Boy Old Testament Known
Zelophehad
the shade or tingling of fear
צְלׇפְחָד tse.loph.chad
Zelophehad (Hebrew: צְלׇפְחָד, tse.loph.chad) means “the shade or tingling of fear”, by traditional interpretation. Two people in scripture bear the name; the best attested belongs to the Exodus period. In United States birth records the name is below the reporting threshold. Appears with Gilead in Joshua 17.
Which Zelophehad?
Two men in scripture bear this name. Here is each of them.
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Zelophehad
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Zelophehad
Scripture against society
The two measures, side by side
At a glance
- Verses
- 9 across 3 books
- Bearers
- 2 distinct people in scripture
- Testament
- Old
- Era
- Exodus
Using it today
In United States birth records this name is below the reporting threshold. The Social Security Administration does not publish counts under five, so a name given to four children looks the same as one given to none.
In scripture
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| First appears | Numbers 26:33 |
| Last appears | 1 Chronicles 7:15 |
| Cross-references | 63 linked passages |
Names connected to this one
- Tirzah co-occurrence Appears with Tirzah in Joshua 17.
- Milcah co-occurrence Appears with Milcah in Joshua 17.
- Mahlah co-occurrence Appears with Mahlah in Joshua 17.
- Noah co-occurrence Appears with Noah in Joshua 17.
- Hoglah co-occurrence Appears with Hoglah in Joshua 17.
- Hepher co-occurrence Appears with Hepher in Joshua 17.
- Machir co-occurrence Appears with Machir in Joshua 17.
- Gilead co-occurrence Appears with Gilead in Joshua 17.
Origin & meaning
A man of the tribe of Manasseh living at the time of Egypt and Wilderness, first mentioned at Num.26.33;
son of: Hepher (H2660A);
father of: Mahlah (H4244), Noah (H5270), Hoglah (H2295), Milcah (H4435H) and Tirzah (H8656)
§ Zelophehad = "first-born"
a Manassite, son of Hepher and grandson of Gilead; came out of Egypt with Moses and died in the wilderness leaving only five daughters as heirs; their right to the inheritance was confirmed by divine direction
Zelophehad, a descendant of Manasseh, had no sons, so his daughters appealed for and received his inheritance.
The biblical story
Zelophehad was a man from the tribe of Manasseh during the time of Moses. He had five daughters - Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah - but no sons. After the census in the wilderness, Zelophehad's daughters came before Moses, Eleazar the priest, the leaders, and the congregation, asking for a possession among their father's brothers, since Zelophehad had died without a male heir. Moses brought their case before the Lord, who commanded that the daughters be given their father's inheritance. This ruling set a precedent for cases where a man died without a son. Later, when the Israelites were preparing to enter Canaan, the heads of the fathers' houses of Manasseh raised a concern that if Zelophehad's daughters married outside their tribe, their inheritance would be lost to the tribe. Moses then commanded that they could marry whom they thought best, but only within their father's tribal clan, to keep the inheritance within the tribe. Zelophehad's daughters did as the Lord commanded and married sons of their father's brothers. This event is significant in establishing the rights of inheritance for women in ancient Israel.
Key verses
Zelophehad appears in 9 verses. Here are some of the most notable:
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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.
Numbers 26:33 -
Then came the daughters of Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, of the families of Manasseh the son of Joseph: and these are the names of his daughters; Mahlah, Noah, and Hoglah, and Milcah, and Tirzah.
Numbers 27:1 -
The daughters of Zelophehad speak right: thou shalt surely give them a possession of an inheritance among their father’s brethren; and thou shalt cause the inheritance of their father to pass unto them.
Numbers 27:7 -
And they said, The Lord commanded my lord to give the land for an inheritance by lot to the children of Israel: and my lord was commanded by the Lord to give the inheritance of Zelophehad our brother unto his daughters.
Numbers 36:2 -
This is the thing which the Lord doth command concerning the daughters of Zelophehad, saying, Let them marry to whom they think best; only to the family of the tribe of their father shall they marry.
Numbers 36:6
Show all 9 references
Numbers (7)
- Numbers 26:33
- Numbers 27:1
- Numbers 27:7
- Numbers 36:2
- Numbers 36:6
- Numbers 36:10
- Numbers 36:11
Joshua (1)
- Joshua 17:3
1 Chronicles (1)
- 1 Chronicles 7:15