{
  "id": "dict_003434",
  "term": "Mahlah",
  "slug": "mahlah",
  "letter": "M",
  "entry_type": "biblical_person_name",
  "entry_family": "theological_term",
  "depth_profile": "standard",
  "short_definition": "Mahlah is a biblical personal name, best known as one of the daughters of Zelophehad, whose case helped clarify Israel’s inheritance law.",
  "simple_one_line": "Mahlah is one of Zelophehad’s daughters in the Old Testament.",
  "tooltip_text": "A biblical woman named Mahlah, best known for her place in the inheritance account of Zelophehad’s daughters.",
  "aliases": [],
  "scripture_references": [],
  "original_language_terms": [],
  "related_entries": [
    "Zelophehad",
    "Zelophehad’s daughters",
    "Inheritance",
    "Inheritance law",
    "Numbers",
    "Joshua"
  ],
  "see_also": [
    "Mahlah (daughter of Zelophehad)",
    "Zelophehad",
    "Daughters of Zelophehad",
    "Inheritance rights"
  ],
  "lede_intro": "Mahlah is an Old Testament personal name, best known for one of the daughters of Zelophehad. Her account is significant because the daughters’ appeal led to a ruling that clarified inheritance rights when a man died without sons.",
  "at_a_glance_definition": "Biblical personal name; best known as one of Zelophehad’s daughters.",
  "at_a_glance_key_points": [
    "Appears in the inheritance account of Zelophehad’s daughters",
    "Connected with Israel’s inheritance law",
    "The name itself is a proper name, not a theological concept"
  ],
  "description_academic_short": "Mahlah is an Old Testament personal name, most notably one of Zelophehad’s daughters in Numbers 27 and 36 and Joshua 17. Her account is important for the biblical record of inheritance law, but the name itself is a proper name rather than a theological term.",
  "description_academic_full": "Mahlah is a biblical personal name rather than a theological concept. The best-known Mahlah is one of the daughters of Zelophehad, whose petition before Moses led to a clarifying ruling concerning inheritance when a man died without sons (Numbers 27; 36). She is also listed among the daughters in Joshua 17. Another Mahlah appears in genealogical material in 1 Chronicles 7. The name is therefore best treated as a biblical person/name entry, with attention to the legal and covenant significance of Zelophehad’s daughters rather than to any independent doctrine attached to the name itself.",
  "background_biblical_context": "Mahlah is associated with the account of Zelophehad’s daughters, who asked for their father’s inheritance because he had no sons. Their request is recorded in Numbers 27 and 36 and later reflected in Joshua 17. The passage highlights God’s concern for justice and orderly inheritance within Israel.",
  "background_historical_context": "In ancient Israel, tribal and family inheritance normally passed through male heirs. The case of Zelophehad’s daughters shows how the Mosaic law addressed a real legal situation while preserving tribal inheritance boundaries.",
  "background_jewish_ancient_context": "The narrative fits the Torah’s concern for family land, clan continuity, and covenant order. It also illustrates the seriousness with which Israel treated inherited land as a gift to be preserved within the covenant community.",
  "key_texts_primary": [
    "Numbers 26:33",
    "Numbers 27:1-11",
    "Numbers 36:1-12",
    "Joshua 17:3-6"
  ],
  "key_texts_secondary": [
    "1 Chronicles 7:18"
  ],
  "original_language_note": "The name Mahlah is a Hebrew personal name. Its meaning is not central to the biblical teaching of the passages in which it appears.",
  "theological_significance": "Mahlah’s significance is indirect: her account is tied to the Lord’s just provision within Israel’s inheritance law. The passage demonstrates that covenant law could address exceptional cases without losing its ordered structure.",
  "philosophical_explanation": "The entry raises no special philosophical issue beyond the distinction between a proper name and a theological term. Its importance lies in the concrete historical setting of law, family, and inheritance.",
  "interpretive_cautions": "Mahlah should not be treated as a doctrine or abstract theological category. The main interpretive focus belongs on the legal ruling involving Zelophehad’s daughters, not on the name itself. Care should also be taken not to confuse the various biblical persons who share the same name.",
  "major_views_note": "There is little disagreement about the basic identification of Mahlah. Discussion usually concerns the legal and historical significance of the daughters of Zelophehad rather than the name itself.",
  "doctrinal_boundaries": "This entry should be kept within the bounds of biblical person/name identification and the inheritance narrative. It should not be expanded into speculative theological claims.",
  "practical_significance": "Mahlah’s account points readers to God’s fairness, attention to legitimate need, and faithful ordering of family and covenant responsibilities.",
  "meta_description": "Mahlah is a biblical personal name, best known as one of Zelophehad’s daughters in the Old Testament inheritance account.",
  "public_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/mahlah/",
  "json_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/data/dictionary/mahlah.json",
  "final_disposition": "PUBLISH_CANONICAL"
}