Zelophehad
Peopleâš¡ IN BRIEF (SUMMARY)
Zelophehad was a member of the tribe of Manasseh from the clan of Gilead who died during the Israelites' wilderness wanderings. He is primarily known for having only daughters and no male heirs.
What is the meaning of Zelophehad in the Bible?
Zelophehad was a member of the tribe of Manasseh from the clan of Gilead who died during the Israelites' wilderness wanderings. He is primarily known for having only daughters and no male heirs.
SIGNIFICANCE
The narrative of his daughters' petition to Moses establishes a legal precedent for female inheritance in the absence of male heirs, offering insight into the evolution of kinship structures and property distribution within ancient Israelite society as recorded in the Pentateuch.
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Built upon the 1915 International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE) and Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897). Entries have been editorially modernized, checked for academic truthfulness, and formatted for fast contextual reference.