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Numbers 27

KJV · Chapter 27/36

1Then came the daughters of Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, of the families of Manasseh the son of Joseph: and these are the names of his daughters; Mahlah, Noah, and Hoglah, and Milcah, and Tirzah.

2And they stood before Moses, and before Eleazar the priest, and before the princes and all the congregation, by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, saying,

3Our father died in the wilderness, and he was not in the company of them that gathered themselves together against the Lord in the company of Korah; but died in his own sin, and had no sons.

4Why should the name of our father be done away from among his family, because he hath no son? Give unto us therefore a possession among the brethren of our father.

5And Moses brought their cause before the Lord.

6And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

7The daughters of Zelophehad speak right: thou shalt surely give them a possession of an inheritance among their father’s brethren; and thou shalt cause the inheritance of their father to pass unto them.

8And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a man die, and have no son, then ye shall cause his inheritance to pass unto his daughter.

9And if he have no daughter, then ye shall give his inheritance unto his brethren.

10And if he have no brethren, then ye shall give his inheritance unto his father’s brethren.

11And if his father have no brethren, then ye shall give his inheritance unto his kinsman that is next to him of his family, and he shall possess it: and it shall be unto the children of Israel a statute of judgment, as the Lord commanded Moses.

12And the Lord said unto Moses, Get thee up into this mount Abarim, and see the land which I have given unto the children of Israel.

13And when thou hast seen it, thou also shalt be gathered unto thy people, as Aaron thy brother was gathered.

14For ye rebelled against my commandment in the desert of Zin, in the strife of the congregation, to sanctify me at the water before their eyes: that is the water of Meribah in Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.

15And Moses spake unto the Lord, saying,

16Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation,

17Which may go out before them, and which may go in before them, and which may lead them out, and which may bring them in; that the congregation of the Lord be not as sheep which have no shepherd.

18And the Lord said unto Moses, Take thee Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, and lay thine hand upon him;

19And set him before Eleazar the priest, and before all the congregation; and give him a charge in their sight.

20And thou shalt put some of thine honour upon him, that all the congregation of the children of Israel may be obedient.

21And he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall ask counsel for him after the judgment of Urim before the Lord: at his word shall they go out, and at his word they shall come in, both he, and all the children of Israel with him, even all the congregation.

22And Moses did as the Lord commanded him: and he took Joshua, and set him before Eleazar the priest, and before all the congregation:

23And he laid his hands upon him, and gave him a charge, as the Lord commanded by the hand of Moses.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

The daughters of Zelophehad ask Moses for the right to inherit their father's land, since he died without sons — and God establishes a new law of inheritance in response. God also tells Moses that he will see the promised land from the top of a mountain but will not enter it, and Joshua is formally appointed as his successor.

Explanation

The case of Zelophehad's daughters is a remarkable example of how biblical law could develop in response to concrete situations brought by ordinary people — in this case, women who courageously brought their case before the entire leadership, and whose claim was judged just by God even though it went beyond the traditional patriarchal custom of inheritance. Joshua's public appointment, with the visible transfer of authority ('honor') before the whole congregation, ensured a clear succession of leadership without disputes, unlike what happened with Korah. It is touching that when Moses learns he will not enter the land, he does not think of himself but immediately asks God for a capable leader for the people — a model of leadership that considers the well-being of the community above its own interests.

Fun facts

  • The question raised by Zelophehad's daughters was so significant that the new law of female inheritance established in response would be revised again in the last chapter of the book (Numbers 36), showing a rare biblical example of a legal issue being refined in two stages.
  • The 'judgment of Urim,' mentioned as the means by which Joshua would consult God through the priest (v. 21), refers to one of the sacred objects on the priestly breastplate (Exodus 28:30), whose exact function remains a mystery not fully explained in the biblical text.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Numbers 27:1The five daughters of Zelophehad, who died without leaving any sons, ask Moses for the right to inherit their father’s land, so that his name would not disappear. It is a case that forces a change in the law of inheritance, shown in the rest of the chapter, allowing daughters to inherit when there are no sons.
  2. Numbers 27:2The five daughters of Zelophehad present themselves before Moses, Eleazar, the leaders, and the whole congregation, at the entrance of the tent, to lay out their case.
  3. Numbers 27:3They explain that their father died in the wilderness on his own account, without having taken part in Korah’s rebellion, and that he left no son.
  4. Numbers 27:4The daughters ask why their father’s name should disappear from the family just for lack of a son, and request a portion of land among his relatives.
  5. Numbers 27:5Moses, without a ready answer, brings the case directly before the LORD to decide.
  6. Numbers 27:6The LORD answers Moses, confirming that the request from Zelophehad’s daughters was just.
  7. Numbers 27:7God determines that they should indeed receive a portion of land among their father’s relatives, passing his inheritance directly on to the daughters.
  8. Numbers 27:8From this case, a new general rule is established: if a man dies without a son, his inheritance passes to his daughter.
  9. Numbers 27:9If there is no daughter either, the inheritance passes to the deceased man’s brothers.
  10. Numbers 27:10If there are also no brothers, the inheritance goes to the brothers of the deceased man’s father.
  11. Numbers 27:11And if the father has no brothers either, the inheritance stays with the nearest relative in the family — this becomes the official law of inheritance for the whole people of Israel.
  12. Numbers 27:12After settling this law, the LORD changes the subject and tells Moses to go up Mount Abarim to view the promised land from a distance.
  13. Numbers 27:13God warns that after seeing the land, Moses will also die, being gathered to his people, just as had already happened with Aaron.
  14. Numbers 27:14The reason given is the same as before, the episode at the waters of Meribah, when Moses failed to honor God’s holiness before the people by striking the rock instead of simply speaking to it.
  15. Numbers 27:15Facing this announcement of his approaching death, Moses answers the LORD with a request instead of a complaint.
  16. Numbers 27:16Moses asks that God, who knows every living being, choose a successor to lead the congregation after him.
  17. Numbers 27:17Moses asks for someone who knows how to lead the people out and bring them in, so that Israel would not be like sheep without a shepherd.
  18. Numbers 27:18Before he dies, Moses is instructed to publicly present Joshua as his successor, laying his hands on him in front of the priest and all the people. It was a way of transferring leadership authority visibly, recognized by everyone, avoiding any doubt about who would be in charge afterward.
  19. Numbers 27:19The instruction is to formally present Joshua before Eleazar and the whole congregation, giving him authority publicly in front of everyone.
  20. Numbers 27:20Moses was to transfer part of his own authority to Joshua, so that the whole people would begin to obey him.
  21. Numbers 27:21Unlike Moses, who spoke directly with God, Joshua would depend on Eleazar to consult the LORD’s will through the Urim, and in that way would guide the people in decisions about when to go out or stay put.
  22. Numbers 27:22Moses does exactly as instructed: he takes Joshua and presents him before Eleazar and the whole congregation.
  23. Numbers 27:23He lays his hands on Joshua and formally commissions him, exactly as the LORD had commanded.

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