And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying,
The daughters of Zelophehad had just made a claim no law covered, and Moses had no ruling to give them. Here the Lord Himself answers. His reply is both an answer to faith and a new rule for Israel.
The Lord speaks here because Moses refused to speak first.
Up to this time there had been no provision for such a case. The son or sons were to inherit the property, but there was no word about daughters where there were no sons. Moses did not act on his own view of the case, nor on what others might think fair and reasonable principles. He admitted that he had no wisdom of his own, and laid the matter before the Lord. I wish we might all follow his example when we cannot work out the mind of God in some special difficulty.
That admission cost Moses something.
The matter in itself was a small one. But the principle involved was so great and far-reaching that even Moses felt he could not take the responsibility of deciding it on himself. He referred the subject to the judgment of God (Numbers 27). It is that easy for the humblest person to ask a question the wisest cannot solve. Rulers are usually careful to protect their reputation for knowing everything. If Moses had been like that, he would never have admitted that he could not solve such a simple-looking difficulty.
God knew the problem was coming. Yet He said nothing until Moses asked, and that timing is deliberate.
Notice also that the Lord did not anticipate the difficulty. He knew it would arise, but He waited until His servant brought it to Him before He gave His mind in the matter. He foresaw the second question just as much as the first. But He wanted His people in constant dependence. So He gave only the word for the moment — the wisdom they needed at the time.
The same silence raises a practical question for us.
And here comes out a very important principle — what is to be done where we have no clear word of the Lord as far as we know. There is always one great safeguard: to wait. Never be in a hurry to devise a remedy, or to exercise discipline, without the word of the Lord. What is done cannot be undone. It is better to wait and take the place of ignorance — but an ignorance that is confident the Lord hears us and cares for us.
The Lord does more than allow their claim. In the next verse He says the daughters "are right" — older translations read "speak right."
"The daughters of Zelophehad speak right." They always do. Their words are words of faith, and as such are always right in God's judgment. It is a terrible thing to limit "the Holy One of Israel." He delights to be trusted and used. It is completely 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; so come down, and lower your expectations."
No law covered what they asked for.
There was no son left. This was a case that had not yet arisen; but as we see, the daughters of Zelophehad counted on God, and not in vain. It is impossible for God to be like poor man, who says, "You expect more good than I am prepared to give." God could not make such an answer. He always gives more. Whatever the petition of faith may be, the answer of grace never fails to go beyond it. And so the daughters of Zelophehad have their place secured to them in the goodness of God, though outside the usual routine of law.
The Lord's reply did not stop with five women. It became legislation, and later it spread wider still.
What they did brought out a fresh truth, which was to become the basis of a divine rule for all future generations. The Lord commanded Moses, saying, "If a man dies and has no son, then you shall transfer his inheritance to his daughter."
Their faith and their confidence in Jehovah's commandment to Moses had a further result. The same rule about female descendants spread throughout all Manasseh, even beyond the Jordan. "The daughters of Manasseh received an inheritance along with his sons." So the rule given to a few became the privilege of all.
- Asked — Faith raised a question no law had yet answered.
- Referred — Moses would not settle it by his own judgment. He admitted he did not know, and brought it to God.
- Withheld — God foresaw the difficulty but waited for Moses to ask. He gives wisdom as it is needed, to keep His people dependent.
- Answered — The Lord granted the claim and called it right. Faith cannot ask more than grace is ready to give.
- Enlarged — One family's case became a rule for Israel. The privilege of a few became the portion of all.
The daughters of Zelophehad speak right thou shalt surely give them a possession of an inheritance among their father's brethren; and thou shalt cause the inheritance of their father to pass unto them.
Zelophehad died leaving no son, and his daughters asked Moses for a share of the land Israel had not yet entered. God did more than allow it: He called their request right and told Moses to hand them their father's portion. (Older translations read "the daughters of Zelophehad speak right," the wording quoted below.)
They had nothing to go on but God's promise about a land they had never seen:
Clearly these daughters were women of faith who relied on the promise of God. They took it for granted that the inheritance would materialise, and asked that their father's portion should not be lost. The answer of God was, "The daughters of Zelophehad speak right." Faith is always right and it commands a blessing. The inheritance was to be theirs.
God never tells faith that it has asked for too much:
"The daughters of Zelophehad speak right." They always do so. Their words are words of faith, and, as such, are always right in the judgement of God... He delights to be trusted and used. 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 lofty — too bold a stand; so come down and lower your expectations."
