A Law of Inheritance

27 Then the [five] daughters of Zelophehad the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, from the ^[a]tribes of Manasseh [who was] the son of Joseph, approached [with a request]. These are the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. ² They stood before Moses, Eleazar the priest, the leaders, and all the congregation at the doorway of the Tent of Meeting (tabernacle), saying, ³ “Our father died in the wilderness. He was not among those who assembled together against the Lord in the company of Korah, but he died for his own sin [as did all those who rebelled at Kadesh], and he had no sons.^{(A) 4} Why should the name of our father be removed from his family because he had no son? Give to us a possession (land) among our father’s brothers.” ⁵ So Moses brought their case before the Lord.

⁶ Then the Lord said to Moses, ⁷ “The request of the daughters of Zelophehad is justified. You shall certainly give them a possession as an inheritance among their father’s brothers, and you shall transfer their father’s inheritance to them. ⁸ Further, you shall say to the Israelites, ‘If a man dies and has no son, you shall transfer his inheritance to his daughter. ⁹ If a man has no daughter, then you shall give his inheritance to his brothers. ¹⁰ If a man has no brothers, then you shall give his inheritance to his father’s brothers. ¹¹ If his father has no brothers, then you shall give his inheritance to his nearest relative in his own family, and he shall take possession of it. It shall be a statute and ordinance to the Israelites, just as the Lord has commanded Moses.’”