Zelophehad was a descendant of Manasseh, the son of Joseph, and belonged to one of the tribes of Israel during their journey through the wilderness after the exodus from Egypt. At that time, land inheritance was passed through the male line. Zelophehad died in the wilderness, not as part of Korah’s rebellion against the Lord, but due to his own sin, likely as part of the broader judgment on the generation that disobeyed God and was barred from entering the Promised Land.
Zelophehad left no sons, only five daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milkah, and Tirzah, who boldly approached Moses, Eleazar the priest, the leaders, and the whole assembly at the entrance to the tent of meeting. They asked for the current laws to be reviewed and requested to receive an inheritance among their father’s relatives. By doing so, they challenged the traditional customs and brought attention to an important legal issue about whether daughters could inherit land in Israel.
Their Case Presented to the Elders
Why should our father’s name disappear from his clan because he had no son? Give us property among our father’s relatives. – Numbers 27:4 (NIV)
The daughters of Zelophehad were concerned that their father’s name would be lost from his clan because he had no sons to inherit his land. According to the customs of the time, land was passed down through male heirs, allowing a man’s line and inheritance to continue. Although daughters could receive a dowry as a wedding gift from their father, they were not originally included in the inheritance of land. Zelophehad, having died as part of the rebellious generation, left behind only daughters who were now left without any portion of their father’s inheritance.
This situation revealed a gap in the law, not because God had overlooked it, but because the laws were given gradually, as the need arose. The lawmakers, including Moses, may not have accounted for this scenario simply because such a case had not yet come up within their families or community. God did not overwhelm the people with every law all at once; instead, He revealed His will progressively, guiding them step by step through real-life situations.
This leads to the understanding that the Bible, while authoritative and foundational, is not a closed manual for every specific situation. Rather, it is made complete in the lives of believers through the presence of the Holy Spirit and through faithful obedience. God continues to give new insight and understanding as His people walk with Him. His Word, applied daily through the Spirit, speaks into our unique circumstances and challenges, just as He addressed the concerns of Zelophehad’s daughters in their time.
The Verdict
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. – Numbers 27:7 (NIV)
When Moses brought the daughters’ case before the Lord, God affirmed that their request was right and just. He instructed that they be given their father’s inheritance among his relatives. In response, God also established a new legal rule for Israel: if a man dies without a son, his inheritance is to go to his daughter. If he has no daughter, it should be passed to his brothers; if he has no brothers, to his father’s brothers; and if none of these exist, then to the nearest relative in his clan.
This ruling not only granted justice to Zelophehad’s daughters but also set a lasting legal precedent for future cases. It clarified how to ensure that family land remains within the clan and tribe when a man has no surviving children, thereby helping to maintain fairness and balance in property ownership across the tribes of Israel.
The Petition from the Sons of Manasseh
The family heads from the clan of Gilead, descendants of Manasseh, approached Moses with a concern about the inheritance granted to Zelophehad’s daughters. They acknowledged that the Lord had commanded the land be given to the daughters, but raised a potential issue: if the daughters married men from other tribes, their inherited land would transfer to those tribes. This would reduce the land belonging to their own tribe. They pointed out that during the Year of Jubilee, the land would permanently become part of the tribe the daughters married into, further diminishing their ancestral inheritance.
In response to the concern raised by the tribe of Joseph, the Lord affirmed that their argument was valid. Through Moses, He commanded that while Zelophehad’s daughters were free to marry anyone they chose, they must do so within their father’s tribal clan. This was to ensure that land would not pass from one tribe to another, preserving each tribe’s ancestral inheritance. From that point on, any daughter in Israel who inherited land was required to marry within her father’s tribe, so the tribal boundaries and property holdings would remain intact. Zelophehad’s daughters—Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milkah, and Noah—obeyed the Lord’s instruction and married their cousins within the clan of Manasseh. As a result, their inheritance remained within their father’s tribe and clan, maintaining the integrity of tribal land distribution.
Upholding the Rights of the Weak
This raises another question: was the verdict fair to the daughters of Zelophehad? In today’s context, it may be compared to situations such as a compassionate job appointment, where a family member is given employment after the death of a government employee, or the insurance payout to a deceased soldier’s family, which is reserved for the next of kin. These measures are seen as both just and necessary to protect a family’s well-being.
Throughout history, there have been numerous instances where individuals have contested what they perceive as their rightful inheritance following the death of a father or spouse. Unfortunately, some have exploited legal provisions to the detriment of those genuinely affected by the loss. It is imperative that decisions in such cases are approached with fairness and impartiality, ensuring that personal biases do not influence the judgment or outcome.
For the people of Israel at that time, land inheritance was far more than economic—it was their security, identity, and a sign of God’s covenant promise. Keeping land within the tribe ensured long-term stability and equity across all tribes. Therefore, while the ruling placed a limitation on whom the daughters could marry, it was designed to serve a greater good for both their family and the nation as a whole.
This was the final ruling Moses presided over as Israel’s leader before his death and the transfer of leadership to Joshua. God instructed Moses to climb a mountain in the Abarim Range to see the land promised to the Israelites, but also told him that, like his brother Aaron, he would die soon because of his disobedience at Meribah Kadesh, where they failed to honour God properly before the people.
Interestingly, Moses seems to have understood God’s verdict differently. God clearly states that Moses would not enter the Promised Land due to his own disobedience. Yet, later (Deuteronomy 3:21-29), Moses tells the people that it was because of their behaviour—“because of you”—that God denied him entry, shifting the responsibility from his own actions to theirs.
But because of you the Lord was angry with me and would not listen to me. – Deuteronomy 3:26 (NIV)
Human judges and leaders can only guide us to a certain extent. Though God chose Moses to lead His people out of Egypt and toward the Promised Land, Moses repeatedly misunderstood and misrepresented God’s instructions. As a result, God barred him from entering the land. Yet, Moses later appeared to misinterpret the reason for God’s decision, placing the blame on the people and presenting the appointment of Joshua as if it were his own initiative.
This pattern is still seen today. Many have lost a direct connection with God and instead rely heavily on intermediaries—church leaders, pastors, or even fortune tellers—to discern God’s will. However, human leaders, no matter how well-intentioned, cannot understand our hearts, histories, or circumstances the way God does. They often offer guidance shaped by their own perceptions rather than by God’s personal will for our lives.
Therefore, let us bring our questions, doubts, and concerns directly to God. We must seek His voice and His guidance, not merely the approval of earthly leaders. True clarity comes not from intermediaries, but from a living relationship with the One who knows us completely.
Discussion Questions
- Why hadn’t the issue raised by Zelophehad’s daughters been addressed before?
- Was the verdict to have the women marry only within their tribes fair to the daughters of Zelophehad?
- Why does Moses attribute his inability to enter the Promised Land to the people, while God cites his own disobedience?
Map – The Journey of the Exodus
The Jordan Valley 
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