Standing up to claim it took courage:
But consider what a living and practical faith that was which enabled these women... to come forth and stand before all the priests and princes, and the whole vast congregation, in order to claim a portion of a land not yet visible. How supremely ridiculous it was, or else how sublime! It depends on how you look at it, because the same action is often sublime towards God and ridiculous towards men. What presumption (yes, that is the term!) for anyone to believe they are entitled to a portion in the Promised Land, and to try to make a reality — a substance — of it! What presumption indeed, or what humility and faith! Is it presumption to believe God's promises?
The law made no provision for daughters. One writer sees that gap as the place where grace acted:
By the law only sons could inherit. Is this inheritance to be lost, swallowed up by others? No, grace gives these daughters their father's inheritance, 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.
Moses had no answer of his own. What he did next is an example for anyone who is stuck:
Moses did not act on his own view of the case, or on what others might think were fair and reasonable principles. Instead, admitting that he had no wisdom of his own, he laid the matter before the Lord. How good it would be if we all followed his example when we cannot find the mind of God in some special difficulty.
The Lord's answer did not stop at a yes:
The Lord waits to set their situation in order until they express this need before Him... 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.
Their case became law for Israel, so silence would have cost others too:
If they had listened to the voice of timidity and unbelief — if 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, by acting in the precious energy of faith, they kept their inheritance. They got the blessing. They received testimony from God. Their names shine on the pages of Scripture.
A later ruling limited their marriages to their father's tribe, so that the land would stay in the family:
Some would have thought this an unwelcome restriction. But it was absolutely necessary, so that the property would not be transferred away; and every right and privilege carries a restraint with it... It is typical of Zelophehad's daughters that they accept the condition laid on them and keep it with loyalty and submission, though they had not yet seen so much as a grain of soil of their promised possession.
- Asked — They spoke up in public for an inheritance they had never seen. Faith that counts on God's promise is "always right in the judgement of God."
- Referred — Moses had no answer, so he brought their case to the Lord. That is the pattern when the rules settle nothing.
- Granted — The law made no provision for daughters. Grace did, and gave them more than they asked for.
- Extended — What God ruled for these women became a statute for all Israel. Their boldness won portions for people they never met.
- Guarded — They then accepted a limit on their marriages, so the inheritance stayed whole. Faith holds its privileges and its restraints together.
And unto the children of Israel shalt thou speak, saying, If a man die, and have no son, then ye shall cause his inheritance to pass unto his daughter.
Numbers 27:8 is where a private request turns into public law. The daughters of Zelophehad asked that their father's portion not be lost, and God answers with a rule for every household in Israel.
Under the law, land passed from father to son. What happens when a family has no son at all?
Turn to Israel, before they enter the land. The daughters of Zelophehad claim their father's inheritance. Through that claim God proves the sovereignty of grace, and makes provision in a case where the law made none... Zelophehad had no sons, and no one 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 their father's inheritance, and grace made it a "statute and rule." Here, in shadow, is 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.
One writer notes that no law yet covered this, and that God's answer went further than the sisters asked:
There was no son left. This case had never come up before. But as we see, the daughters of Zelophehad counted on God, and not in vain... He always gives more. Whatever may be the petition of faith, the answer of grace never fails to go beyond it. And so the goodness of God secured their place for them, though outside the usual routine of law.
God's answer goes to the whole nation, not only to one family:
So from one particular case God draws a general principle, and it at once becomes binding. In the same way we recall the institution of the Supper, the first day of the week, the collections, and a special case of discipline at Corinth. All of these became general obligations.
Another writer weighs what their silence would have cost:
Suppose they had listened to the voice of fear and unbelief. Suppose they had refused to stand 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.
The rule keeps going past verse 8 and names who inherits next:
Further, the Lord instructed that the normal practice in Israel would give an inheritance to a daughter if there was no son to inherit it (v.9). If a man had no daughter, his inheritance would pass to his brothers. If he had no brothers, it would pass to his nearest living relative or relatives (vs.8-11).
Israel had not yet entered the land, so the sisters were asking for a portion no one had yet received:
Clearly then, these daughters were women of faith who relied on the promise of God. They took it for granted that the inheritance would come, and they asked that their father's portion should not be lost. God's answer was, "The daughters of Zelophehad are right." Faith is always right and it commands a blessing.
From that verdict one writer draws a wider principle:
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. Your stand is too high and too bold. Come down, and expect less."
