Numbers 27:1-11

Then the daughters of Zelophehad came forward.¹ Zelophehad was son of Hepher son of Gilead son of Machir son of Manasseh son of Joseph, a member of the Manassite clans. The names of his daughters were: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. They stood before Moses, Eleazar the priest, the leaders, and all the congregation, at the entrance of the tent of meeting,² and they said, “Our father died in the wilderness; he was not among the company of those who gathered themselves together against the Lord in the company of Korah, but died for his own sin;³ and he had no sons. Why should the name of our father be taken away from his clan because he had no son? Give to us a possession among our father’s brothers.”⁴

Moses brought their case before the Lord.⁵ And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: “The daughters of Zelophehad are right in what they are saying;⁶ you shall indeed let them possess an inheritance among their father’s brothers and pass the inheritance of their father on to them. You shall also say to the Israelites, ‘If a man dies, and has no son,⁷ then you shall pass his inheritance on to his daughter.⁸ If he has no daughter, then you shall give his inheritance to his brothers. If he has no brothers, then you shall give his inheritance to his father’s brothers. And if his father has no brothers,⁹ then you shall give his inheritance to the nearest kinsman of his clan, and he shall possess it.'”¹⁰

It shall be for the Israelites a statute and ordinance, as the Lord commanded Moses.

1 Israelite women, unusually, become the focus of an interaction.

2 Quite bold.

3 They are not hiding his own fault in his death.

4 A very concrete request.

5 As is often true, Moses didn't immediately know the answer.

6 The women are affirmed.

7 Son still gets priority.

8 At least the daughters get secondary consideration. A small step for women's rights.

9 What about his sisters? Or his father's or mother's sisters?

10 Unfortunately, after daughters only men get consideration.


Take-home: Daughters are given the right to inheritance in the case where there are no sons. Land is kept in the family in all possible cases.