As Israel’s journey through the desert neared its end, God asked that the promised land be distributed according to the “number of names” of the second generation counted in a census (Num 26:5–56). Only men were counted, however, a man named Zelophehad had only daughters, so they would be left without an inheritance¹. Their names were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milkah and Tirzah.
These women knew their law and history and were able to advocate for themselves to change the law on inheritance. They went before Moses and the council of Israel’s elders to plead their case. They reminded them that their father was not involved in Korach’s rebellion (Num 16, which led to a plague and eventually to this second census because many lives were lost) and therefore, just like him, they had a claim to the land. They understood that the continuity of their lineage depended on inheriting the land so they had to do something about the current law that made no provision for a man without sons. They must have considered that God’s law was just, or aimed at justice, so they did not hesitate in pointing out the unfair nature of their situation with the hope that God’s mercy and justice will prevail.
True to their expectations, “Moses brought their case before God”, who responded by supporting the sisters’ demand, leading to an amendment that secured an inheritance for them and for future daughters in similar circumstances (Num 27:5–8).
“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.” (v.7)
God ruled in favor of the daughters. They inherited their father’s portion of the land and were able to provide for themselves and preserve the memory of their father. Because of them, the new inheritance order now became: son, daughter, brother, paternal uncle, and nearest clan kin²’³.
Property was however not to be transferred outside of one’s tribe so in Numbers 36, we once again hear about the daughters of Zelophehad in relation to whom they could marry. If the daughters, now landowners, married men outside their tribe, they would join their husbands’ tribes and take their father’s property with them. This would diminish the property allotted to Manasseh (one of Jacob’s 12 sons and Israel’s 12 tribes), which Zelophehad descended from. Following this new law, the land allotment for each tribe could change significantly, due to intermarriage with other tribes.
God gave a simple solution to the potential problem. He told the daughters of Zelophehad that they could marry anyone they wanted within their father’s tribal clan (v. 7). This way, no inheritance would pass from tribe to tribe. I believe this rule was considerate because it allowed the sisters to have choice, whilst still maintaining their ownership of the land (through their tribe and husband). The five sisters complied with this ruling and married their cousins on their father’s side (vs 10–11). This kept the land allotment intact and was another significant case that set a legal precedent for the rest of Israel to follow³.
Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milkah and Tirzah’s story illustrates God’s compassion and His heart towards social justice. God shows special concern for the widow, the orphan, the foreigner or slave, and other marginalized individuals throughout the Bible, just as He did for the daughters of Zelophehad³.
Their story also offers a compelling lesson by encouraging us to think differently about the role of our actions or inactions and their outcomes. Zelophehad’s daughters took charge of their lives by taking responsibility and acting diligently. As the Body of Christ, we have been charged to act justly, to love faithfulness and to walk humbly with our God (Mic 6:8). Like Zelophehad’s daughters we must do something to right the wrongs in this world.
Who knows? Maybe our little action might have the effect of a “great army” like the 4 lepers who defeated the Arameans:
Now there were four men with leprosy sitting at the entrance of the city gates. “Why should we sit here waiting to die?” they asked each other. “We will starve if we stay here, but with the famine in the city, we will starve if we go back there. So we might as well go out and surrender to the Aramean army. If they let us live, so much the better. But if they kill us, we would have died anyway.”
So at twilight they set out for the camp of the Arameans. But when they came to the edge of the camp, no one was there! For the Lord had caused the Aramean army to hear the clatter of speeding chariots and the galloping of horses and the sounds of a great army approaching. “The king of Israel has hired the Hittites and Egyptians to attack us!” they cried to one another. So they panicked and ran into the night, abandoning their tents, horses, donkeys, and everything else, as they fled for their lives. (2 Kings 7:3–7, emphasis mine)
References
- Sakenfeld, K. D. (2009, February 27). Daughters of Zelophehad: Bible. Jewish Women’s Archive. Retrieved March 12, 2021, from https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/daughters-of-zelophehad-bible
- Chemen, S. (n.d.). The Daughters of Zelophehad: Power and Uniqueness. My Jewish Learning. Retrieved March 12, 2021, from https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/the-daughters-of-zelophehad-power-and-uniqueness/
- GotQuestions.org. (n.d.). Who Were the Daughters of Zelophehad. GotQuestions.org. Retrieved March 12, 2021, from https://www.gotquestions.org/daughters-of-Zelophehad.html
