And Caleb said, He that smites Kirjath-sepher and takes it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter as wife.
Caleb has just taken Hebron. He does not rest on that victory. He sets a prize on the next stronghold: the man who captures Kiriath-sepher will marry his daughter Achsah. Two questions follow. Why would a father stake his daughter's future on a battle, and what made this city worth the price?
Caleb's challenge did not stand alone. One writer sees here how a believer who keeps going leaves a mark on those closest to him. He then turns the challenge on the reader:
Caleb was blessed in this way inside his own family: they followed him in his path of faith… The nephew walks worthily in his uncle's footsteps. The prize he counts so precious is Caleb's daughter. Set on winning her, he goes into the fight. And what about us — are we set on having Christ at any cost? In Judges 3 Othniel becomes the first judge in Israel. An overcomer for himself, he is raised up to deliver others.
Another writer sees the same quality reaching past Caleb's family and into every age:
Caleb's burning heart for victory fired others. His fighting spirit stirred others to great deeds. That is a grand quality, and it marks the great overcomers for God in every age. Kiriath-sepher (the City of Books) fell to Othniel, Caleb's nephew — clearly some centre of learning; and on its capture Achsah, Caleb's daughter, became the victor's wife.
Other Israelites were settling in among the Canaanites and marrying into them. Seen against that, Caleb's offer of Achsah is a refusal, not a gamble:
He is the very contradiction of his faithless brothers. Instead of forming an alliance with the Canaanites, giving sons or daughters in marriage, he makes this noble announcement — "Whoever strikes Kiriath-sepher and captures it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter as wife." He kept "the way of the Lord" as purely as ever Abraham had. No husband for his daughter except one of the Lord's appointing.
After Israel took the city, its name changed from Kiriath-sepher to Debir. One writer gives weight to both names:
They went on to Debir. The name means "oracle", but the city was called Kiriath-sepher before, which means "city of the book". For if we take hold of the truth of God in our souls, we shall have grace to speak "as the oracle of God." Caleb then offers his daughter to the man who would conquer Kiriath-sepher. Othniel, Caleb's younger brother, accepted the challenge and conquered the city. His name means "lion of God", and his courage matched his name.
Commentators differ on the family link. Some call Othniel Caleb's nephew, others his younger brother. They agree on what the town stood for. Another reading presses the point that the "books" in question were not God's:
The name of this city means the "city of a book". It could be suggested that this stands for all the wisdom and knowledge man has piled up through all the ages of his culture, everything he boasts in… But there is nothing there to help the soul. There is nothing there to lead us to God.
Scripture tells this story twice, and some writers see design in that. One reading turns the whole scene into a picture:
Othniel ("Lion of God", of Judah, Christ the Deliverer) captures Kiriath-sepher, "the city of the book", and wins Achsah, the Bride. She receives from the Father those hidden spiritual blessings, both heavenly and earthly, upper and lower. Without them, all the gifts of God's providence are barren and worthless.
Others read Othniel not as a picture of Christ but as a picture of the believer, and pair him with his wife:
Othniel, the "lion of God", is the type of the heroism of faith. Like the son of Kenaz, that faith finds its strength in Another. Its helpmeet is the simple trust that claims and receives the fullness of the Spirit, so as to make good its portion in the land… Today there are few Othniels, fewer Achsahs, and fewest of all those in whom the two are united.
Elsewhere Scripture credits Joshua himself with taking Debir, and the book of Judges tells the story again. One reference work sorts it out:
Scripture presents Joshua, the leader of Israel, as taking it. But in Judges we find that Othniel was the one who took it, and Caleb gave him his daughter Achsah in marriage for its capture.
The repetition is not a mistake. The writer quoted above says Scripture "is not afraid of a repetition which emphasizes God's delight in the achievements of His people."
- Fire spreads. Caleb's persistence did not stop with him. His family caught it, and Othniel went into battle on the strength of an older man's example.
