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 amongst the company of those who gathered themselves together against the LORD 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 amongst his family, because he had no son? Give to us a possession amongst the brothers of our father.” 5 Moses brought their cause before the LORD. 6 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 7 “The daughters of Zelophehad speak right. You shall surely give them a possession of an inheritance amongst 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 the LORD commanded Moses.’” 12 The LORD 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 honour 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 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 the LORD may not be as sheep which have no shepherd.” 18 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 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 enquire for him by the judgement 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 children of Israel with him, even all the congregation.” 22 Moses did as the LORD 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 the LORD spoke by Moses.
Numbers · World English Bible British Edition (with Deuterocanon)
Numbers 27 World English Bible British Edition (with Deuterocanon)
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
Notes on this text (1)
- "World English Bible" is a trademark of eBible.org; the text is shown unaltered.
People & places in this chapter
From this site's family tree and Bible maps, only where those guides cite this chapter.
People
Gilead
The son of Machir son of Manasseh and the ancestor of the Gileadite clans, whose sons are listed in Numbers 26.
Cited in the guide: Numbers 26:29–30; Numbers 27:1; Numbers 36:1
Hepher
A son of Gilead, the founder of the Hepherite clan of Manasseh and the father of Zelophehad.
Cited in the guide: Numbers 26:32–33; Numbers 27:1; Joshua 17:2
Hoglah
One of the five daughters of Zelophehad who asked Moses for their father's inheritance, which the LORD granted, and who married cousins on their father's side.
Cited in the guide: Numbers 26:33; Numbers 27:1; Numbers 36:11
Mahlah
One of the five daughters of Zelophehad who asked Moses for their father's inheritance, which the LORD granted, and who married cousins on their father's side.
Cited in the guide: Numbers 26:33; Numbers 27:1; Numbers 36:11
Milcah
One of the five daughters of Zelophehad who asked Moses for their father's inheritance, which the LORD granted, and who married cousins on their father's side.
Cited in the guide: Numbers 26:33; Numbers 27:1; Numbers 36:11
Moses
Drawn from the Nile, he led Israel out of Egypt and received God's Law.
Cited in the guide: Exodus 2–Deuteronomy 34
Noah
One of the five daughters of Zelophehad who asked Moses for their father's inheritance, which the LORD granted, and who married cousins on their father's side.
Cited in the guide: Numbers 26:33; Numbers 27:1; Numbers 36:11
Tirzah
One of the five daughters of Zelophehad who asked Moses for their father's inheritance, which the LORD granted, and who married cousins on their father's side.
Cited in the guide: Numbers 26:33; Numbers 27:1; Numbers 36:11
Zelophehad
A Manassite, son of Hepher, who died in the wilderness without sons, so that the LORD granted his five daughters his inheritance.
Cited in the guide: Numbers 26:33; Numbers 27:1; Numbers 27:7
Cross references (18)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Numbers 26:33; Galatians 3:28; 1 Chronicles 7:15; Numbers 36:1–12; Joshua 17:3–6
- 2 Exodus 18:19–26; Numbers 15:33–34; Exodus 18:13–14; Deuteronomy 17:8–10
- 3 Numbers 26:64–65; Ezekiel 18:4; Numbers 14:35; Numbers 16:1–3; Numbers 26:33
- 4 Joshua 17:4; Psalm 109:13; Exodus 32:11; Proverbs 13:9
- 5 Leviticus 24:12–13; Numbers 9:8; Exodus 25:22; Job 23:4; Proverbs 3:5–6
- 6 Psalm 68:5–6; Galatians 3:28
- 7 Jeremiah 49:11; Galatians 3:28; Numbers 36:1–2; Joshua 17:4; Psalm 68:5
- 11 Numbers 35:29; Jeremiah 32:8; Ruth 4:3–6; Leviticus 25:49; 1 Samuel 30:25
- 12 Deuteronomy 3:23–27; Deuteronomy 34:1–4; Numbers 33:47–48; Deuteronomy 32:48–52
- 13 Deuteronomy 10:6; Numbers 31:2; Numbers 20:24–28; Genesis 25:8; Deuteronomy 32:50
- 14 Deuteronomy 1:37; Numbers 20:8–13; Exodus 17:7; Deuteronomy 32:51–52; Psalm 106:32–33
- 16 Numbers 16:22; Jeremiah 3:15; Hebrews 12:9; Deuteronomy 31:14; Ezekiel 34:23
- 17 Ezekiel 34:5; Mark 6:34; 1 Kings 22:17; 2 Chronicles 1:10; Matthew 9:36
- 18 Deuteronomy 34:9; Genesis 41:38; Numbers 27:23; Deuteronomy 31:7–8; Judges 3:10
- 19 Deuteronomy 3:28; Deuteronomy 31:23; Deuteronomy 31:7–8; Colossians 4:17; 2 Timothy 4:1–6
- 20 Joshua 1:16–18; 1 Samuel 10:9; 1 Chronicles 29:25; 2 Kings 2:15; 2 Kings 2:9–10
- 21 Exodus 28:30; Joshua 9:14; 1 Samuel 28:6; Judges 1:1; Judges 20:18
- 23 Deuteronomy 3:28; Numbers 27:19; Deuteronomy 31:7–8
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
XIX. "Take unto thee Joshua ('Iesoun) the son of Nun." For it was proper that Moses should lead the people out of Egypt, but that Jesus (Joshua) should lead them into the inheritance.
XX. "And he laid his hands upon him." The countenance of Joshua was also glorified by the imposition of the hands of Moses, but not to the same degree [as that of Moses].