Writing in 1869, the Dutch biblical scholar Abraham Kuenen drew conclusions from his study of Caleb for the critical-historical investigation of the Bible, which at the time was still in its infancy:

Kuenen’s formulation of the task of critical biblical investigation still shimmers with methodological perspicacity. In this chapter and the next one, I follow him in focusing on “minor traits which do not harmonize with its system.”

The Bible contains an array of legends commemorating Caleb’s exceptional valor. While some of the legends are very late, others may derive from early oral tradition. Together they witness to the kinds of lore Calebites promulgated about their eponymous ancestor in order to hold high their family name and claim for themselves a special role in Judah’s history.