And Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, had no sons, but daughters; and these are the names of his daughters Mahlah, and Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.
The survey of Manasseh's land pauses here to name a man who had no son, and then names his five daughters one by one. Their case raises a large question: what happens to a family portion when the normal line of inheritance runs out?
Under Israel's law, only sons inherited. Zelophehad died without a son, so his name and his portion should have disappeared. One writer sees God stepping in where the rule left a gap.
Before Israel entered the land, the daughters of Zelophehad claimed their father's inheritance. Through that claim God proves the sovereignty of grace. He makes provision in a case where the law made none... But Zelophehad had no sons, and none to carry on the family name... By the law only sons could inherit. Is this inheritance to be lost, swallowed up by others? No — grace gives these daughters the inheritance of their father, and grace made it a "statute of judgment." Already we are given, in shadow, the great truth that in Christ Jesus there is neither male nor female. All believers are sons, heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ.
Scripture names these same five women again and again. One writer notes that repetition, and also why their father had no son.
The Bible mentions them five times (Num. 26:33; Num. 27:1-11; Num. 36:3-12; Joshua 17:3-6; 1 Chron. 7:15), proof of the important place they occupy in God's thoughts. Not one of their names is forgotten... They recognized that their unusual situation came from their father's sin. He was not among those who joined Korah's rebellion against the LORD. Still, he died in the wilderness, and he died for his own sin. That was why he had no sons... Even so, his five daughters want to carry on their father's name. As true daughters of Israel they value their family line, and so their inheritance.
By nature these women had no case. Their father was dead. No brother stood in his place.
Here were those daughters of Joseph — for so we must call them. They had lost their father. As nature sees it, they were helpless and alone. Death had snapped the link that seemed to tie them to the inheritance of God's people. What then? Were they content to give up?... They were sure there was a portion for them in the promised land. Neither death nor anything that happened in the wilderness could ever take it from them.
One writer follows the sisters from their marriages to their claim.
They had married their uncles' sons, as the LORD had directed (Num. 36:11). Now they ask to receive their inheritance. "The LORD commanded Moses to give us an inheritance along with our brothers," they say, relying on God's word alone. For them, this was enough to settle everything, even in a case that went beyond the usual order of the law. What is more, their faith and their confidence in the LORD's command to Moses led all Manasseh to adopt the same rule for female descendants, even beyond the Jordan. "The daughters of Manasseh received an inheritance along with his sons" (v. 6). So the rule given to a few became the privilege of all.
The same writer weighs the other side of such boldness.
The faith of the daughters was most lovely. But there was a danger. Their faith had lifted them to a high place, and there they might forget the claims of others and move the landmarks that guarded the inheritance of their fathers... We need to be guarded on every side, so that faith and the testimony keep their integrity. However strong our faith may be, we are not to carry things with a high hand and a strong will. We must always be ready to yield ourselves to the adjusting power of the whole truth of God.
One writer carries the case forward to the believer's portion, and marks a limit at the same time.
Five daughters of one man, Zelophehad, received the inheritance that would have been their father's if he had not died. Moses had promised them this (Num. 27:1-11), and now in boldness of faith they claim the inheritance (vs. 3-4). And believing women are just as fully entitled to a spiritual inheritance in heavenly places as men are. This blessing for them is wonderful. Of course it does not set aside God's order for the different places and responsibilities of the man and the woman in the church or in public testimony.
- Loss — Zelophehad died with no son, so by the ordinary rule his name and portion in the land were gone.
- Grace — God met the case the law had not covered, and gave the daughters their father's inheritance.
- Faith — They refused to let death cancel a promised portion, and asked for what they could not yet see.
- Word — Their entire claim rested on one thing: what the LORD had commanded Moses.
- Reach — What five women asked for became a settled right for all Manasseh, and it pointed on to an inheritance shared by every believer.
And they came near before Eleazar the priest, and before Joshua the son of Nun, and before the princes, saying, Jehovah commanded Moses to give us an inheritance among our brethren. And he gave them according to the commandment of Jehovah an inheritance among the brethren of their father.