- Fire tested. The prize was not given away. Caleb would let his daughter marry only a man of the Lord's appointing — one who had first faced a real enemy and won.
- Fire aimed. The target was the "city of the book". Writers read it as a centre of learning in enemy hands, and as a picture of all that human wisdom boasts in while leaving the soul without God.
- Fire rewarded. Othniel's name means "lion of God", and his courage matched it. Judges later shows this same man as Israel's first judge and deliverer.
- Fire remembered. Scripture tells the story twice, here and again in Judges, because God delights in what His people achieve by faith.
And Othniel the son of Kenaz, the brother of Caleb, took it; and he gave him Achsah his daughter as wife.
Caleb offered his daughter to whoever could capture Kirjath-sepher. A younger relative, Othniel, took the city and won her. Two questions follow. Who was Othniel, and why does a wedding sit inside a land survey?
Caleb had won Hebron for himself. His drive did not stop with him. It appeared again in a younger relative.
There is a second thing that goes with perseverance: it produces perseverance, or purpose of heart, in others. Caleb was blessed in this way in his own family, for they followed him in his path of faith... The nephew steps into the uncle's footprints and proves worthy of them. The prize he values so highly is Caleb's daughter, and he enters the fight determined to have her. And what about us? Are we set on having Christ at any cost? He overcame for himself, and afterwards he is raised up to deliver others, and in this new role he perseveres to the end.
The verse calls Othniel the son of Kenaz and Caleb's brother. Commentators differ on whether that means a brother or a nephew.
Son of Kenaz, brother or nephew of Caleb. He took Kirjathsepher, and married Achsah, Caleb's daughter. Later he became one of the judges, and he defeated Chushan-rishathaim, king of Mesopotamia. Under him the land had rest forty years.
Othniel's name points away from human strength. The city he took was named for a book.
Othniel means the lion of God — the power of God, not the power of man. He is the one who takes this book, which we believe to be the inspired Scriptures, and makes it in practice the word of God. The man who judges Israel stands for the principle that brings God's people to judge themselves. It is the principle that recognizes this: in this precious book we have God's word, and it searches and tests our hearts. Only as His word searches us do we get free from living independently of God. When pride and independence lift up their head, how do we get free from them? When the word of God becomes a living reality to us, and we bow to its authority.
The town Othniel captured is also called Debir. Kirjath-sepher was its older Canaanite name, and the change of name carries the lesson.
Debir, like Hebron, once had a Canaanite name: it was Kirjath-sepher, the "city of the book." How striking that in Caleb's hands the city of the book becomes the place of a divine oracle! A written word alone gives way to a living Voice — the voice of Him who, when the heart is right with Him, delights to draw near and speak to the heart of the worshiper... For the Christian, of course, the "oracle" is not separated from the "book." It does not replace it or overrule it... God never sets His Word aside. The Spirit of God works with it and gives it power, so that it becomes this to us and gives us the full reality of His presence.
A wedding sits inside a land survey for a reason. The same man shows up at home as in public.
Here again we can see that what marked Caleb out showed just as clearly in his private and family life as in public. He has no sons, so he decides that the man who marries his daughter must prove himself worthy of her and of Hebron. And Othniel proved himself to be just that. Later he became Israel's first judge and deliverer. His wife Achsah, for her part, showed the same energy of faith and the same intelligent grasp of the value of the inheritance the LORD had given His people.
Some read this episode as more than a piece of family history.
This episode looks slight, but its position and its repetition convince me it is a deliberate picture. Othniel — "Lion of God," of Judah, Christ the Deliverer — captures Kirjath-Sepher, "the city of the book," and wins Achsah, the Bride. She receives from the Father those hidden spiritual blessings, heavenly and earthly, the Upper springs and the Nether. Without them all the gifts of providence are barren and worthless.
- Caught, not taught. Caleb's faith produced the same purpose of heart in a younger relative. A life of faith stirs others to follow.
- Won, not wished for. Othniel wanted the prize enough to fight for it. The question left for us: are we set on having Christ at any cost?
