Bible Figure
Othniel
first Judge of Israel
Othniel was the first judge raised up to deliver Israel in the Book of Judges and was also associated with Caleb's family.
Biography
Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger relative, first appears in the conquest tradition when he captured Kiriath-sepher and received Caleb's daughter Achsah as his wife. Judges 3 later recounts Israel turning to idolatry and being oppressed by Cushan-rishathaim. When Israel cried to the Lord, God raised Othniel as deliverer. The Spirit of the Lord came upon him, he judged Israel, went to war, and prevailed. The land then had forty years of rest.
Biblical Significance
Othniel establishes the recurring pattern of Judges: Israel sins, oppression follows, the people cry out, and God mercifully raises a deliverer. His Spirit-empowered victory begins the book's sequence of judges.