Joshua 17 divides the land west of the Jordan among the families of Manasseh. In the middle of the boundary lists, five sisters step forward. Their father died without sons, yet they ask for land among the men of their family. The whole case turns on one thing: what God had already said to Moses.
They bring no argument of their own. Their whole case is what God told Moses:
The daughters of Zelophehad had married their uncles' sons according to the Lord's directions (Num. 36:11). Now they ask to receive their inheritance. "The LORD commanded Moses to give us an inheritance along with our brothers," they say, relying on God's word alone. For them, this was enough to settle everything, even in a case that went beyond the usual order of the law. Their faith and their confidence in the LORD's command to Moses led all Manasseh, even beyond the Jordan, to adopt the same rule for female descendants. So the rule given to a few became the privilege of all.
They do not bring the case to one man. A priest and a leader together oversee the dividing of the land, and every hard case comes to them both:
At this new point in their history Eleazar takes his place beside Joshua, to divide the land at the door of the tabernacle… When difficulties arose, as with the daughters of Zelophehad, they came before Eleazar the priest and Joshua the son of Nun for a settlement… As for the tribe of Levi, they had no portion among the people, for the priesthood of the LORD is their inheritance.
This is not the first time Scripture tells their story. One writer reads the repeat as praise, and counts what their courage added to the tribe:
Even the women of Manasseh show the courage of faith, and gain an inheritance with their brothers. Scripture repeats their story here, to their praise. We do well to long for the portion God has given us. There is abundance for all. Enjoying it to the full will only enrich others, never impoverish them. So Manasseh gains ten portions. The single portion of Zelophehad grows into five through the inheritance of his daughters.
The sisters asked for one thing: land among their father's relatives. What came back was larger:
They fully counted on the Lord and His goodness, though the earlier instructions did not cover their case. "It is impossible for God to be like a poor man, who says, 'You expect more good than I am ready to give.' God could not make such an answer. He always gives more. Whatever faith asks for, the answer of grace never fails to go beyond it." The answer given to Moses was that they were surely to receive their inheritance.
That widening shows up in the chapter itself. Rossier observes in the passage quoted above that the ruling for these five became the settled practice for the whole tribe: "the rule given to a few became the privilege of all."
Had they stayed quiet, the loss would not have been theirs alone:
Suppose they had listened to the voice of fear and unbelief. Suppose they had refused to come forward before the whole congregation and press the claims of faith. Then they would have lost their own inheritance and blessing — and every future daughter of Israel in the same position would have lost her portion too. Instead they acted in the precious energy of faith. They kept their inheritance; they got the blessing; they received testimony from God; their names shine in the pages of Scripture; and their conduct gave, by divine authority, a precedent for all future generations.
One writer turns their example toward us, and toward every reader who holds a better inheritance:
The five daughters of Zelophehad greatly valued the inheritance that belonged to their father's house, even though their father was dead and they did not yet hold the land… Not only did these young women receive it at the mouth of the LORD, but they received something of far greater value — their names written in the Holy Scriptures… I wish believers today would copy the zeal of these sisters, for God has made them heirs of a much better inheritance. How eager we should be to learn the riches of the glory of God's inheritance in His saints, the inheritance in heaven, and the wonderful heritage we have in the Scriptures and the truth of God. The sisters were also to marry with the inheritance in view, and not to marry those who had no real interest in it.
- Word — Their whole case was what God had already told Moses. That alone settled a matter the ordinary law did not cover.
- Place — They brought it to Eleazar the priest and Joshua. These two men settled every hard case in the dividing of the land.
- More — The answer came back larger than the asking. Grace never fails to go beyond what faith asks.
- Reach — Their boldness became the rule for the whole tribe, and a precedent for later generations. Had they stayed silent, other daughters of Israel would have lost their portion too.
- Gain — They received the land, and their names in Scripture. Their portion enlarged the tribe instead of robbing it, for there is abundance for all.
