Bible Strands
Numbers 36:11
Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Noah, the daughters of Zelophehad, were married to cousins on their father’s side.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Moses communicates a divine directive to the Israelite leadership after the daughters of Zelophehad agree to the inheritance decree. The moment follows the resolution of a legal dispute concerning female land rights in the tribe of Manasseh.
The words — וַ/תִּהְיֶ֜ינָה (va./tih.Yei.nah) carries the literal sense "and they belonged," marking their legal and marital placement, while בְּנ֣וֹת (be.Not) identifies them as "daughters," anchoring their status under the inheritance statutes.
The thread — The narrative continues in Numbers 36:10 where they execute the command, and Numbers 36:12 where their union with Manasseh clansmen keeps the inheritance within their father's tribe. The daughters are first listed in Numbers 26:33 and initiate the legal case in Numbers 27:1.
Why it lands — The text mandates that tribal land boundaries take precedence over personal marital choice. It establishes a legal requirement where inheritance preservation dictates family structure.
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
For Mahlah, Tirzah, and Hoglah, and Milcah, and Noah, the daughters of Zelophehad, were married unto their father’s brothers’ sons:
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 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.