Mahlah
“Disease or sickness”
Summary
Mahlah was the eldest of the five daughters of Zelophehad who successfully petitioned Moses for the right to inherit their father's property, establishing an important legal precedent in Israel.
☩The Petition for Inheritance
Mahlah and her four sisters—Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah—were daughters of Zelophehad of the tribe of Manasseh, who died in the wilderness without leaving any sons. The daughters came before Moses, Eleazar the priest, and the congregation at the door of the Tabernacle to plead their case: 'Why should the name of our father be done away from among his family, because he had no son? Give unto us a possession among the brethren of our father.'
☩The Divine Ruling
Moses brought their case before the Lord, who declared that the daughters spoke rightly. The law was altered in their favor: if a man died without sons, his inheritance would pass to his daughters. This decision became a standing statute and ordinance in Israel. However, a subsequent ruling required that heiresses must marry within their father's tribe to prevent the transfer of tribal inheritances. Mahlah and her sisters complied, marrying their cousins from the family of Manasseh.
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Mahlah," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. V (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.James Orr (ed.), "Mahlah," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. III (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).
- 3.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Mahlah," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).