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Othniel

Judge living before Israel's Monarchy

Othniel, Caleb's nephew, was the first judge of Israel who delivered the people from Cushan-Rishathaim.

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Othniel was the son of Kenaz and the nephew of Caleb, one of the twelve spies sent by Moses to explore the land of Canaan (Jos.15.17; Jdg.1.13; 1Ch.4.13). He is described as the first judge of Israel, who delivered the people from the oppression of Cushan-Rishathaim, king of Mesopotamia (Jdg.3.9-10). Othniel's story begins when Caleb offers his daughter Achsah in marriage to whoever captures the city of Debir (also known as Kiriath-Sepher) (Jos.15.16; Jdg.1.12). Othniel successfully takes the city and marries Achsah (Jos.15.17; Jdg.1.13). Later, when the Israelites fall into sin and are oppressed by Cushan-Rishathaim, they cry out to the Lord for help (Jdg.3.8-9). God raises up Othniel as a deliverer, and the Spirit of the Lord comes upon him (Jdg.3.10). Othniel goes to war against Cushan-Rishathaim and prevails, bringing peace to the land for forty years until his death (Jdg.3.10-11). Othniel is also mentioned as the leader of the tribe of Judah during the reign of King David (1Ch.27.15).

Family

Father
Kenaz
Sibling
Seraiah
Spouse or partner
Achsah
Children
HathathMeonothai

Connections

Part of: Judges era and the road to David

Caleb and Othniel: uncle, nephew, son-in-law

FamilyStated in the text

Caleb offered his daughter Achsah to whoever took Kiriath-sepher; Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother, did so and married her. Othniel later became Israel's first judge. The Kenizzite descent of Caleb shows that non-Israelite clans were absorbed into Judah.

CalebJoshua's compatriotOthnielA Judge
Where the text shows it: Josh 15:16-17 — Othniel takes Kiriath-sepher and marries AchsahJudg 1:13 — Othniel is Caleb's younger brother's sonJudg 3:9-11 — Othniel as the first delivererNum 32:12 — Caleb is called "the Kenizzite"

Sources: Josh 15:16-17 · Judg 1:13 · Judg 3:9-11 · Num 32:12

More background: search Wikipedia ↗

Bible dictionary

Othniel Easton Easton’s Bible Dictionary (1897)

Lion of God, the first of the judges. His wife Achsah was the daughter of Caleb (Josh. 15:16, 17; Judg. 1:13). He gained her hand as a reward for his bravery in leading a successful expedition against Debir (q.v.). Some thirty years after the death of Joshua, the Israelites fell under the subjection of Chushan-rishathaim (q.v.), the king of Mesopotamia. He oppressed them for full eight years, when they “cried” unto Jehovah, and Othniel was raised up to be their deliverer. He was the younger brother of Caleb (Judg. 3:8, 9-11). He is the only judge mentioned connected with the tribe of Judah. Under him the land had rest forty years.

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Othniel Smith Smith’s Bible Dictionary (1863)

(lion of God), son of Kenaz and younger brother of Caleb. (Joshua 15:17; Judges 1:13; 3:9; 1 Chronicles 4:13) (B.C. 1460.) The first mention of Othniel is on occasion of the taking of Kirjath-sepher, or Debir as it was afterward called. Caleb promised to give his daughter Achsah to whosoever should assault and take the city. Othniel won the prize. The next mention of him is in (Judges 3:9) where he appears as the first judge of Israel after the death of Joshua, and the deliverer of his countrymen from the oppression of Chushahrishathaim (Judges 3:8-9)

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Othniel Hitchcock Hitchcock’s Bible Names Dictionary (1869)

the hour of God

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Othniel Hastings Hastings’ Dictionary of the Bible (1898)

OTH'NIEL, the son of Kenaz, Jud 1:13, who displayed his valor in seizing the city of Debir, or Kirjath-sepher, for which exploit he was rewarded by the gift of the daughter of his uncle Caleb in marriage. Josh 15:17. Afterward he was made the instrument of delivering the Israelites from the oppression of the king of Mesopotamia. Judg 3:8-9.

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Othniel Schaff Schaff’s Dictionary of the Bible

OTH'NIEL, the son of Kenaz, Jud 1:13, who displayed his valor in seizing the city of Debir, or Kirjath-sepher, for which exploit he was rewarded by the gift of the daughter of his uncle Caleb in marriage. Josh 15:17. Afterward he was made the instrument of delivering the Israelites from the oppression of the king of Mesopotamia. Judg 3:8-9. OU'CHES were sockets in which precious stones were set. Ex 39:6.

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Easton (1897), Smith (1863), Hitchcock (1869), Hastings (1898) and Schaff are in the public domain. Parsed text: neuu-org/bible-dictionary-dataset (CC BY 4.0). Headwords and whitespace normalised for this site.

Where Othniel appears

6 verses in 3 books · English text: BSB (change it from the menu at the top) · Strong’s H6274

Joshua1
Judges3
1 Chronicles2

Names, family links and references: STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). Short descriptions were drafted with AI assistance by STEPBible. Family links follow STEPBible’s scholarly decisions where genealogies are ambiguous.