Meaning
Mahlah ma'-la (machlah "sickness" or "song," etymology doubtful):
(1) Eldest of Zelophehad's 5 daughters (Num 26:33, Num 27:1). As Zelophehad, grandson of Manasseh, had no sons, the daughters successfully claimed their father's inheritance. The law was altered in their favor on condition that they married into their father's tribe. They agreed and married their cousins (Nu 36:11). The whole chapter should be read and compared with Jos 17:3 ff, because the decision became a precedent.
(2) Another (the King James Version "Mahalah"), same Hebrew name as above, daughter of Hammoleketh, grand-daughter of Manasseh (1Ch 7:18).
Henry Wallace
