Numbers 27:1-11
New English Translation
Special Inheritance Laws
27 [a] Then the daughters of Zelophehad son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh of the families of Manasseh,[b] the son of Joseph came forward. Now these are the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. 2 And they stood before Moses and Eleazar the priest and the leaders of the whole assembly at the entrance to the tent of meeting and said, 3 “Our father died in the wilderness, although[c] he was not part of[d] the company of those that gathered themselves together against the Lord in the company of Korah, but he died for his own sin,[e] and he had no sons. 4 Why should the name of our father be lost from among his family because he had no son? Give us a possession[f] among the relatives[g] of our father.”
5 So Moses brought their case before the Lord. 6 The Lord said to Moses: 7 “The daughters of Zelophehad have a valid claim.[h] You must indeed[i] give them possession of an inheritance among their father’s relatives, and you must transfer[j] the inheritance of their father to them. 8 And you must tell the Israelites, ‘If a man dies[k] and has no son, then you must transfer his inheritance to his daughter; 9 and if he has no daughter, then you are to give his inheritance to his brothers; 10 and if he has no brothers, then you are to give his inheritance to his father’s brothers; 11 and if his father has no brothers, then you are to give his inheritance to his relative nearest to him from his family, and he will possess it. This will be for the Israelites a legal requirement,[l] as the Lord commanded Moses.’”
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Numbers 27:1 sn For additional information on this section, see N. H. Snaith, “The Daughters of Zelophehad,” VT 16 (1966): 124-27; and J. Weingreen, “The Case of the Daughters of Zelophehad,” VT 16 (1966): 518-22.
- Numbers 27:1 tc The phrase “of the families of Manasseh” is absent from the Latin Vulgate.
- Numbers 27:3 tn This clause begins with a vav (ו) on a pronoun, marking it out as a disjunctive vav. In this context it fits best to take it as a circumstantial clause introducing concession.
- Numbers 27:3 tn Heb “in the midst of.”
- Numbers 27:3 tn The word order is emphatic: “but in/on account of his own sins he died.”
- Numbers 27:4 tn That is, the possession of land, or property, among the other families of their tribe.
- Numbers 27:4 tn The word is “brothers,” but this can be interpreted more loosely to relatives. So also in v. 7.
- Numbers 27:7 tn Heb “[the daughters of Zelophehad] speak right” (using the participle דֹּבְרֹת [doverot] with כֵּן [ken]).
- Numbers 27:7 tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute with the imperfect tense. The imperfect is functioning as the imperfect of instruction, and so the infinitive strengthens the force of the instruction.
- Numbers 27:7 tn The verb is the Hiphil perfect with a vav (ו) consecutive, from the root עָבַר (ʿavar, “to pass over”). Here it functions as the equivalent of the imperfect of instruction: “and you shall cause to pass,” meaning, “transfer.”
- Numbers 27:8 tn Heb “a man, if he dies.”
- Numbers 27:11 tn The expression is חֻקַּת מִשְׁפָּט (khuqqat mishpat, “a statute of judgment”), which means it is a fixed enactment that determines justice. It is one which is established by God.
Numbers 27:1-11
Christian Standard Bible
A Case of Daughters’ Inheritance
27 The daughters of Zelophehad approached; Zelophehad was the son of Hepher, son of Gilead, son of Machir, son of Manasseh from the clans of Manasseh, the son of Joseph. These were the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. 2 They stood before Moses, the priest Eleazar, the leaders, and the entire community at the entrance to the tent of meeting and said, 3 “Our father died in the wilderness, but he was not among Korah’s followers, who gathered together against the Lord.(A) Instead, he died because of his own sin, and he had no sons. 4 Why should the name of our father be taken away from his clan? Since he had no son, give us property among our father’s brothers.”
5 Moses brought their case before the Lord, 6 and the Lord answered him, 7 “What Zelophehad’s daughters say is correct. You are to give them hereditary property among their father’s brothers and transfer their father’s inheritance to them.(B) 8 Tell the Israelites: When a man dies without having a son, transfer his inheritance to his daughter. 9 If he has no daughter, give his inheritance to his brothers. 10 If he has no brothers, give his inheritance to his father’s brothers. 11 If his father has no brothers, give his inheritance to the nearest relative of his clan, and he will take possession of it. This is to be a statutory ordinance for the Israelites as the Lord commanded Moses.”
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