- Strength named. "Lion of God" means the power of God, not the power of man. The winner's name says whose strength took the city.
- Book becomes voice. The city of the book becomes the place of God's oracle. His word is not just a book we own; it is a living voice that searches the heart.
- Proved then promoted. Othniel overcame in his own fight first, and then became Israel's first judge and deliverer. Private victory came before public service.
And it came to pass as she came, that she urged him to ask of her father a field; and she sprang down from the ass. And Caleb said to her, What wouldest thou?
Caleb had promised his daughter Achsah to the man who could take Kirjath-sepher, and Othniel won her. Her next move raises two questions: why did she send her husband to ask, and why did she get down off her donkey to ask herself?
Achsah's boldness did not come out of nowhere. One writer traces it back to the home she grew up in.
Here again we may notice that Caleb's character showed in his private and family life as much as in public. He had no sons. So he decides that whoever marries his daughter must prove himself worthy of her and of Hebron. And Othniel proved to be just that. He later became Israel's first judge and deliverer. Achsah his wife showed the same energy of faith, and the same understanding of the worth of the inheritance the LORD had given His people.
In the verse Achsah urges Othniel to make the request. One writer sees two people who wanted the same thing, and a father who needed no go-between.
I think Othniel and Achsah were of one mind about the land of Canaan, and when she came to him, she urged him to ask her father for a field. But there was no need for Othniel to ask on her behalf, for the father himself loved her, and it was pure joy to him that he had a daughter who loved the land that he loved.
She gets down off her donkey before she asks. One commentator makes that small movement a lesson for our own praying.
Achsah, Caleb's daughter, is a fresh example of perseverance. Caleb had given her to Othniel, and she moves her husband to ask for yet more. She wanted a field, and springs of water as well. So she asks for a blessing on the field of her possession, and to get it she gets down off her donkey to put her request — an example of perseverance in prayer and pleading. The springs of water are richly given to her, and this too has daily instruction for us. When we take the word of God in our hands, do we earnestly ask God for springs to water it? Have you, like Achsah, taken the place of one who begs, asking God for the spiritual help that alone can make it fruitful for your soul?
She asks for a field, gets it, and then asks again. The reason is the ground itself.
Achsah seems to mean "anklet," as Othniel is said to mean "lion of God." What follows is full of significance. When Achsah came to Othniel she had urged him to ask her father for a field, and she had got it — but in a south land, dry and needy. So she boldly goes further and begs her father to give her springs of water. He gives generously: upper springs and lower springs.
Caleb's question opens a door instead of closing one.
Little wonder that with such a father Achsah wanted all she could get of that beloved inheritance. And I am sure it gladdened old Caleb's heart to see his dear child get down off her donkey as she came up to him. He could see she wanted something, and so came the question, "What do you want?" Do you think the boldness of her request annoyed him? Did he reply, "I've given you a south land already; is that not enough? Why should I give you more?" No, no. Achsah was a daughter after his own heart. She valued the land of Canaan, and she wanted some of the springs of Canaan — and he gave her twice as much as she asked for!
Othniel took the city; Achsah asked for the water. Another writer puts the two together.
Where the springs of water in the home and the sword abroad go together, there you find the true spirit of possessing. It is where the wisdom that provides living water for the flocks and the courage that conquers the enemy live side by side... In practice, the true owner of God's blessings is the one who is as careful to cultivate what he has won as he is brave to conquer what he does not yet possess. Achsah did not get down from her donkey for nothing when she asked her father for gifts. Her eager, practical spirit is a lesson to everyone.
- Inherited — Caleb's faith marked his home. Achsah valued the land as her father did.
- Urged — she and Othniel wanted the same thing, so she moved him to ask for a field.
- Dismounted — she came down off the donkey to ask, a picture of perseverance in prayer.
- Asked — a dry field in the south was not enough, so she asked again, for water.
- Answered — her father's question was an invitation, and he gave her twice what she asked for.
