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Re: Caleb
I was told that Caleb means "dog", because the original beholder of the name was "faithful as a dog" towards God. It is not to simply mean dog. Also, it is "dog" because dogs are obedient and faithful to their master, much like the biblical Caleb was to God. I think people often see the meaning "dog" and are turned off without reading the story of the very first Caleb.
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This is certainly possible, but this interpretation is not given directly in the Bible, so we can't know for sure that it's true. There are some experts who think it is unlikely, because the ancient Hebrews had a much more negative view of dogs in general than modern Americans do.
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