And there fell ten portions to Manasseh, besides the land of Gilead and Bashan, which are beyond the Jordan.
Ten portions fall to Manasseh west of the Jordan, on top of Gilead and Bashan already held on the east side. Why ten, when fewer families are listed — and what does it mean for one tribe to own land on both banks?
The verse sums up the whole allotment, east and west. One writer maps it onto the chapter's verses.
Verse 5 speaks of ten shares taken by Manasseh on the west side of Jordan. These are besides the land of Gilead and Bashan on the east. So verse 1 refers to the east side of Jordan and verses 2-4 the west side. The daughters of Zelophehad received their inheritance among the sons mentioned in verse 2. The rest of Manasseh's sons had the land of Gilead.
The ten is not a round figure. One writer asks why this chapter counts people before it measures land.
The heirs are numbered first, and this is the case with no other of the tribes. Is it that the person himself is more in view here — the man as distinct from his inheritance? Even the women of Manasseh show the courage of faith, and gain an inheritance with their brothers. Their story is repeated here, to their praise. We do well to covet the portion God has given us. There is abundance for all, and to enjoy it to the full will only enrich and not impoverish others. This is how Manasseh gains ten portions: the single portion of Zelophehad grows into five through the inheritance of his daughters.
Five of those ten shares came to Zelophehad's daughters, who asked for them.
"The Lord commanded Moses to give us an inheritance among our brothers," they say, relying on God's word alone. For them, this was enough to settle everything, even in a case that went beyond the usual order of the law. What is more, their faith and their confidence in the Lord's commandment to Moses had a wider result. The same rule for female heirs then held throughout all Manasseh, even beyond the Jordan. "The daughters of Manasseh received an inheritance among his sons." So the rule given to a few became the privilege of all.
One writer turns this into a direct word to women today.
Do not think, sisters in Christ, that your enjoyment of heavenly things must be lessened by your position of seeming inferiority. Do not be satisfied until you have gained the same portion of the inheritance as your brothers. To overcome in this, remember that this is a commandment of the Lord to you. Whatever your humble condition may be, your inheritance is the same as that of your brothers.
Other tribes settled east of the Jordan and stayed there. Manasseh alone held ground on both banks, and that land included the kingdom of Og in Bashan.
How well suited it is that Manasseh, the one who forgets the things behind, should have the kingdom of Og in Bashan put into his hands! The things of the world can only be rightly used by someone who is pressing on to another world. And this is the only one of the tribes found on the east side of Jordan that in fact inherits on both sides of the river... In this way Manasseh comes nearer to the final division in the day still to come. Then each tribe receives its inheritance on both sides, the boundary lines running east and west across the river. Whatever Manasseh's personal failure in all this, it seems clear that we are not to view it here. We are to see in him the ability to use the world while the heart is in heaven.
The name Manasseh itself carries a lesson.
Manasseh means "forgetting." That reminds us of Paul's words in Philippians 3:13: "forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus"... Manasseh was born first. Yet he teaches us to forget what we once were by mere natural advantage, for what comes first is not spiritual but natural.
The ten portions were large. The borders around them were not all drawn.
On the north there is no line given at all. There is only the statement that Manasseh touched Asher on the north and Issachar on the east, and that it had cities in both. This looks as if the undrawn line was left open for growth... On the south he too yields to Ephraim, expansion being the rule for the people of God. Had they only been faithful, their borders on all sides would have been pushed out in the same way. God desired growth for them: they chose, sadly, contraction.
- Counted. Verse 5 adds up ten shares west of the Jordan, on top of Gilead and Bashan in the east.
- Claimed. Zelophehad's single share grew into five when his daughters asked for what God had promised.
- Widened. What was granted to five women became the standing rule for all the daughters of Manasseh, on both sides of the river.
- Shared. A believing sister's portion of the inheritance is the same as her brother's. She should not settle for less.
- Guarded. Undrawn borders left room to grow. God wanted growth for His people; they chose to shrink instead.
