Chapter Twenty-Seven
The Daughters of Zelophehad
27:1 Then drew near the daughters of Zelophehad the son of Hepher, son of Gilead, son of Machir, son of Manasseh, from the clans of Manasseh the son of Joseph. The names of his daughters were: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. 2 And they stood before Moses and before Eleazar the priest and before the chiefs and all the congregation, at the entrance of the tent of meeting, saying, 3 “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. And he had no sons. 4 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.”
The five daughters of Zelophehad approached Moses, Eleazar, all the clan leaders and the whole congregation of the people of Israel in front of the Tabernacle. They offered a brief history of their father who had died while they were in the wilderness as a result of his own sin (not willing to go into the Promised Land after it was scouted by the twelve spies), not because he participated in Korah’s rebellion. The problem was is that he did not have any son to carry his name or inherit his possessions. They ask that they be granted their father’s portion of his family’s possessions.
27:5 Moses brought their case before the LORD. 6 And the LORD said to Moses, 7 “The daughters of Zelophehad are right. You shall give them possession of an inheritance among their father’s brothers and transfer the inheritance of their father to them. 8 And you shall speak to the people of Israel, saying, ‘If a man dies and has no son, then you shall transfer his inheritance to his daughter. 9 And if he has no daughter, then you shall give his inheritance to his brothers. 10 And if he has no brothers, then you shall give his inheritance to his father’s brothers. 11 And if his father has no brothers, then you shall give his inheritance to the nearest kinsman of his clan, and he shall possess it. And it shall be for the people of Israel a statute and rule, as the LORD commanded Moses.’ ”
Moses brought their request before YHWH and was told that they were correct in asking for a possession from among their father’s brothers. But God did not stop there, He told Moses that the regulations regarding family inheritance were to be changed as well. If a man dies that has no son, the inheritance is to be transferred to his daughter, if no daughter, then it goes to his brothers. If he had no brothers, the inheritance is to be given to his father’s brothers, but if father had no brothers it would be given to the nearest male relative.
Considerations
The Potential Impact of the Daughters of Zelophehad on the Genealogy of Jesus
In the gospel accounts of Matthew and Luke the genealogies of Jesus are very different. Matthew begins his genealogy with Abraham and ends with Joseph, the husband of Mary. That lineage would be considered royalty as the line included King David and several other kings of Israel and Judah. Plus, being the Son of David was a not only a reference to an important person in His past, it was also a title for the Messiah.[1] The genealogy in the gospel according to Luke, however, not only begins with Jesus, but works backwards all the way back to Adam; it takes the lineage through one of Solomon’s older brothers, Nathan, which would also be considered a royal lineage, but why the difference?
The text does not explain and there are a lot of theories and ideas, some absurd, while others, if they weren’t presented as being serious, would be comical. The only valid explanation that seemingly fits all the available facts found in the Bible would be that Luke’s genealogy traces the lineage of Mary, Jesus’ mother. Even though some groups revere or even deify Mary, we do not know much about her family. Since Joseph was not physically the father of Jesus, Mary’s bloodline would need to be from the royal line as well (note the use of the Greek word ‘nomizō’[2] in Luke 3:23, often translated ‘supposed’ referring to a ‘customary’ belief, acknowledging Joseph as the legal father of Jesus, but not His actual bloodline father). There are several reasons for an alternate lineage (such as the blood curse of Jeconiah, see Jeremiah 22:28-30), but how would the royal bloodline continue through Mary?
One potential answer would be if Mary had no brothers, she would not be able to continue the family name unless it was through the special clause requested by the daughters of Zelophehad. While there is no direct evidence of this connection, the facts seem to support this theory. Some believe that the reason this change regarding family inheritance was done after God’s law was given to Moses on Mount Sinai, was to give it special recognition.
Joshua Chosen by God to Succeed Moses
27:12 The LORD said to Moses, “Go up into this mountain of Abarim and see the land that I have given to the people of Israel. 13 When you have seen it, you also shall be gathered to your people, as your brother Aaron was, 14 because you rebelled against my word in the wilderness of Zin when the congregation quarreled, failing to uphold me as holy at the waters before their eyes.” (These are the waters of Meribah of Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.) 15 Moses spoke to the LORD, saying, 16 “Let the LORD, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation 17 who shall go out before them and come in before them, who shall lead them out and bring them in, that the congregation of the LORD may not be as sheep that have no shepherd.” 18 So the LORD said to Moses, “Take Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him. 19 Make him stand before Eleazar the priest and all the congregation, and you shall commission him in their sight. 20 You shall invest him with some of your authority, that all the congregation of the people of Israel may obey. 21 And he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall inquire for him by the judgment of the Urim before the LORD. At his word they shall go out, and at his word they shall come in, both he and all the people of Israel with him, the whole congregation.” 22 And Moses did as the LORD commanded him. He took Joshua and made him stand before Eleazar the priest and the whole congregation, 23 and he laid his hands on him and commissioned him as the LORD directed through Moses.
As a result of Moses disobeying God when he struck the rock instead of asking the rock for water at Meribah (see Numbers 20:10-13), God told both Moses and Aaron that they were not going to enter the Promised Land. Aaron was already dead, but he would allow Moses to view the land from the top of Abarim (believed to be a range of mountains on the western edge of the Moabite plain, which includes Mount Nebo). Moses already knew he would die before the people of Israel crossed into the Promised Land.
Moses asks that God appoint a new leader for the people. The title of God that he uses, “the God of the spirits of all flesh,” refers to God being the provider of life for all flesh (Hebrew ‘rû·ḥōṯ’, can be translated breath).[3] God tells Moses to take Joshua, who has the Holy Spirit and lay his hand on him[4] and to have him stand before the high priest and all the people. Eleazar was then to inquire from God, using the Urim (why the Thummim is not mentioned is unknown, possibly used as a synecode) to confirm his appointment as the new leader of the people of Israel after Moses is gone. Moses did as he was instructed by God to do.
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[1] See Considerations under Genesis 10:32.
[2] Strong’s Greek 3543.
[3] Strong’s Hebrew 7307. See commentary under Genesis 1:2; 8:1-2 and Considerations under Genesis 1:20-23; 1:31; 17:9-14.
[4] See commentary under Leviticus 1:3-9.