Tanakhתנ״ך

Textual Variations in Tzelofchad's Daughters' Names

The daughters of Tzelofchad are listed twice in the Torah with different name orders and varying use of conjunctive particles. Classical and medieval commentators explore what these textual differences convey about the daughters' status and the significance of scriptural repetition.

מַגִּיד שֶׁכֻּלָּן שְׁקוּלוֹת — זוֹ כְּזוֹ

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What the sources say

The two lists diverge in both order and vav-placement: in Bamidbar 27:1 the daughters appear as מַחְלָה נֹעָה וְחׇגְלָה וּמִלְכָּה וְתִרְצָה, while in Bamidbar 36:11 they appear as מַחְלָה תִרְצָה וְחׇגְלָה וּמִלְכָּה וְנֹעָה — with both the sequence and the placement of the vavs shifted.

Rashi (Bamidbar 27:1) draws directly on Sifrei Bamidbar 133:2 to explain that the Torah deliberately changed the order of the names between the two lists in order to teach that all five daughters were of equal worth, one with another.

The Malbim (Bamidbar 27:1) adds a deeper methodological principle: wherever a Torah list reverses its own earlier sequence, that reversal signals that all the items are equal — but he notes that this is the view of Rabbi Shimon and the Sifrei, whereas the Sages require a specific reason for each individual change of order, and accordingly the Gemara in Bava Batra explains that the first list follows seniority and the second follows wisdom.

Source 1 · Tanach

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Numbers 27:1-11

במדבר כ״ז:א׳-י״א

Numbers 27:1-11

Pinchas

The Torah introduces the daughters of Tzelofchad, listing their names and presenting their legal claim for inheritance. This is the foundational biblical passage for the spelling/ordering question because the names appear in one ordered list here.

וַתִּקְרַ֜בְנָה בְּנ֣וֹת צְלׇפְחָ֗ד בֶּן־חֵ֤פֶר בֶּן־גִּלְעָד֙ בֶּן־מָכִ֣יר בֶּן־מְנַשֶּׁ֔ה לְמִשְׁפְּחֹ֖ת מְנַשֶּׁ֣ה בֶן־יוֹסֵ֑ף וְאֵ֙לֶּה֙ שְׁמ֣וֹת בְּנֹתָ֔יו מַחְלָ֣ה נֹעָ֔ה וְחׇגְלָ֥ה וּמִלְכָּ֖ה וְתִרְצָֽה׃

The daughters of Zelophehad, of Manassite family—son of Hepher son of Gilead son of Machir son of Manasseh son of Joseph—came forward. The names of the daughters were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.

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Source 2 · Tanach

Verified

Numbers 36:1-12

במדבר ל״ו:א׳-י״ב

Numbers 36:1-12

Masei

The daughters of Tzelofchad are listed again in the context of their marriage and tribal inheritance restrictions. This repetition gives a second biblical list to compare against the earlier one, with the name spellings and vav placements varying in the written text.

וַתִּהְיֶ֜ינָה מַחְלָ֣ה תִרְצָ֗ה וְחׇגְלָ֧ה וּמִלְכָּ֛ה וְנֹעָ֖ה בְּנ֣וֹת צְלׇפְחָ֑ד לִבְנֵ֥י דֹדֵיהֶ֖ן לְנָשִֽׁים׃

Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Noah, Zelophehad’s daughters, became the wives of their uncles’ sons,

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Source 3 · Chazal

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Sifrei Bamidbar 133:2

The passage discusses the daughters of Tzelofchad and cites two different scriptural lists of their names—one from Bamidbar 27 (Machlah, Noah, Chaglah, Milkah, and Tirzah) and another from Bamidbar 36 (Machlah, Tirzah, Chaglah, Milkah, and Noah)—and resolves through a Talmudic deduction that the varying order teaches all five daughters were equal in status and merit.

עובדיה גדל בין ב' רשעים, בין אחאב ואיזבל – ולא עשה כמעשיהם, ונתנבא על עשו שגדל בין ב' צדיקים – בין יצחק לרבקה ולא עשה כמעשיהם; שנאמר (עובדיה א) חזון עובדיה כה אמר ה' אלהים לאדום: ולמשפחות מנשה בן יוסף – כשם שחיבב יוסף את ארץ ישראל כך חיבבו בנות צלפחד. ואלה בנות צלפחד מחלה נועה חגלה ומלכה ותרצה – או כל הקודם במקרא קודם במעשה? תלמוד לומר (במדבר לו) ותהיינה מחלה תרצה חגלה ומלכה ונועה בנות צלפחד מלמד שכולם שקולות, זו כזו:

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Source 4 · Rishonim

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Rashi on Numbers 27:1

רש"י על במדבר כ״ז:א׳

Rashi on Numbers 27:1

Pinchas

Rashi comments on the daughters of Tzelofchad and the inheritance episode, drawing on the rabbis' treatment of their righteousness and the order of the narrative. While not focused only on spelling, it is a standard peshat-drash entry point for the passage.

מחלה נעה וגו'. וּלְהַלָּן (במדבר לו יא) הוּא אוֹמֵר "וַתִּהְיֶינָה מַחְלָה תִרְצָה", מַגִּיד שֶׁכֻּלָּן שְׁקוּלוֹת — זוֹ כְּזוֹ, לְפִיכָךְ שִׁנָּה אֶת סִדְרָן (שם):

מחלה נעה וגו׳ MAHLAH, NOAH, etc. — But further on (Numbers 36:11) states, “And Mahlah, Tirzah were” (changing the position of the names within the verse): this is to tell you that they all were of equal worth one with another, and on this account it is that it changed their order (i.e. the order of their names) (Sifrei Bamidbar 133:2).

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Source 5 · Acharonim

Verified

Malbim on Numbers 27:1

מלבי"ם על במדבר כ״ז:א׳

Malbim on Numbers 27:1

Pinchas

Malbim often pays close attention to textual variation and formulation. His comments on the daughters of Tzelofchad are a good candidate for a source-sensitive reading of why the names are written differently in different lists.

ואלה שמות בנותיו וכו' כבר בארתי (ויקרא סי' רפ"ח) דכ"מ שבאו דברים רבים בסדר מיוחד סדרן דוקא, אבל אם במקום א' הפך הסדר בא להורות שכולם שוים, ושם בארתי שזה דעת ר"ש וסתם ספרי ר"ש, אבל לחכמים צ"ל טעם בכל א' מדוע שינה הסדר וע"כ בב"ב (דף ק"כ) אמר להלן מנאן הכתיב דרך גדלתן וכאן דרך חכמתם שזה לדעת חכמים:

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