Zelophehad

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.