6-15 of course is between Joshua 11:21 and Joshua 15:13-14, our two passages the skeptic cited.  In Joshua 14:6-15 Caleb went to Joshua and reminded him of Moses’ promise to Caleb that the land of Kirjath-arba/Hebron is his inheritance.  The fact that Caleb went to Joshua indicates Joshua was the leader in the relationship between Joshua and Caleb (and the nation of Israel).  Joshua 14:13 indicates Joshua gave Caleb the blessing and Joshua 14:14 states Hebron was delegated to Caleb.
8. Understanding the relationship between Caleb and Joshua we see there is not a contradiction when the Bible in two different place states “Joshua drove the Anakim from Hebron” and “Caleb drove the Anakim from Hebron.”  Joshua as the overall leader gave the permission to drive out the Anakim from Hebron while Caleb was the lower in the leadership hierarchy involved with driving out the Anakim from Hebron.  These claims are not incompatible.
9.  A World War Two analogy might be helpful.  Nazi Germany’s last strategic offensive campaign against the Allies in the Western Front resulted in the Battle of the Bulge that resulted in a German siege against the American 101st Airborne Divsion at Bastogne.  Most people who know the history would say General Patton broke the siege and he was famous for saying to his superior General Eisenhower that he can send troops towards Bastogne in 48 hours, a face pace for moving an Army Corps.  While one can say General Patton drove the Nazis from Bastogne, one can also say it was General Eisenhower who oversaw the whole Western front of the War in Europe since he was the Supreme Allied Commander.  It would not be a contradiction.  Furthermore one can also simultaneously say it was General Hugh Joseph Gaffey who drove the Nazis from Bastogne and it would not be a contradiction since he was the commanding General of the 4th Armored Division.  The 4th Armored Division was part of Patton’s Famous Third Army and it was the 4th Armored Division’s Company D, 37th Tank Battalion of the 4th Armored Division, that first reached Bastogne.  Likewise statements in Scripture that Joshua and/or Caleb driving out the Anakim from Hebron are not contradictory.
10. Thus we don’t have a contradiction here.
11. We shouldn’t miss that worldviews are at play even with the skeptic’s objection to Christianity.  The worldview of the author of the Skeptic Annotated Bible actually doesn’t even allow for such a thing as the law of non-contradiction to be meaningful and intelligible.  In other words for him to try to disprove the Bible by pointing out that there’s a Bible contradiction doesn’t even make sense within his own worldview.  Check out our post “Skeptic Annotated Bible Author’s Self-Defeating Worldview.”