| Joshua 15:17
| And Othoniel, the son of Cenez, the younger brother of Caleb, took it: and he gave him Axa, his daughter, to wife.
| Brother. It is not clear in the original whether this relates to Cenez or to Othoniel, (Haydock) as younger is not found in [the] Hebrew but it is in the Syriac, Septuagint, and Judges 1:13. Many think that Cenez was the brother of Caleb. If Othoniel had been brother of the latter, they say he could not have legally married his niece. (Calmet) --- But though Moses forbids a nephew to marry his aunt, it does not follow that uncles could not take their nieces to wife, as they would be still the head; (Worthington) whereas there would be a sort of indecency for a nephew to command his aunt. The Jews allow these marriages, while the Samaritans condemn them, Leviticus 18:14. In confirmation of the Vulgate, we may remark, that Cenez is never (Calmet) clearly (Haydock) represented as the brother of Caleb; and there is no inconvenience in asserting that Othoniel was the brother of the latter, whether we take this word to denote a near relation, or strictly. In the former supposition, Othoniel might marry his cousin, Axa, the daughter of Caleb, while he himself was descended from Cenez, the brother of Jephone. (Calmet) --- But if we take the word strictly, as the remark of his being younger brother, both here and Judges 1:13., may seem to imply, we must then allow that Othoniel followed the custom of his nation, (Haydock) in marrying his niece. (Menochius) --- Septuagint here make him "the younger son of Cenez, who was brother of Caleb;" and in the Book of Judges, they say, "Gothoniel, the son of Cenez, (and) the younger brother of Caleb, first made himself master of it, under him;" as if Othoniel and Caleb had been born of the same mother, but of a different father, unless we suppose that they were only nearly related, and the former much less advanced in years; so that he might well marry the daughter of Caleb and afterwards become a judge and deliverer of Israel, Judges 3:9. See Masius; Bonfrere. (Haydock)
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