Achsah

Biblical Account

Achsah was the daughter of Caleb. Her story appears in nearly identical form in Joshua 15:16-19 and Judges 1:12-15. The genealogy in 1 Chronicles 2:49 also briefly notes that "the daughter of Caleb was Achsa."

After receiving the region around Hebron as his allotment, Caleb promised to give his daughter Achsah in marriage to whoever attacked and captured Kirjath-sepher, a city later called Debir. Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's brother, took the city, and Caleb gave Achsah to him as promised.

When Achsah went to her husband, she urged him to ask her father for a field. She then dismounted from her donkey and made the request of Caleb directly, saying, "Give me a blessing; for thou hast given me a south land; give me also springs of water" (Joshua 15:19). The "south land" refers to the arid southern region of Canaan (the Negev), where water was scarce. Caleb gave his daughter the upper springs and the nether springs.

Significance Within Scripture

The story of Achsah is one scene in the conquest narrative, showing Caleb's family actually taking possession of the land promised to them. Othniel, who appears in the story, later becomes Israel's first judge (Judges 3:9-11). Many interpreters regard the retelling of this episode in Judges 1 as a link between the period of the conquest and the era of the judges. Achsah is not mentioned in the New Testament.

Interpretation and Issues

• Who urged whom: The Hebrew text reads as though Achsah urged her husband, but some ancient versions, including the Septuagint, render it as her husband urging Achsah. As a result, translations and commentaries interpret the scene differently.
• Othniel's relationship to Caleb: The phrase "Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's brother" has been read in two ways, with some taking Othniel to be Caleb's younger brother and others taking him to be Caleb's nephew.
• The Caleb of 1 Chronicles: Scholars differ on whether the Caleb in the genealogy of 1 Chronicles 2 is the same person as Caleb the son of Jephunneh.
• Marriage offered as a reward: Caleb's offering of his daughter as a reward for military valor is explained by some as an ancient Near Eastern custom, while others raise concerns about it from a modern ethical perspective.
• Spiritual application: In the Christian preaching tradition, Achsah's request to her father for springs of water has sometimes been likened to prayer to God or to asking for the Holy Spirit (compare Luke 11:13). This is a figurative application of the text; the passage itself does not make that connection.

In the Korean Church

In the Korean church, Achsah appears chiefly in sermons, often in connection with the phrase "the upper springs and the nether springs." Her story serves as a sermon text on themes such as faith that asks boldly and faith that is not content with the inheritance already given but asks for more. In Sunday schools, she is often introduced alongside the stories of Caleb and Othniel.