Lives of Scripture

Achsah was the daughter of Caleb, one of the two faithful spies who had trusted God's promise to give Israel the land forty years earlier (Joshua 14:6-14). As Caleb took possession of his inheritance in the hill country around Hebron, he offered Achsah in marriage to whoever would attack and capture Kiriath-sepher (Debir); her cousin Othniel, son of Kenaz, took the city and won her hand (Joshua 15:15-17; Judges 1:12-13). As Achsah went to live with Othniel, she urged him to ask her father for an additional field, and then went further and approached Caleb herself, asking directly, 'Give me also springs of water' (Joshua 15:18-19; Judges 1:14-15) -- since the Negev land she had received was dry, southern territory poorly suited without a reliable water source. Caleb responded by giving her both the upper and lower springs, a generous and complete answer to her request. Achsah's short account, preserved in near-identical detail in both Joshua and Judges, stands out for the directness and confidence of her request and for Caleb's immediate, generous provision -- a small domestic scene that nonetheless models the boldness Scripture elsewhere commends in bringing genuine needs before those who have the power and love to meet them, ultimately reflecting the far greater generosity of God toward those who ask Him.