Tirzah ( he, תִּרְצָה‎, variant "Thirza") is a

biblical The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...

name, one of the

daughters of Zelophehad The Daughters of Zelophehad ( he, בְּנוֹת צְלָפְחָד ''Bənōṯ Ṣəlāfəḥāḏ'') were five sisters – Mahlah (מַחְלָה ''Maḥlā''), Noa (נֹעָה ''Nōʿā''), Hoglah (חָגְלָה ''Ḥoglā''), Milcah (מִל� ...

, and subsequently the name of a biblical city.

Hebrew name

Tirzah is first mentioned in the

Torah The Torah (; hbo, ''Tōrā'', "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In that sense, Torah means the s ...

() as one of the five daughters of

Zelophehad The Daughters of Zelophehad ( he, בְּנוֹת צְלָפְחָד ''Bənōṯ Ṣəlāfəḥāḏ'') were five sisters – Mahlah (מַחְלָה ''Maḥlā''), Noa (נֹעָה ''Nōʿā''), Hoglah (חָגְלָה ''Ḥoglā''), Milcah (מִל� ...

. After the death of their father, the five sisters went to

Moses Moses hbo, מֹשֶׁה, Mōše; also known as Moshe or Moshe Rabbeinu (Mishnaic Hebrew: מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּינוּ, ); syr, ܡܘܫܐ, Mūše; ar, موسى, Mūsā; grc, Mωϋσῆς, Mōÿsēs () is considered the most important pro ...

and asked him for hereditary rights (). Moses brought their plea to God, and it was granted. To this day, women in

Judaism Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in the ...

have the right to inherit property, though only when there are no male heirs with an equally close relationship to the deceased. Tirzah is mentioned as a town in Song of Solomon 6:4 Thou art beautiful, O my love, as Tirzah, comely as Jerusalem, terrible as an army with banners.

Tirzah in literature

Tirzah is a figure in

William Blake William Blake (28 November 1757 – 12 August 1827) was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his life, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of the poetry and visual art of the Romantic Age. ...

's mythology, notably in his poem ''

To Tirzah "To Tirzah" is a poem by William Blake that was published in his collection ''Songs of Innocence and of Experience''. It is often described as the most difficult of the poems because it refers to an oblique character called " Tirzah", whose identi ...

'' from

Songs of Experience ''Songs of Innocence and of Experience'' is a collection of illustrated poems by William Blake. It appeared in two phases: a few first copies were printed and illuminated by Blake himself in 1789; five years later, he bound these poems with a ...

. According to

Northrop Frye Herman Northrop Frye (July 14, 1912 – January 23, 1991) was a Canadian literary critic and literary theorist, considered one of the most influential of the 20th century. Frye gained international fame with his first book, '' Fearful Symmet ...

, Blake identified both the Biblical city of Tirzah and the daughter of Zelophehad with worldliness and materialism, as opposed to the spiritual realm of

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

in Judah.Interpretations of Blake
The name Tirzah has a similar symbolism in

Lew Wallace Lewis Wallace (April 10, 1827February 15, 1905) was an American lawyer, Union general in the American Civil War, governor of the New Mexico Territory, politician, diplomat, and author from Indiana. Among his novels and biographies, Wallace is ...

's novel '' Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ'', in which it is given to the

leprosy Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a long-term infection by the bacteria ''Mycobacterium leprae'' or ''Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the nerves, respiratory tract, skin, and eyes. This nerve damag ...

-afflicted sister of Judah Ben-Hur, who is eventually cleansed by Jesus. The character of Tirzah, played by

Cathy O'Donnell Cathy O'Donnell (born Ann Steely, July 6, 1923 – April 11, 1970) was an American actor who appeared in '' The Best Years of Our Lives,'' '' Ben-Hur,'' and films noir such as ''Detective Story'' and '' They Live by Night''. Early life O' ...

, appears in

William Wyler William Wyler (; born Willi Wyler (); July 1, 1902 – July 27, 1981) was a Swiss-German-American film director and producer who won the Academy Award for Best Director three times, those being for ''Mrs. Miniver'' (1942), ''The Best Years of O ...

's 1959 film '' Ben-Hur'', which won the

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

for

Best Picture This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...

. Tirzah is also the main character in

Sara Douglass Sara Warneke (2 June 1957 – 27 September 2011), better known by her pen name Sara Douglass, was an Australian fantasy writer who lived in Hobart, Tasmania. She was a recipient of the Aurealis Award for best fantasy novel. Biography A ...

's novel ''Threshold''. Tirzah is one of the names used to refer to the character "Angel" in

Francine Rivers Francine Sandra Rivers (born 1947) is an American author of fiction with Christian themes, including inspirational romance novels. Prior to becoming a born-again Christian in 1986, Rivers wrote historical romance novels. She is best known for ...

's book '' Redeeming Love''. In "Giants in the Earth," by

Esther Friesner Esther Mona Friesner-Stutzman, née Friesner (born July 16, 1951) is an American science fiction and fantasy author. She is also a poet and playwright. She is best known for her humorous style of writing, both in the titles and the works themsel ...

in ''

Turn the Other Chick ''Turn the Other Chick'' is an anthology of fantasy stories, edited by Esther Friesner, with a cover by Mitch Foust. It consists of works featuring female protagonists by (mostly) female authors. It was first published in hardcover by Baen Books i ...

'' (Chicks in Chainmail series), Tirzah is a concubine of King David who becomes one of the series' titular sword-wielding "chicks." In

Agatha Christie Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, (; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictiona ...

's murder mystery ''The Pale Horse'', one of the three women who claim to be witches is named Thyrza Grey.

References

{{reflist Ancient Israel and Judah Women in the Hebrew Bible Book of Numbers people