For the daughters of Manasseh received an inheritance among his sons; and the rest of Manasseh's sons had the land of Gilead.
One short line explains why the count of Manasseh's shares came to ten: five sisters received land beside their brothers. The answer God gave them became the rule for their whole tribe.
One writer shows what the daughters leaned on when they asked, and how far the answer reached.
They had married their uncles' sons, as the LORD directed (Num. 36:11). Now they ask to receive their inheritance. "The LORD commanded Moses to give us an inheritance along with our brothers," they say, relying on God's word alone. For them, this was enough to settle everything, even in a case that went beyond the usual order of the law. Their faith and their confidence in the LORD's commandment to Moses do even more. Because of it, all Manasseh adopts the same rule for female descendants, even beyond the Jordan. "The daughters of Manasseh received an inheritance along with his sons" (v. 6). So the rule given to a few became the privilege of all.
Their father had died in the wilderness with no sons. Everything visible argued that his name and his share were gone. One writer draws from this a truth he finds all through Scripture.
Wherever we turn, we learn the same great practical truth: God delights in a bold and simple faith. Such faith takes hold of all He has given and holds on tightly. It refuses, even in the face of nature's weakness and death, to give up a single hair's breadth of the inheritance God has given. What if Zelophehad's bones lay crumbling in the dust of the wilderness? What if no son appeared to carry his name? Faith could rise above all these things, and count on God's faithfulness to make good everything His word had promised.
The same writer turns this into a rule about what faith may expect from God.
It is utterly impossible for faith to overdraw its account in God's bank. God could no more disappoint faith than He could deny Himself. He can never say to faith, "You have miscalculated; you take too high, too bold a stand; lower it down, and lessen your expectations."
Scripture does not leave the five women nameless. One writer counts the times Scripture tells their story, and follows what God gave beyond their asking.
They are mentioned five times in the course of biblical history (Num. 26:33; Num. 27:1-11; Num. 36:3-12; Joshua 17:3-6; 1 Chron. 7:15), proof of the important place they occupy in God's thoughts. Not one of their names is forgotten. They are Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah… Wherever there is zeal to take hold of God's blessings and promises, an answer is sure. But the Lord gives them much more than they were asking. He gives them their father's inheritance. He also adds to His law a clause of four parts — these weak women are the occasion for this — and it becomes a statute and rule for the people of Israel.
One writer draws a lesson from the way Manasseh's portions add up to ten.
Even the women of Manasseh show the courage of faith, and gain an inheritance with their brothers. Scripture repeats their story here, to their praise. We do well to want the portion God has given us. There is plenty for all, and to enjoy it to the full will only enrich and not impoverish others. This is how Manasseh gains ten portions. Zelophehad's single portion swells into five through the inheritance of his daughters.
The second half of the verse settles the rest of the tribe. Manasseh held land on both sides of the Jordan.
Verse 5 speaks of ten shares taken by Manasseh on the west side of the Jordan, besides the land of Gilead and Bashan on the east. So verse 1 refers to the east side of the Jordan, and verses 2-4 to the west side. The daughters of Zelophehad received their inheritance among the sons mentioned in verse 2, and the rest of Manasseh's sons had the land of Gilead.
One writer carries the principle into the present, and marks one limit to it.
Believing women have just as full a right to a spiritual inheritance in heavenly places as men do. This blessing for them is wonderful. Even so, it does not set aside God's order of government. In the assembly and in public testimony, the man and the woman each have their own place and responsibilities.
- Claim. The daughters asked for nothing but what God had already said. That alone settled a case the law had not covered.
- Answer. God delights in faith that refuses to give up a hair's breadth of what He has promised. No one can ask Him for too much.
- Gift. He gave them more than they asked for: their father's portion, a lasting rule for all Israel, and their names kept in Scripture five times over.
- Reach. What God gave five women became the right of every daughter in Manasseh, on both sides of the Jordan.
- Result. One man's share became ten for the tribe. Enjoying your portion in full enriches others; it does not rob them.