In the Book of Judges, Othniel defeats Cushan-Rishathaim, the king of Aram. The episode appears near the beginning of Judges and introduces the book’s recurring cycle: Israel turns away from God, falls under foreign oppression, cries out for help, and is delivered by a judge.
Judges describes Cushan-Rishathaim as the ruler of Aram-Naharaim, a name commonly associated with the region of northern Mesopotamia. Many English translations shorten the designation to Aram, while others render it as Mesopotamia or Aram-Naharaim. Thus, “Aram” is the accepted concise answer to the trivia question.
According to the biblical narrative, the Israelites were oppressed for eight years. Othniel, identified as the son of Kenaz and associated with the tribe of Judah, became their deliverer. After his victory, the land had peace for 40 years.
This story is often confused with later judge-and-king pairings in the book. Othniel’s opponent is Cushan-Rishathaim of Aram; Ehud later defeats Eglon of Moab, while Deborah and Barak oppose forces connected with Canaan.