Bible Strands
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.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrator records the census results for the tribe of Manasseh, specifically detailing the Hepherite clan's lineage. This entry occurs during the second Israelite census conducted on the plains of Moab before the conquest of Canaan.
The words — The phrase לֹא הָיוּ בָנִים (lo' hayu banim) literally states "sons were not" or "there were no sons." This negation directly precedes the declaration of the daughters' names, establishing the family's structural reality.
The thread — The same family line reappears in Numbers 27:1 when the daughters approach Moses, and in Numbers 36:10 when they comply with the inheritance regulations. These passages extend the census record into legal and narrative developments regarding tribal inheritance.
Why it lands — The verse requires the reader to acknowledge that family continuity and inheritance rights are recorded without male heirs. It establishes a factual baseline that subsequent legal instructions must address.
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
And Zelophehad the son of Hepher had no sons, but daughters: and the names of the daughters of Zelophehad were Mahlah, and Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.
Cross-references
- 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 36:10 So the daughters of Zelophehad did as the LORD had commanded Moses.