Tirzah
Encyclopedia
Tirzah is a Hebrew word meaning "she is my delight." In the Bible it is the name of a woman, one of the daughters of Zelophehad.
(Numbers 26:33) as one of the five daughters of Zelophehad. After the death of their father, the five sisters went to Moses and asked him for hereditary rights (Numbers 27:1-11). Moses brought their plea to God, and it was granted. To this day, women in Judaism have the right to inherit property.
's mythology, notably in his poem To Tirzah
from Songs of Experience. According to Northrop Frye
, Blake identified both the city and daughter of Zelophehad with worldiness and materialism, as opposed to the spiritual realm of Jerusalem in Judah. The name Tirzah has a similar symbolism in Lew Wallace's novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, in which it is given to the leprosy afflicted sister of Judah Ben-Hur, who is eventually cleansed by Jesus. The character of Tirzah appears in William Wyler
's 1959 Academy Award winning Best Picture Ben-Hur
. Tirzah is also the main character in Sara Douglass's novel Threshold. Tirzah is one of the names used to refer to the character "Angel" in Francine River's book, Redeeming Love.
Hebrew name
Tirzah is first mentioned in the TorahTorah
Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five...
(Numbers 26:33) as one of the five daughters of Zelophehad. After the death of their father, the five sisters went to Moses and asked him for hereditary rights (Numbers 27:1-11). Moses brought their plea to God, and it was granted. To this day, women in Judaism have the right to inherit property.
Tirzah in literature
Tirzah is a figure in William BlakeWilliam Blake
William Blake was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his lifetime, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of both the poetry and visual arts of the Romantic Age...
's mythology, notably in his poem To Tirzah
To Tirzah
To Tirzah is a poem by William Blake that was published in his collection Songs of Experience. It is often described as the most difficult of the poems because it refers to an oblique character called "Tirzah", whose identity remains obscure. Tirzah is apparently to be rejected as a demonic figure...
from Songs of Experience. According to Northrop Frye
Northrop Frye
Herman Northrop Frye, was a Canadian literary critic and literary theorist, considered one of the most influential of the 20th century....
, Blake identified both the city and daughter of Zelophehad with worldiness and materialism, as opposed to the spiritual realm of Jerusalem in Judah. The name Tirzah has a similar symbolism in Lew Wallace's novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, in which it is given to the leprosy afflicted sister of Judah Ben-Hur, who is eventually cleansed by Jesus. The character of Tirzah appears in William Wyler
William Wyler
William Wyler was a leading American motion picture director, producer, and screenwriter.Notable works included Ben-Hur , The Best Years of Our Lives , and Mrs. Miniver , all of which won Wyler Academy Awards for Best Director, and also won Best Picture...
's 1959 Academy Award winning Best Picture Ben-Hur
Ben-Hur (1959 film)
Ben-Hur is a 1959 American epic film directed by William Wyler and starring Charlton Heston in the title role, the third film adaptation of Lew Wallace's 1880 novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ. The screenplay was written by Karl Tunberg, Gore Vidal, and Christopher Fry. The score was composed by...
. Tirzah is also the main character in Sara Douglass's novel Threshold. Tirzah is one of the names used to refer to the character "Angel" in Francine River's book, Redeeming Love.