Person Old Testament
Achsah
Also known as Achsah =ESV, KJV; Aksah =NIV
Achsah was the daughter of Caleb, given in marriage to Othniel as a reward for capturing Kiriath-sepher, and she requested springs of water from her father as a blessing. Mentioned in 4 verses across 2 books, first at Joshua 15:16.
Why it matters. Daughter of Caleb; wife of Othniel
- Primary passages
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-30 by the FaithGraph team
About Achsah
Achsah was the daughter of Caleb, one of the Israelite leaders during the conquest of Canaan. When Caleb was given the city of Hebron as his inheritance, he promised to give his daughter Achsah in marriage to whoever would capture the nearby city of Kiriath-sepher (Jos.15.16; Jdg.1.12).
Othniel, Caleb's nephew and the son of Kenaz, successfully captured Kiriath-sepher, and so Achsah was given to him in marriage (Jos.15.17; Jdg.1.13). As Achsah was going to Othniel, she urged him to ask her father for a field (Jdg.1.14).
Achsah then approached her father Caleb and requested that he give her springs of water in addition to the land he had already given her, as the land was in the Negev, a dry region (Jos.15.18-19; Jdg.1.14-15). Caleb granted her request and gave her the upper and lower springs (Jos.15.19; Jdg.1.15).
Achsah's story highlights the importance of water resources in the arid regions of Canaan and demonstrates the boldness and resourcefulness of a woman in securing a valuable blessing for herself and her husband. Her request for springs of water also shows the significance of a father's blessing and provision for his daughter upon her marriage.
Description from STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0, lightly reformatted. This is background reference material, not Scripture and not a FaithGraph editorial claim.
Connections
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Family
Family links from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0). Where the dataset marks an identification as uncertain, the mark is kept. Matthew and Luke give different genealogies for Jesus; see the Lineage page, which never merges them.
Appears in Scripture
Named in 4 verses across 2 books. Occurrence data from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0); references only, no translation text.