Numbers 27
Big idea: Two successions. Five sisters — Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah and Tirzah — stand at the door of the tent in front of Moses, Eleazar, the princes and the whole congregation, and make a legal argument: our father died in the wilderness, not with Korah but in his own sin, and he had no sons; why should his name be taken away? Moses brings their cause before Yahweh, and the answer is unqualified: the daughters of Zelophehad speak right. A general statute follows. Then Moses is told to climb Abarim and see the land he will not enter — and his response is not about himself: let Yahweh appoint a man over the congregation, that they may not be as sheep which have no shepherd. Joshua is taken, commissioned in everyone's sight, and given authority.
Chapter 27 secures inheritance and succession. Chapters 28–29 restate the offering calendar for the generation about to inherit.
27:1–11 — The daughters of Zelophehad speak right
The daughters of Zelophehad — Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah and Tirzah, of the families of Manasseh — come near and stand before Moses, Eleazar, the princes and all the congregation at the door of the Tent of Meeting. Their case: our father died in the wilderness; he was not among the company that gathered against Yahweh in the company of Korah, but died in his own sin, and he had no sons. Why should the name of our father be taken away from among his family, because he had no son? Give to us a possession among the brothers of our father. Moses brings their cause before Yahweh, and the answer comes: the daughters of Zelophehad speak right. You shall surely give them a possession of an inheritance among their father's brothers, and cause their father's inheritance to pass to them. Then a general statute: if a man dies with no son, his inheritance passes to his daughter; if no daughter, to his brothers; if none, to his father's brothers; if none, to his nearest kinsman.
1 Then the daughters of Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, of the families of Manasseh the son of Joseph came near. These are the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. 2 They stood before Moses, before Eleazar the priest, and before the princes and all the congregation, at the door 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 Yahweh in the company of Korah, but he died in his own sin. He had no sons. 4 Why should the name of our father be taken away from among his family, because he had no son? Give to us a possession among the brothers of our father.” 5 Moses brought their cause before Yahweh. 6 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 7 “The daughters of Zelophehad speak right. You shall surely give them a possession of an inheritance among their father’s brothers. You shall cause the inheritance of their father to pass to them. 8 You shall speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘If a man dies, and has no son, then you shall cause his inheritance to pass to his daughter. 9 If he has no daughter, then you shall give his inheritance to his brothers. 10 If he has no brothers, then you shall give his inheritance to his father’s brothers. 11 If his father has no brothers, then you shall give his inheritance to his kinsman who is next to him of his family, and he shall possess it. This shall be a statute and ordinance for the children of Israel, as Yahweh commanded Moses.’”
27:12–23 — Not as sheep without a shepherd
Go up into this mountain of Abarim and see the land which I have given to the children of Israel. When you have seen it, you also shall be gathered to your people, as Aaron your brother was gathered — because in the strife of the congregation you rebelled against my word in the wilderness of Zin, to honor me as holy at the waters before their eyes. Moses' reply is about the people: let Yahweh, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation, who may go out and come in before them, and lead them out and bring them in, that the congregation of Yahweh may not be as sheep which have no shepherd. Yahweh says: take Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him. Set him before Eleazar and all the congregation, and commission him in their sight; give authority to him, that all the congregation may obey. He shall stand before Eleazar, who shall inquire for him by the judgment of the Urim. Moses does it — takes Joshua, sets him before Eleazar and the whole congregation, lays his hands on him and commissions him.
12 Yahweh said to Moses, “Go up into this mountain of Abarim, and see the land which I have given to the children of Israel. 13 When you have seen it, you also shall be gathered to your people, as Aaron your brother was gathered; 14 because in the strife of the congregation, you rebelled against my word in the wilderness of Zin, to honor 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 Yahweh, saying, 16 “Let Yahweh, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation, 17 who may go out before them, and who may come in before them, and who may lead them out, and who may bring them in, that the congregation of Yahweh may not be as sheep which have no shepherd.” 18 Yahweh said to Moses, “Take Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him. 19 Set him before Eleazar the priest, and before all the congregation; and commission him in their sight. 20 You shall give authority to him, that all the congregation of the children of Israel may obey. 21 He shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall inquire for him by the judgment of the Urim before Yahweh. At his word they shall go out, and at his word they shall come in, both he and all the children of Israel with him, even all the congregation.” 22 Moses did as Yahweh commanded him. He took Joshua, and set him before Eleazar the priest and before all the congregation. 23 He laid his hands on him and commissioned him, as Yahweh spoke by Moses.
Scripture text: World English Bible (public domain).