And she said, Give me a blessing; for thou hast given me a southern land; give me also springs of water. Then he gave her the upper springs and the lower springs.
Achsah has been given land in the Negeb — the dry south country — but land without water grows nothing. Her request raises a question for every reader: how much may we ask of God?
One commentator tells how she got there:
Othniel took the city and, as promised, received Caleb's daughter Achsah as his wife. When Achsah came to him, she urged him to ask her father for a field, and she had got it — but in a south land, dry and needy. So she boldly goes further and begs her father to give her springs of water. He gives her generously: upper springs and lower springs.
The sun that warmed the land could also scorch it:
The south land sloped towards the sun, but that did not make it pleasant and fruitful. The hot Eastern sun beating on it might turn it into a dry and thirsty land. So Achsah asks for springs of water. Streams and springs turn wilderness into gardens. That is the inheritance of the saints. What gives it its character is that it is well watered.
One writer points to other places where this word for "blessing" means a gift given in love:
Compare, for this use of "blessing," Genesis 33:11, Judges 1:15, 2 Kings 5:15; it is love not in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth, 1 John 3:18.
But a present and a blessing are not always the same thing:
Achsah asked for a blessing, or a present. The two are not always the same. Many gifts and inheritances bring no blessing at all; they prove a curse to the person who receives them.
Achsah makes the first gift her reason for asking a second. One writer turns that into a lesson on prayer:
If only we had her eagerness for a good portion, with everything needed to enjoy it! If only we were bold enough to add prayer to prayer, making one gift the argument for another, until we had blessing indeed! Suppose Achsah had argued, "My father has already given me what he wished to give. I must not want too much, or reproach him as if his gift were not good enough" — what would she have done with her south land and no water? In the same way, God often gives a gift that He knows will create the need for more. He delights in the faith that says, not "It is enough," but "It is not enough."
Caleb's reply shows what he thought of her boldness:
Do you think her boldness annoyed him? Did he reply, "I've given you a south land already; is that not enough? Why should I give you any more?" No, no; Achsah was a daughter after his own heart. She valued the land of Canaan, and she wanted some of the springs of Canaan, and he gave her double what she asked for! That is just like our own Lord! "I give you also what you have not asked." (1 Kings 3:13)
Commentators differ on what the two springs picture. One reads them as truth for heaven and refreshment for earth:
The upper springs remind us of truth of the highest kind, such as Ephesians gives about our blessings and our position in the heavenly places in Christ. The lower springs supply refreshment for a steady, devoted walk on earth. How good it is if we can be well balanced in valuing both of these sides of the truth.
Another sets them out as person and power:
When she asked for springs of water, Caleb gave her the upper springs and the lower springs, to bring dry ground to life. The springs are symbolic of Christ in glory and the Holy Spirit here — the object and the power of life with God.
The same thirst ruins a believer when it turns to the world. It pleases God when it turns to heaven.
Achsah is a thirsty soul, but she thirsts for Canaan's blessings. A Christian who covets the world is in a terrible condition. But God approves of the one who thirsts for heaven, and delights in him. He satisfies that thirst with springs in plenty — spiritual blessings that come down on us and flow out from us.
Taking the land is only half the work:
The true spirit of possessing shows itself where the springs of water at home and the sword abroad are united. It shows where the wisdom that provides living water for the flocks and the courage that conquers the enemy live together. The one who really holds divine blessings is as careful to cultivate what he has won as he is brave to conquer what is still to be taken.
- Dry gift. The south land was real land, but sun-scorched; without water it would yield nothing, and Achsah saw it.
- Bold ask. She made the first gift her argument for the second, refusing to say "it is enough" when it was not.
- Generous giver. Caleb was not annoyed by her boldness; he gave double what she asked for.
- Two springs. Some read them as heavenly truth and daily refreshment. Others see Christ in glory and the Spirit here.
- Right thirst. Thirst for the world brings ruin; thirst for what God has given is a thirst He delights to satisfy.