Wikipedia's first sentence called it “left”. Today it says “five sisters – mahlah”.
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Machine-checked against the full current article on 2026-08-03.
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The opening as it read in 2005
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain : Easton, Matthew George (1897). Easton's Bible Dictionary (New and revised ed.). Nelson and Sons. : Missing or empty |title= ( help ) Zelophehad - first-born, of the tribe of Manasseh, and of the family of Gilead; died in the wilderness. Having left no sons, his daughters, concerned lest their father's name should be "done away from among his family," made an appeal to Moses , who, by divine direction, appointed it as "a statute of judgment" in Israel that daughters should inherit their father's portion when no sons were left (Num. 27:1-11). But that the possession of Zelophehad might not pass away in the year of jubilee from the tribe to which he belonged, it was ordained by Moses that his daughters should not marry any one out of their father's tribe; and this afterwards became a general law (Num. 36).1
This is Wikipedia's own text, saved in our repository. Their copy of it is revision 15961982.
The opening as it stood in 2010 5 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
The Daughters of Zelophehad ( ) were five sisters in the Hebrew Bible who lived during the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt , and who raised before Moses the case of a woman’s right and obligation to inherit property in the absence of a male heir in the family.Zelophehad (possibly meaning "first born"), a man of the Tribe of Manasseh , had five daughters: Mahlah , Noa , Hoglah , Milcah , and Tirzah ; but no sons, and thus no male heirs.( Num. 26:33 27:3, Josh. 17:3. ) The text tells little of Zelophehad himself, save that he died during the 40 years when the Israelites were wandering in the wilderness .The Daughters of Zelophehad (illustration from the 1908 Bible and Its Story Taught by One Thousand Picture Lessons )
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 370841682.
The opening as it stood in 2015
The Daughters of Zelophehad ( ) were five sisters in the Hebrew Bible who lived during the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt , and who raised before Moses the case of a woman's right and obligation to inherit property in the absence of a male heir in the family. Zelophehad (possibly meaning "first born"), a man of the Tribe of Manasseh , had five daughters: Mahlah , Noah , Hoglah , Milcah , and Tirzah ; but no sons, and thus no male heirs. The text tells little of Zelophehad himself, save that he died during the 40 years when the Israelites were wandering in the wilderness . The Daughters of Zelophehad (illustration from the 1908 Bible and Its Story Taught by One Thousand Picture Lessons ) ( Num. 26:33 27:3, Josh. 17:3. ) Num. 27:3.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 665214259.
The opening as it stood in 2020 2 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
The Daughters of Zelophehad (illustration from the 1908 Bible and Its Story Taught by One Thousand Picture Lessons ) The Daughters of Zelophehad ( ) were five sisters - Mahlah , Noa , Hoglah , Milcah , and Tirzah - mentioned in the Hebrew Bible , (Numbers 27) who lived at the end of the Israelites ' Exodus from Egypt as they prepared to enter the Promised Land and who raised before the Israelite community the case of a woman's right and obligation to inherit property in the absence of a male heir in the family.Zelophehad (meaning "dark shadow"), a man of the Tribe of Manasseh , had five daughters but no sons, and therefore no male heirs .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 951669223.
The opening as it stood on October 6, 2023
Figures mentioned in the Biblical Book of Numbers The Daughters of Zelophehad (illustration from the 1908 Bible and Its Story Taught by One Thousand Picture Lessons ) The Daughters of Zelophehad ( ) were five sisters – Mahlah ( Maḥlā ), Noa ( נֹעָה Nōʿā ), Hoglah ( חָגְלָה Ḥoġlā ), Milcah ( מִלְכָּה Mīlkā ), and Tirzah ( תִרְצָה Tīrṣā ) – mentioned in the biblical Book of Numbers . They lived during the Israelites ' Exodus from Egypt as they prepared to enter the Promised Land and who raised before the Israelite community the legal case of a woman's right and obligation to inherit property in the absence of a male heir in the family. Zelophehad , a man of the Tribe of Manasseh , had five daughters but no sons, and therefore no male heirs.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1173762851.
The opening as it stood in 2025
Figures mentioned in the Biblical Book of Numbers The Daughters of Zelophehad (illustration from the 1908 Bible and Its Story Taught by One Thousand Picture Lessons ) The Daughters of Zelophehad ( Hebrew : בְּנוֹת צְלָפְחָד , romanized : Bənōṯ Ṣəlāfəḥāḏ ) were five sisters – Mahlah ( Hebrew : מַחְלָה Maḥlā ), Noa ( נֹעָה Nōʿā ), Hoglah ( חָגְלָה Ḥoglā ), Milcah ( מִלְכָּה Mīlkā ), and Tirzah ( תִרְצָה Tīrṣā ) – mentioned in the biblical Book of Numbers . They lived during the Israelites ' Exodus from Egypt as they prepared to enter the Promised Land and who raised before the Israelite community the legal case of a woman's right and obligation to inherit property in the absence of a male heir in the family. Zelophehad , a man of the Tribe of Manasseh , had five daughters but no sons, and therefore no male heirs.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1260984411. This is our newest snapshot; the live article may have moved again since.
Today
Wikipedia's first sentence called it “left”. Today it says “five sisters – mahlah”. Read the current article and compare.
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What Wikipedia says this is
Every article opens by defining its subject. This one was redefined since 2005, and today's defining sentence is their current revision.
Then
left
Now
five sisters – mahlah
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