Zelophehad, a descendant of Manasseh, had no sons, so his daughters appealed for and received his inheritance.
son of Hepher who had only daughters (NUM 26:33)
Lineage: God › Adam › Seth › Enos › Cainan › Mahalaleel › Jared › Enoch › Methuselah › Lamech › Noah › Shem › Arphaxad › Cainan › Salah › Eber › Peleg › Reu › Serug › Nahor › Terah › Abraham › Isaac › Jacob › Joseph › Manasseh › Machir › Gilead › Hepher › Zelophehad
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en
Zelophehad
the shade or tingling of fear
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en
Zelophehad
· Also called · H6765 none · NUM 26:33 shadow of dread, terror i.e., protection from terror or dread
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he
צְלָפְחָד
tsəlafəchad · H6765 · NUM 26:33 shadow of dread, terror i.e., protection from terror or dread
- he צְלׇפְחָד · H6765
- el Σαλπααδ Salpaad · none · NUM 26:33
- bg Салпаад
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Conditional birth estimate
Conditional birth bounds under generation assumptions; not attested parental ages, biological limits or a lifespan.
The anchors give incompatible conditional intervals. This calculation establishes no birth year.
Below are relatives with a selected birth year, the generations separating them, and the interval allowed by each anchor. Each relative’s page shows available dates and sources. The overall estimate uses the intersection of the allowed intervals.
| Relative / anchor year | Generations | Conditional interval |
|---|---|---|
| Manasseh · 1710 BC Ancestor |
4 20–45 years per generation |
c. 1630 BC – 1530 BC |
| Joseph · 1744 BC Ancestor |
5 20–45 years per generation |
c. 1644 BC – 1519 BC |
| Jacob · 1835 BC Ancestor |
6 20–45 years per generation |
c. 1715 BC – 1565 BC |
| Isaac · 1895 BC Ancestor |
7 20–45 years per generation |
c. 1755 BC – 1580 BC |
| Rebekah · 1876 BC Ancestor |
7 20–45 years per generation |
c. 1736 BC – 1561 BC |
| Abraham · 1995 BC Ancestor |
8 20–45 years per generation |
c. 1835 BC – 1635 BC |
| Sarah · 1985 BC Ancestor |
8 20–45 years per generation |
c. 1825 BC – 1625 BC |
| Terah · 2125 BC Ancestor |
9 25–130 years per generation |
c. 1900 BC – 955 BC |
| Nahor · 2156 BC Ancestor |
10 25–130 years per generation |
c. 1906 BC – 856 BC |
| Haran · 2056 BC Ancestor |
10 25–130 years per generation |
c. 1806 BC – 756 BC |
| Serug · 2186 BC Ancestor |
11 25–130 years per generation |
c. 1911 BC – 756 BC |
| Reu · 2218 BC Ancestor |
12 25–130 years per generation |
c. 1918 BC – 658 BC |
| Peleg · 2248 BC Ancestor |
13 25–130 years per generation |
c. 1923 BC – 558 BC |
| Eber · 2282 BC Ancestor |
14 25–130 years per generation |
c. 1932 BC – 462 BC |
| Salah · 2312 BC Ancestor |
15 25–130 years per generation |
c. 1937 BC – 362 BC |
| Arphaxad · 2347 BC Ancestor |
17 25–130 years per generation |
c. 1922 BC – 137 BC |
| Shem · 2447 BC Ancestor |
18 25–130 years per generation |
c. 1997 BC – 107 BC |
| Noah · 2948 BC Ancestor |
19 25–130 years per generation |
c. 2473 BC – 478 BC |
| Lamech · 3130 BC Ancestor |
20 25–130 years per generation |
c. 2630 BC – 530 BC |
| Methuselah · 3317 BC Ancestor |
21 25–130 years per generation |
c. 2792 BC – 587 BC |
| Enoch · 3382 BC Ancestor |
22 25–130 years per generation |
c. 2832 BC – 522 BC |
| Jared · 3544 BC Ancestor |
23 25–130 years per generation |
c. 2969 BC – 554 BC |
| Mahalaleel · 3609 BC Ancestor |
24 25–130 years per generation |
c. 3009 BC – 489 BC |
| Cainan · 3679 BC Ancestor |
25 25–130 years per generation |
c. 3054 BC – 429 BC |
| Cain · 4004 BC Ancestor |
25 25–130 years per generation |
c. 3379 BC – 754 BC |
| Enos · 3769 BC Ancestor |
26 25–130 years per generation |
c. 3119 BC – 389 BC |
| Adam · 4004 BC Ancestor |
26 25–130 years per generation |
c. 3354 BC – 624 BC |
| Eve · 4005 BC Ancestor |
26 25–130 years per generation |
c. 3355 BC – 625 BC |
| Seth · 3874 BC Ancestor |
27 25–130 years per generation |
c. 3199 BC – 364 BC |
- Father: Hepher
- Mother: Unknown
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.
First-born, of the tribe of Manasseh, and of the family of Gilead; died in the wilderness. Having left no sons, his daughters, concerned lest their father’s name should be “done away from among his family,” made an appeal to Moses, who, by divine direction, appointed it as “a statute of judgment” in Israel that daughters should inherit their father’s portion when no sons were left (Num. 27:1-11). But that the possession of Zelophehad might not pass away in the year of jubilee from the tribe to which he belonged, it was ordained by Moses that his daughters should not marry any one out of their father’s tribe; and this afterwards became a general law (Num. 36).
Sources: BibleData (CC BY 4.0, Zelophehad_1) · STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0, Zelophehad@Num.26.33-1Ch) · Theographic Bible Metadata (CC BY-SA 4.0, zelophehad_3035)