The conquestDaughter of CalebWife of OthnielConquest-era womanLandownerc. 1400 BC
Aksah was the daughter of Caleb, a Kenizzite incorporated into the tribe of Judah, who was among the twelve spies sent to explore Canaan. She was given as wife to Othniel, son of Kenaz, after his conquest of the city Kiriath-Sepher (Debir). Aksah showed remarkable initiative and practical wisdom when she dismounted from her donkey and asked her father for water springs beyond the dry Negev land she had already been granted. Caleb granted her request and gave her both the upper and lower springs—a gift of vital importance for survival in the arid southern landscape. By taking the initiative and speaking on her own behalf in a patriarchal context, Aksah emerges as a distinct and capable female figure in Israel's conquest narratives. Her husband Othniel later became Israel's first judge.
Caleb promised to give his daughter Acsah to whoever captured the city of Kiriath-sepher (Debir), a Canaanite city in the hill country of Judah. The offer linked military bravery with a marital alliance and land distribution.
Othniel, son of Kenaz—Caleb's younger brother or close relative—captured Kiriath-sepher and received Acsah as his wife as promised. The marriage strengthened the bond between two significant Kenizzite families.
When Achsah came to Othniel, she took the initiative to ask her father for a blessing. She dismounted from her donkey and asked Caleb for water springs for the dry Negev land she had received. Caleb gave her both the upper and lower springs—a gift of great practical significance for livelihood in the arid southern landscape.
19She answered, "Grant me a favor. Since you have given me land in the Negev, give me springs of water as well." So he gave her the upper and lower springs.
The story of Achsah's marriage to Othniel and her request for water springs is retold in the Book of Judges, underscoring the event's importance in Israel's early conquest history and the allocation of territories among the tribes in Canaan.
15She answered, "Grant me a favor. Since you have given me land in the Negev, give me springs of water as well." So Caleb gave her the upper and lower springs.