The Five Daughters of Zelophehad
27: 1-11
The five daughters of Zelophehad DIG: How did Moses respond when approached by the five daughters of Zelophehad for an unprecedented inheritance question. What does this change of mitzvah tell us about God’s view of women? How did those five women demonstrate their faith in the LORD?
REFLECT: Why is equity among believers important? In what areas is equity most important to you? Is there an area of your life where you yearn for equity? What does equity imply today? Is it biblical? What attitude toward women do you discern from the Torah, especially in light of this teaching?
The request of Zelophehad’s daughters demonstrated their faith in the divine promises of YHVH.
Since the Promised Land belonged to God (see the commentary on Leviticus, to see link click Eq – The Division of the Land), the Jews couldn’t divide it or dispose of it as they pleased. Maintaining the inheritance for generation to generation was important to each family and to the tribes to which the families belonged. As with other nations of that day, Isra’el was a strongly masculine society, and fathers left their property to their sons. The eldest son received two-thirds of the inheritance and the other sons divided the remaining third (Deuteronomy 21:15-17). If a man didn’t have a son, he left his entire estate to his nearest male relative, but not to a daughter. When the daughter was married, she received a dowry from her father and would no longer live in the family home. The dowry was her inheritance.617
The daughters request (27:1-4): The five daughters of Zelophehad, son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Makir, the son of Manasseh, belonged to the clans of Manasseh son of Joseph. The names of the daughters were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milkah and Tirzah. Believing this mitzvah of inheritance to be unfair, they came forward and stood before Moses, Eleazar the priest, the leaders and the whole assembly at the entrance to the Tabernacle, beginning their proposal with a statement of facts: Our father died in the wilderness. He was not among Korah’s followers, who banded together against ADONAI. In other words, he didn’t die from divine judgement because he participated in a rebellion (see Cn – Korah’s Rebellion). But he died for his own sin because he was part of the Exodus generation (see Bv – The Sin of Kadesh-barnea). Then they stated the background for their request, their father left no sons. This march to the Tabernacle by those women must have been incredible to those who were watching. In ancient Isra’el, that act was similar to the refusal of Rosa Parks, a black woman, to give up her bus seat to a white man in Montgomery, Alabama, decades ago.618
Their question was this: Why should our father’s name be cut off from his clan, and his family penalized because he had no son? To the Jews, possessing land was the foundation for building a family, earning an income, and having security and the necessities of life. Give us property among our father’s relatives. Matters of land and inheritance were sacred in Semitic culture. The potential disappearance of one’s family name was a matter of grave concern, often associated with divine judgment and possible social rejection.619
The request of Zelophehad’s daughters demonstrated their faith in the divine promises of YHVH. Moshe commanded a Second Census (see Ec – The Second Census: The New Generation of Hope) to make sure that the yet-unconquered land would be divided up equitably among the tribes. The five daughters responded by requesting a portion of that land, thus demonstrating their faith that damned their father’s generation.620
ADONAI’s answer (27:5-11): Moses acknowledged God’s ownership of the Land. This is why he brought their case before the LORD instead of using his own wisdom (Numbers 9:8, 15:24; Exodus 18:19; Leviticus 24:12-13). And the LORD replied: What Zelophehad’s daughters are saying is right. You must certainly give them property as an inheritance among their father’s relatives and give their father’s inheritance to them (27:5-7). The decision to allow daughters to inherit solved one problem but created another one, and the leaders of the tribe of Manasseh called it to the attention of Moses (see Gn – A Review of the Inheritance of Women). If a daughter who had inherited her father’s land married to another tribe, this would take the land away from the original tribe and make it part of her husband’s estate. At the Year of Jubilee (see Leviticus Em – The Year of Jubilee), it would not return to the original family, and this would rob a tribe of its property.
The solution was to require daughters who had an inheritance to marry men who belonged to their own tribe. This simple procedure would permit the daughters to marry but would at the same time keep the family property within the original tribe. So they obeyed the mitzvah and each one married a cousin (36:11).621
The commandment of Ha’Shem gave the answer to the petition of the five daughters and laid down a succession of inheritance mitzvot in four stages. Moreover, say to the people of Isra’el, “First, if a man dies and leaves no son, give his inheritance to his daughter. Secondly, if he has no daughter, give his inheritance to his brothers. Third, if he has no brothers, give his inheritance to the next closest kinsmen, his father’s brothers. Fourthly, if his father had no brothers, ADONAI showed His mercy once again when He allowed the man’s inheritance to be given to the nearest relative in his clan, so that he may possess it. This will be the standard for judgment to be used by the people of Isra’el, as ADONAI ordered Moshe (27:8-11). The point seems to be that not only would those women receive their property, but they would also be able to transfer it to their heirs as well. It is as though their father had had sons!622
Dear Heavenly Father, Praise You for always being loving and fair. Just as Zelophehad’s daughters trusted in Your fairness so they could inherit land like sons did, so also I can always trust Your fairness and faithfulness. Your love, ADONAI, is in the heavens,Your faithfulness up to the skies. (Psalms 36:5). To receive an inheritance of heaven, trusting You as Lord and Savior is necessary (Romans 10:9-11). Yeshua so graciously calls out to all in the crowd: Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and ‘you will find rest for your souls’ (Matthew 11:28-29).
Thank You so much for graciously sealing all who put their trust in you by the Ruach Ha’Kodesh which guarantees their inheritance. After you heard the message of truth – the Good News of your salvation – and when you put your trust in Him, you were sealed with the promised Ruach ha-Kodesh. He is the guarantee of our inheritance, until the redemption of His possession – to His glorious praise! (Ephesians 1:13-14 ). What a fantastic heavenly Father You are! It is a joy to love and serve You. And Yeshua]said to him: You shall love ADONAI your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment (Matthew 22:37). In holy Yeshua’s Name and power of His resurrection Amen.
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