Bible Strands
Joshua 17:3
But Zelophehad son of Hepher (the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh) had no sons but only daughters. These are the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrator records the family status of Zelophehad while Joshua distributes territory to the remaining clans of Manasseh. This genealogical note is inserted at the moment of land allotment to clarify which branch of the tribe receives the inheritance.
The words — The Hebrew בֶּן (ben) appears repeatedly, translating literally as "son of" to chain Hepher, Gilead, Machir, and Manasseh together. This technical genealogical marker anchors Zelophehad’s identity within the established tribal hierarchy.
The thread — The identical lineage and daughters’ names are recorded in Numbers 26:33 and Numbers 27:1, where the daughters first petition Moses for land. The narrative resumes in Numbers 36:2, which addresses the legal consequences of their inheritance claim.
Why it lands — The verse requires the reader to note that the text explicitly lists five daughters because Zelophehad left no sons. It establishes the factual precondition that forces the subsequent legal and administrative decisions regarding land distribution.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
But Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, had no sons, but daughters: and these are the names of his daughters, Mahlah, and Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.
Cross-references
- Numbers 26:33 Now Zelophehad son of Hepher had no sons but only daughters. The names of his daughters were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.
- Numbers 27:1 Now the daughters of Zelophehad son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, belonged to the clans of Manasseh son of Joseph. These were the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. They approached
- Numbers 36:2 saying, “When the LORD commanded my lord to give the land as an inheritance to the Israelites by lot, He also commanded him to give the inheritance of our brother Zelophehad to his daughters.