Wikipedia's first sentence called it “important figure in the hebrew bible”. Today it says “figure who appears in the hebrew bible as a representative of the tribe of judah during the israelites ' journe”.
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Machine-checked against the full current article on 2026-08-03.
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The opening as it read in 2005
When the Hebrews came to the outskirts of Canaan, the land they believed had been promised them by God, after having fled slavery in Egypt , Moses (the Hebrew leader) sent twelve scouts (or spies, meraglim in Hebrew) into Canaan to report on what was there. Ten of the scouts returned to say that the land would be impossible to claim, and that giants lived there who would crush the Hebrew army. Only two, Joshua and Caleb, returned and said that God would be able to deliver Canaan into the hands of the Hebrew nation. The Bible records that, because of the testimony of the ten scouts, the Hebrews chose not to enter Canaan: for this disobedience, God caused them to wander in the desert for forty years before being allowed to enter Canaan and conquer it as their home. It is said that the only adult Hebrews allowed to survive these forty years and enter Canaan were Joshua and Caleb, as a reward for their faith in God. This story is recorded in the Book of Numbers . He is mentioned again later, being more than 80 years old, talking about his thankfulness for God's blessings. (Joshua 14:6-11) The city of Hebron and its surrounding territory was assigned to him. He then declared that the one who conquered Debir ( Kiriath-Sepher ) should be given his daughter Achsah as a wife. The one winning this price was his nephew Othniel , who later became the first judge after Joshua. (Joshua 15:13-19) As outlined in The Jewish Encyclopedia, Caleb exists on several levels. At the most basic level, "Caleb" signifies "dog" and may be the eponymous ancestor of the Calebite clan. At this level, his second "wife" Ephrath ( I Chronicles ii. 19 and 50; iv. 4) may simply be a personification of the ancient Canaanite city of that name, awarded to the clan.1
This is Wikipedia's own text, saved in our repository. Their copy of it is revision 16184571.
The opening as it stood in 2010 13 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Mark of Caleb's grave, Timnat Serah Caleb ( , kalev ; Tiberian vocalization : Kālēḇ; Hebrew Academy : Kalev) is a male given name.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 367874209.
The opening as it stood in 2015
Tomb of Caleb, Timnat Serah Caleb , sometimes transliterated Kaleb ( , Kalev ; Tiberian vocalization : Kālēḇ; Hebrew Academy : Kalev) is a figure who appears in the Bible as a representative of the Tribe of Judah during the Israelites ' journey to the Promised Land .A reference to him may also be found in the Quran , although his name is not mentioned.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 668398388.
The opening as it stood in 2020
Tomb of Caleb, Timnat Serah Caleb ( / ˈ k eɪ l ə b / ), sometimes transliterated as Kaleb ( , Kalev , ; Tiberian vocalization : Kālēḇ; Hebrew Academy : Kalev), is a figure who appears in the Hebrew Bible as a representative of the Tribe of Judah during the Israelites ' journey to the Promised Land .A reference to him is also found in the Quran , although his name is not mentioned.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 960753917.
The opening as it stood on October 6, 2023
Biblical character This article is about the son of Jephunneh. Return of the Spies , 1860 woodcut by Julius Schnorr von Karolsfeld Caleb ( / ˈ k eɪ l ə b / ), sometimes transliterated as Kaleb ( , Kalev , ; Tiberian vocalization : Kālēḇ; Hebrew Academy : Kalev), is a figure who appears in the Hebrew Bible as a representative of the Tribe of Judah during the Israelites ' journey to the Promised Land . A reference to him is also found in the Quran , although his name is not mentioned ( Al-Ma'idah : 20–26).
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1178506556.
The opening as it stood in 2025
Biblical character This article is about the son of Jephunneh. Return of the Spies , 1860 woodcut by Julius Schnorr von Karolsfeld Caleb ( / ˈ k eɪ l ə b / KAY -ləb ; Hebrew : כָּלֵב , Tiberian vocalization : Kālēḇ , Modern Israeli Hebrew : Kalév [kaˈlev] ) is a figure who appears in the Hebrew Bible as a representative of the Tribe of Judah during the Israelites ' journey to the Promised Land .Following the Israelite conquest of Canaan, Caleb was described as a Kenizzite and is said to have received lands originally intended for the Tribe of Judah .The Calebites, his descendants, likely comprised a mixed population of Edomite and Judean elements.They resided in southern Judah and in the northern part of the Negev region. A reference to him is also found in the Quran , although his name is not mentioned ( Al-Ma'idah : 20–26). Historical dictionary of ancient Israel .Historical dictionaries of ancient civilizations and historical eras.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1295779624. This is our newest snapshot; the live article may have moved again since.
Today
Wikipedia's first sentence called it “important figure in the hebrew bible”. Today it says “figure who appears in the hebrew bible as a representative of the tribe of judah during the israelites ' journe”. Read the current article and compare.
2005
2010
2015
2020
Oct '23
2025
Counts in the opening at each snapshot. Green: the word gained ground. Red: it was cut. Grey: no change.
What Wikipedia says this is
Every article opens by defining its subject. This one was redefined since 2005, and today's defining sentence is their current revision.
Then
important figure in the hebrew bible
Now
figure who appears in the hebrew bible as a representative of the tribe of judah during the israelites ' journe
Struck red text is no longer in the article; dotted amber text was rewritten. Every revision id links to Wikipedia's copy; the text shown is our own saved copy. Data: /data. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA; quoted for the record; not affiliated with Wikipedia.
