Hebrew word · H6765

צְלׇפְחָד

tzelafechad

Zelophehad

Personal name. Its meaning is disputed: 'shadow/protection from dread' (tsel + pachad), or a name built on an otherwise unknown element.

Appears 11 times in 9 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

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

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Joshua 17:3

Range of meaning

Personal name. Its meaning is disputed: 'shadow/protection from dread' (tsel + pachad), or a name built on an otherwise unknown element.

Against the English

English versions just transliterate it (Zelophehad).

Used elsewhere in the period

Num 26:33; 27:1, 7; 36:2-11; 1 Chr 7:15. In the Old Greek, Salpaad.

Where it appears

Numbers · 8

  1. Numbers 26:33 וּצְלָפְחָ֣ד צְלָפְחָ֔ד and Zelophehad, Zelophehad

    Now Zelophehad son of Hepher had no sons but only daughters. The names of his daughters were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.

  2. Numbers 27:1 צְלָפְחָ֗ד Zelophehad

    Now the daughters of Zelophehad son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, belonged to the clans of Manasseh son of Joseph. These were the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. They approached

  3. Numbers 27:7 צְלָפְחָד֮ Zelophehad

    “The daughters of Zelophehad speak correctly. You certainly must give them property as an inheritance among their father’s brothers and transfer their father’s inheritance to them.

  4. Numbers 36:2 צְלָפְחָ֥ד Zelophehad

    saying, “When the LORD commanded my lord to give the land as an inheritance to the Israelites by lot, He also commanded him to give the inheritance of our brother Zelophehad to his daughters.

  5. Numbers 36:6 צְלָפְחָד֙ Zelophehad

    This is what the LORD has commanded concerning the daughters of Zelophehad: They may marry anyone they please, provided they marry within a clan of the tribe of their father.

  6. Numbers 36:10 צְלָפְחָֽד׃ Zelophehad

    So the daughters of Zelophehad did as the LORD had commanded Moses.

    Here: A man of the tribe of Manasseh, from the clan of Gilead and Machir, who died in the wilderness without sons (27:1–3). His name ends the verse and, in effect, the legal material of the book. His line survives through his daughters.

  7. Numbers 36:11 צְלָפְחָ֑ד Zelophehad

    Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Noah, the daughters of Zelophehad, were married to cousins on their father’s side.

Joshua · 1

  1. Joshua 17:3 וְלִצְלָפְחָד֩ and to Zelophehad

    But Zelophehad son of Hepher (the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh) had no sons but only daughters. These are the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.

    Here: The 'and' sets up a contrast with verse 2. The 'to/for' ending works like 'as for Zelophehad', putting him forward as the exception to the list of male clan heads. The name's meaning is uncertain. 'Shadow/protection from dread' is a guess, not a settled meaning.

1 Chronicles · 2

  1. 1 Chronicles 7:15 צְלָפְחָ֑ד לִצְלָפְחָ֖ד [was] Zelophehad, to Zelophehad

    Machir took a wife from among the Huppites and Shuppites. The name of his sister was Maacah. Another descendant was named Zelophehad, who had only daughters.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.