No Sons, But Daughters - Joshua 17:3

In the book of Joshua, we learned how, “there was also a lot for the tribe of Manasseh; for he was the firstborn of Joseph; to wit, for Machir the firstborn of Manasseh, the father of Gilead: because he was a man of war, therefore he had Gilead and Bashan. There was also a lot for the rest of the children of Manasseh by their families; for the children of Abiezer, and for the children of Helek, and for the children of Asriel, and for the children of Shechem, and for the children of Hepher, and for the children of Shemida: these were the male children of Manasseh the son of Joseph by their families”, and in chapter seventeen and verse three of Joshua we learn how, “Zelophehad … had no sons, but daughters” where we read,

But Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, had no sons, but daughters: and these are the names of his daughters, Mahlah, and Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.

The verse reads, “But Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, had no sons, but daughters:” Joshua or the writer began with the words, “but Zelophebad” or “however, nonetheless, notwithstanding and moreover Zelophebad whose name means ‘first-born’ and was a Manassite, son of Hepher and grandson of Gilead; came out of Egypt with Moses and died in the wilderness leaving only five daughters as heirs; their right to the inheritance was confirmed by divine direction”, “the son of Hepher” which means “the male offspring and progeny belonging to Hepher whose name means ‘a well’ and was the youngest son of Gilead and head of the family of Hepherites”, “the son of Gilead” or “the male offspring and progeny belonging to Gilead whose name means ‘rocky region’ and was a mountainous region bounded on the west by the Jordan, on the north by Bashan, on the east by the Arabian plateau, and on the south by Moab and Ammon; sometimes called 'Mount Gilead' or the 'land of Gilead' or just 'Gilead'. Divided into north and south Gilead”, “the son of Machir” which means “the male offspring and progeny belonging to Machir whose name means ‘sold’ and was eldest son of Manasseh by an Aramite or Syrian concubine and progenitor of a large family”, “the son of Manasseh” or “the male offspring and progeny belonging to Manasseh whose name means ‘causing to forget’ and was the eldest son of Joseph and progenitor of the tribe of Manasseh” “had no sons” which means “did not have or produce any male offspring or progeny”, “but daughters” or “however, nonetheless, notwithstanding and moreover female offspring and progeny”. Joshua or the writer shared how “Zelophehad” who was “Giliad’s” son from the “tribe of Manasseh” produced only female offspring and did not have any male offspring. 

 

The verse goes on to say, “and these are the names of his daughters, Mahlah, and Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.” Joshua or the writer continued with the words, “and these are the names” which means “and the following exist as the designated names” “of his daughters” or “pertaining to his, Zelophehad’s, female offspring, “Mahlah” whose name means “disease” and was “the eldest of five daughters of Zelophehad the grandson of Manasseh”, “and Noah” whose name means “motion” and was “one of the five daughters of Zelophehad in the time of the exodus”, “Hoglah” whose name means “partridge” and was “the third of five daughters of Zelophehad, a descendant of Manasseh”, “Milcah” whose name means “queen” and was “daughter of Haran and wife of Nahor, her uncle and Abraham's brother, to whom she bore eight children”, “and Tigray” whose name means “favorable” and was "one of the five daughters of Zelophehad the son of Hepher of the tribe of Manasseh”. Joshua or the writer shared the names of the female offspring belonging to “Zelophehad” - “Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.” 

When we meditate upon the words in this verse, we learn about one man, “Zelophehad”, who was without a male heir to his inheritance. He produced “daughters”, and we shall see how this presented a challenge for how he, as part of the tribe of Manasseh, would pass on an inheritance to his family. God will take care of this unusual situation, and even as we have difficulties and challenges that arise in our lives, He will give us solutions to them. God loves us, and He proved His love toward us when He sent His Son Jesus into the world to die on the cross for the sins of all mankind and to be raised from the dead after three days. When we surrender our lives to Him as our “Savior and Lord”, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and give us His Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth and to empower us to live according to that truth so we learn to trust in Him regardless of the circumstances that arise. (See John 3:16: 16:13; Acts 1:8; 2 Corinthians 1:10-11)

Next time we learn how, the daughters come before the leaders, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

See more devotionals on the website "thewordfortodaywithray.com" or look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".