Lexical Summary Machlah: Mahlah Original Word: מַחְלָה Strong's Exhaustive Concordance Mahlah From chalah; sickness; Machlah, the name apparently of two Israelitesses -- Mahlah. see HEBREW chalah NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originof uncertain derivation Definition a daughter of Zelophehad, also a Gileadite NASB Translation Mahlah (5). Brown-Driver-Briggs מַחְלָה proper name, feminine 1. a daughter of Zelophehad Numbers 26:33; Numbers 27:1; Numbers 36:11; Joshua 17:3, ᵐ5 Μα(α)λ(α)α. 2 a Gileadite name (possibly masculine) 1 Chronicles 7:18 ᵐ5 Μαελα, ᵐ5L Μααλαθ. [מַחֲלֶה], מַחֲלָה see I. חלה. מְחֹלָה, see I. חול. [מְחִלָּה] see I. חלל Topical Lexicon Name and Biblical Setting Machlah (Mahlah) appears five times in Scripture, always within the tribe of Manasseh. Four occurrences (Numbers 26:33; Numbers 27:1; Numbers 36:11; Joshua 17:3) refer to one of the five daughters of Zelophehad. A fifth mention (1 Chronicles 7:18) lists a family member of the same tribal line, showing that the name remained valued in Manassite genealogy. The Daughters of Zelophehad Numbers 27 recounts the most detailed scene: “Why should the name of our father disappear from his clan because he had no son? Give us property among our father’s brothers.” (Numbers 27:4) With this plea Machlah and her sisters—Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah—challenge the normal inheritance customs of their day. Moses brings the matter “before the LORD” (verse 5), and the divine ruling follows: “The daughters of Zelophehad speak rightly. You certainly must give them property as an inheritance among their father’s brothers and transfer their father’s inheritance to them.” (Numbers 27:7) Legal and Theological Significance 1. Preservation of Tribal Allotment The decision safeguards the tribal balance that the land allotments embody. By keeping Zelophehad’s property within Manasseh, the judgment honors ancestral promises stretching back to Genesis 15 and Numbers 34. While the patriarchal framework of Israel remains intact, the Lord’s response highlights that covenant blessings extend beyond gender. Justice, not mere custom, determines inheritance in Israel. Numbers 36 addresses marriages for these daughters so the land “will not be transferred from one tribe of the sons of Israel to another” (verse 7). Their account becomes case law, cited whenever succession issues arise (cf. 1 Chronicles 9:1). Faith and Courage in Action Machlah and her sisters approach the Tent of Meeting publicly, standing “before Moses, Eleazar the priest, the leaders, and the whole congregation” (Numbers 27:2). Their respectful boldness models petitionary faith: they neither subvert authority nor remain silent; they speak truth under God’s authority. Hebrews 4:16 commends the same posture in approaching the throne of grace. The Record in Joshua Joshua 17:3–6 affirms that the verdict reached under Moses is executed under Joshua. The text repeats each daughter’s name, underlining that divine decrees outlive human leaders. The allotment in Canaan consummates their faith’s journey from Sinai to Shiloh. A Later Family Bearer of the Name 1 Chronicles 7:18 places another Machlah in the genealogy of Manasseh through Hammoleketh. The chronicler’s interest in post-exilic identity suggests the name had become emblematic of inheritance secured by faithfulness. Ministry Applications • Advocacy rooted in Scripture: Machlah’s example legitimizes respectful appeal when justice is at stake within God-given structures. Intertextual Echoes and Gospel Fulfillment Galatians 3:28 proclaims, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” The principle expressed in Machlah’s case—equal standing before divine law—finds its fullest realization in union with Christ, where inheritance is “imperishable, undefiled, and unfading” (1 Peter 1:4). Forms and Transliterations מַחְלָ֣ה מַחְלָֽה׃ מחלה מחלה׃ machLah maḥ·lāh maḥlāhLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Numbers 26:33 HEB: בְּנ֣וֹת צְלָפְחָ֔ד מַחְלָ֣ה וְנֹעָ֔ה חָגְלָ֥ה NAS: of Zelophehad were Mahlah, Noah, KJV: of Zelophehad [were] Mahlah, and Noah, INT: of the daughters of Zelophehad were Mahlah Noah Hoglah Numbers 27:1 Numbers 36:11 Joshua 17:3 1 Chronicles 7:18 5 Occurrences |
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