Editing Daughters of Zelophehad (section)

==Scholarly views==
Two genealogies are given for Zelophehad by the Bible;<ref name="Jewish Encyclopedia">''Jewish Encyclopedia''</ref> in the [[Book of Chronicles]], he is listed as a son of [[Manasseh (tribal patriarch)|Manasseh]].<ref>{{Bibleverse|1|Chronicles|7:14-15|}}</ref> in other places where his genealogy is mentioned, he is listed as a son of Hepher, who was the son of [[Gilead (Biblical figure)|Gilead]], and therefore merely a descendant of Manasseh.<ref>for example, in {{Bibleverse||Numbers|17:3|}}</ref> Both of these genealogies record Zelophehad as being a member of the tribe of Manasseh. The apparent contradictions have been addressed by naming Zelophehad as a ''descendant'' rather than as ''the second [son]''.<ref name="Jewish Encyclopedia"/>

According to Shammai Feldman, Zelophehad and his daughters are a fiction created simply to illustrate some of the legal rules of inheritance;<ref>Shammai Feldman, "Biblical motives and sources" in "[[Journal of Near Eastern Studies]]" 22 (1962)</ref> Jewish textual scholars regard the accounts concerning Zelophehad's daughters as accretions added to the earlier [[priestly source]] narrative by writers from the same pro-[[Kohen|Aaronid]] [[wiktionary:religiopolitical|religio-political]] group.<ref>''Jewish Encyclopedia'', ''Book of Numbers''</ref> The presence of Zelophehad and his daughters in the earlier census<ref>Numbers 26:33</ref> is marked by the [[King James Version]]<ref>usually with brackets or italics</ref> as having dubious authenticity.

According to ''Tevye's Daughters: No Laughing Matter'', author [[Jan Lisa Huttner]] makes a connection from the five daughters of Zelophehad to Tevye's five daughters in ''[[Fiddler on the Roof]]''. [[Sholem Aleichem]] presumably read the story of Zelophehad's five daughters and it is highly likely that [[Joseph Stein]] read it at one time too. The number five, five daughters—or to be exact, five dowries—is the same number God also bestowed on Sholem Aleichem.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Huttner|first1=Jan Lisa|title=Tevye's Daughters: No Laughing Matter|date=September 18, 2014|publisher=FF2 Media|location=New York, NY|asin=B00NQDQCTG|url=https://www.amazon.com/Tevyes-Daughters-No-Laughing-Matter-ebook/dp/B00NQDQCTG/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top?ie=UTF8|access-date=3 November 2014}}</ref>

===Names===
Linguistic scholars are divided in regard to the [[etymology]] of the name ''Zelophehad''. Following the reading of the [[Masoretic Text]], some scholars suspect that the name is derived from a [[Syriac language|Syriac]] term meaning "first rupture", in the sense of being a first-born son.<ref name="Jewish Encyclopedia"/> Most scholars, following the [[Septuagint]]'s rendering of the name as ''salpaad'', believe that the name was derived from the Hebrew term ''salpahad'', literally meaning "shadow from terror";<ref name="Jewish Encyclopedia"/> many of these scholars interpret this as referring to the shadow created by a shelter, and so interpret the name as "protection from terror",<ref name="Jewish Encyclopedia"/> but others interpret it as meaning "the bringer of terror is shadowed".<ref>Cheyne and Black, ''[[Encyclopedia Biblica]]''</ref>

In regard to the names of the daughters, scholars largely are in agreement; ''Mahlah'' means "forgiven", ''Noah'' means "movement", ''Milcah'' means "queen", ''Tirzah'' means "pleasing", ''Hoglah'' means "circling/dancing" (though for this reason it is also the word for ''[[partridge]]'').