It was not uncommon in the Old Testament for individuals to offer special incentives to reward acts of bravery (see 1 Samuel 17:25; 1 Samuel 18:17, 1 Samuel 18:25; 1 Chronicles 11:6).1 Marriage to the daughter of a prosperous landowner might include receiving a handsome dowry (1 Samuel 18:17–28) and it seems as if Achsah is thus asking Othniel to ask for the same from her father.2 Since the region is relatively dry, access to water is essential if agriculture is to prosper, which is why Achsah also asks for rights to water springs. In this she is demonstrating the same measure of zeal and courage as her father Caleb and her husband Othniel, making decisions on the basis of God’s promises.3
18 When she came to him, she urged him to ask her father for a field. And she got off her donkey, and Caleb said to her, “What do you want?”