Mahlah

Mahlah is the eldest of the five daughters of Zelophehad, listed first whenever the sisters are named together. She belongs to the tribe of Manasseh through Hepher and Gilead, and her name attaches to the case that introduces a special provision for inheritance — a daughter's right to receive her father's portion when he leaves no son.

A Daughter of Zelophehad

The census of Manasseh notes Zelophehad's exceptional household: "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" (Num 26:33).

The Inheritance Case

The five sisters bring their claim themselves, before the entire assembly: "Then drew near 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. And they stood before Moses, and before Eleazar the priest, and before the princes and all the congregation, at the door of the tent of meeting, saying, Our father died in the wilderness, and he wasn't among the company of those who gathered themselves together against Yahweh in the company of Korah: but he died in his own sin; and he had no sons. Why should the name of our father be taken away from among his family, because he had no son? Give to us a possession among the brothers of our father" (Num 27:1-4).

Moses takes the question to Yahweh, and the answer is direct: "And Moses brought their cause before Yahweh. And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, The daughters of Zelophehad speak right: you will surely give them a possession of an inheritance among their father's brothers; and you will cause the inheritance of their father to pass to them" (Num 27:5-7). Mahlah, named first among them, stands at the head of the case that establishes the rule.

The name Mahlah belongs to another figure in scripture, a man of Manasseh's line. Hammolecheth, the sister of Gilead's father Machir, is the mother of three sons: "And his sister Hammolecheth bore Ishhod, and Abiezer, and Mahlah" (1Ch 7:18). This Mahlah is a grandson of Manasseh on the maternal side, distinct from the eldest daughter of Zelophehad though sharing her name.