Tracing the complex family tree of the tribe of Manasseh reveals fascinating details about early marriages and prominent lineages. The focus here centers on Machir's family and the generations leading down to the well-known figure of Zelophehad.
Machir married into the family of Huppim and Shuppim, who were sons of Ir. The primary approach among commentators is that Machir married their sister [רלב״ג, רד״ק, מצודת דוד]. Even though she was the sister of both men, the record refers to her in the singular as his sister Maacah. This phrasing simply highlights that she was a sister to each brother individually [מצודת דוד]. Alternatively, the singular form singles out the more prominent brother of the two, whether that was Huppim [רד״ק] or Shuppim [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. A completely different perspective suggests that Machir actually married two women who were maternal sisters to Huppim and Shuppim. In this view, one wife was Huppim's sister, and the other was Shuppim's sister [מלבי״ם].
As the lineage continues, a second individual named Zelophehad is introduced. Most commentators agree that the narrative is jumping back to Asriel, a family member mentioned earlier [מצודת דוד, רד״ק, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Zelophehad's father, Hepher, was Asriel's brother, which places Zelophehad as second in the generational order [מצודת דוד, רלב״ג]. Another explanation is that the term second merely refers to the order in which the names are listed. The account skips over Hepher and directly names Zelophehad because he was his father's most respected and worthy son [רד״ק]. However, following the earlier unique interpretation, Zelophehad was not a male descendant at all. Instead, Zelophehad was the name of Machir's second wife, the sister of Shuppim [מלבי״ם].
The record concludes by noting that Zelophehad had only daughters. This aligns with the famous historical account in which these daughters approached Moses to claim their rightful inheritance in the land [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. It is worth noting that while Zelophehad himself lacked male heirs, his father Hepher did have other sons [רד״ק]. According to the minority view that identifies Zelophehad as Machir's second wife, this final detail simply means that this woman bore Machir only daughters and no sons [מלבי״ם].