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Joshua 17:3

Old Testament Historical ASV (1901)

What does Joshua 17:3 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “But Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, had no sons, but daughters: and these are the names of his daughters: Mahlah, and Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

But Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, had no sons, but daughters: and these are the names of his daughters: Mahlah, and Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.
Joshua 17:3 — American Standard Version

Context — Joshua 17

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
1And [this] was the lot for the tribe of Manasseh; for he was the first-born of Joseph. As for Machir the first-born of Manasseh, the father of Gilead, because he was a man of war, therefore he had Gilead and Bashan.
2So [the lot] was for the rest of the children of Manasseh according to their families: for the children of Abiezer, and for the children of Helek, and for the children of Asriel, and for the children of Shechem, and for the children of Hepher, and for the children of Shemida: these were the male children of Manasseh the son of Joseph according to their families.
3But Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, had no sons, but daughters: and these are the names of his daughters: Mahlah, and Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.
4And they came near before Eleazar the priest, and before Joshua the son of Nun, and before the princes, saying, Jehovah commanded Moses to give us an inheritance among our brethren: therefore according to the commandment of Jehovah he gave them an inheritance among the brethren of their father.
5And there fell ten parts to Manasseh, besides the land of Gilead and Bashan, which is beyond the Jordan;
6because the daughters of Manasseh had an inheritance among his sons. And the land of Gilead belonged unto the rest of the sons of Manasseh.
← Joshua 17:2Joshua 17:4 →
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“But Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, had no sons, but daughters, etc.] The descent of this man is particularly given, to show the truth and reality of it, upon which his daughters made their request, and that granted and now claimed: and these [are] the names of his daughters, Mahlah, and Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah; by the same names, and in the same order they are called in (<042633>Numbers 26:33 27:1); the order is a little different in (<043611>Numbers 36:11).”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“17:3-6 In ancient Israel, inheritance usually passed from a father to his sons. Without sons, a man’s name could pass into oblivion. However, Zelophehad’s daughters had petitioned Moses, Moses had inquired of God, and God had ruled that they should inherit their father’s portion (see Num 27:1-11). God’s ruling established a general principle, declaring that no family would be excluded from a portion of God’s material blessings.”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“Num 26:33, Num 27:1, Num 36:2-11 Joshua 17:4”
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Related study paths

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Sources and verification