Person Old Testament
Gilead
Gilead was the son of Machir, grandson of Manasseh, and father of six sons who became the heads of Gileadite clans. Mentioned in 9 verses across 3 books, first at Numbers 26:29.
Why it matters. Son of Machir; grandson of Manasseh; father of six sons.
- Primary passages
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-30 by the FaithGraph team
About Gilead
Gilead, the son of Machir and grandson of Manasseh, is mentioned in several genealogical lists in the Old Testament. In Num.26.29-30, he is identified as the ancestor of the Gileadite clans, which included Iezer, Helek, Asriel, Shechem, Shemida, and Hepher. These clans are also mentioned in Jos.17.1-2, where they are described as receiving an inheritance in the land of Canaan. In Num.27.1 and Jos.17.3, Gilead's great-granddaughters, the daughters of Zelophehad, appeal to Moses for the right to inherit their father's property in the absence of male heirs. This incident leads to a change in the inheritance laws, allowing daughters to inherit property when there are no male heirs (Num.27.2-11). In 1Ch.2.21-23 and 1Ch.7.14-17, Gilead is mentioned in the genealogies of Manasseh, confirming his role as a significant ancestor of the tribe. The repeated mentions of Gilead in these genealogical lists highlight the importance of family lineage and tribal identity in ancient Israelite society.
Description from STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0, lightly reformatted. This is background reference material, not Scripture and not a FaithGraph editorial claim.
Connections
No reviewed connections yet.
Family
Family links from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0). Where the dataset marks an identification as uncertain, the mark is kept. Matthew and Luke give different genealogies for Jesus; see the Lineage page, which never merges them.
- Siblings
- HammolechethPereshSheresh
Appears in Scripture
Named in 9 verses across 3 books. Occurrence data from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0); references only, no translation text.