What is the meaning of "u'Machir* Lakach Ishah l'Chupim ul'Shupim"?
Radak: He took a wife from them. The prefix Lamed teaches that she was a sister to Chupim and Shupim.
Malbim: Machir took two wives, who were sisters to Chupim and Shupim, Bnei Ir. Each wife was a maternal sister to one of them (Chupim and Shupim had different mothers); the two women were paternal sisters to each other. Their names were Ma'achah and Tzlafchad.
Above (12), Shupim is written before Chupim. Why is Chupim written first here?
Radak: Before they are listed in order of birth, and here in order of esteem.
Whose sister was Ma'achah?
Radak: She was Chupim and Shupim's sister. It says Achoso (singular), i.e. of Chupim, the more esteemed of them (refer to 7:15:2:1).
Malbim: She was only Chupim's sister.
How was Tzlafchad Sheni?
Radak: This returns to discuss "Bnei Menasheh Asri'el." Asri'el was Menasheh's great grandson. We cannot say that Tzlafchad was Asri'el's second son - Tzlafchad's father was Chefer, the sixth son of Gil'ad; Asri'el was Gil'ad's third son (Bamidbar 36:30-33)! Rather, [Chefer] was the second son of Gil'ad mentioned here. Tzlafchad is mentioned in place of his father Chefer, for he was the only son of Chefer who was proper and esteemed like him 1 . The only other sons of Gil'ad mentioned here are Asri'el and Shemida, his fifth son; at the end (19) it mentions Bnei Shemida.
Malbim: She was the sister of the Sheni (second brother, Shupim). "Achoso" applies also to Sheni (as if it says Achos ha'Sheni).
Radak: Chefer had other sons, like it says in Yehoshua "Nachalah b'Soch Achei Avihem", and the Torah says that Bnos Tzlafchad married sons of their uncles.
Tzlafchad in the Torah was Ben Chefer. Here it says that he was Ben Machir!
Redak: Also a grandson or great grandson is called Ben.
Malbim: This Tzlafchad is a woman; it is not Tzlafchad of the Torah.