The same writer carries the inheritance question into our own day and asks how believers marry:
Christians, is it not the same with us about marriage? Marriage must stay within the bounds of the family of God, and within the realm of faith. Otherwise disorder will quickly enter the Assembly, and it will lose part of its heavenly inheritance, or see it reduced.
- Claim — The daughters of Zelophehad asked for a portion they could not yet see. Commentators call that faith resting on God's promise.
- Grace — The law made no provision for their case. Grace made one, and gave more than they asked.
- Statute — God turned one family's problem into a standing rule, drawing a general principle from a single case.
- Reach — Their courage won more than their own land. Every later daughter in the same position kept her portion because they spoke.
- Marriage — The same principle still speaks: marry within the family of God, or the whole Assembly loses part of its inheritance.
And if he have no daughter, ye shall give his inheritance unto his brethren.
Commentary for this verse has not been generated yet.
And if he have no brethren, ye shall give his inheritance unto his father's brethren.
Five sisters asked why their dead father's name should vanish from Israel because he left no son, and God's answer became law for everyone. This verse is one link in that chain: why did God set out the line of heirs in such detail?
The five daughters of Zelophehad asked only for their own family. What they asked reached much further.
We are deeply indebted to the daughters of Zelophehad. They teach us a lesson of great value. And more than this, what they did gave occasion for the unfolding of a fresh truth which was to form the basis of a divine rule for all future generations.
The rule works down through the family, one step at a time.
The Lord also set the normal practice in Israel: if a man left no son to inherit, his daughter received the inheritance (v.9). If he had no daughter, his inheritance passed to his brothers. If he had no brothers, it passed to his nearest living relative or relatives (vs.8-11).
The wording of this rule is God's, not one leader's sense of fairness. Moses had no answer of his own, so he took the case to the Lord.
Moses did not act on his own view of the case, nor on what others might think fair and reasonable. Owning that he had no wisdom of his own, he laid the matter before the Lord. If only we would all follow his example when we cannot see the mind of God in some special difficulty. The Lord answered at once: "The daughters of Zelophehad are right." He directed Moses to give them a possession for an inheritance among their father's brothers. At the same time He announced a statute of judgment for the children of Israel, covering every such case that might arise.
Up to this point the law knew only sons. So what happened to the land of a man who left none?
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... 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."
God's answer went further than what the sisters asked for.
God cannot be like a mere man, who says, "You expect more good than I am willing to give." God could not answer like that. He always gives more. Whatever faith asks for, the answer of grace always goes beyond it.
The land had to stay where God placed it. No family's portion could drift off into other hands.
Weakness may have come in, and the lack of male heirs may seem to put the inheritance into the hands of others. The jubilee itself would then prevent it ever passing back out of their hands. But everything must give way to the first great necessity: the inheritance allotted by God must remain with those to whom it was allotted. Nothing shall alter this; nothing, blessed be God, shall prevent any of His own from enjoying for eternity the inheritance prepared.
This was not a one-off ruling. Generations later, Boaz used this same statute to weigh whether Ruth had a claim to her dead husband's family land.
He said that Ruth, not being a daughter of Elimelech, had no title to the property under the special "statute of judgment" applying to daughters (Num. 27:6-11). But as the widow of Mahlon, she had a recognised place in the family.
- Cause — five sisters would not let their father's name be dropped. What they asked became a divine rule for all future generations.
- Gift — the law knew only sons. Grace made provision where the law made none, and turned it into a standing statute.
- Order — son, daughter, brothers, father's brothers, nearest relative: a chain built so that every portion keeps an heir.
- Guard — the inheritance God allotted must stay with those He allotted it to, so the land never drifted out of the family.
- Reach — the statute was still deciding cases in Ruth's day. Moses' method still holds too: bring what you cannot settle to the Lord and wait for His word.
And if his father have no brethren, ye shall give his inheritance to his kinsman that is nearest to him in his family, and he shall possess it; and it shall be unto the children of Israel a statute of right, as Jehovah commanded Moses.
This verse ends the chapter's list of heirs, running from a daughter down to the nearest relative in the clan. God then makes that ruling permanent law — so why should one grieving family's question settle the rights of every generation after them?
Israel's rules of inheritance had a gap, and Moses did not try to close it himself.
Up to this time there had been no provision for such a case. The son or sons were to inherit the property, but the law said nothing about daughters where there were no sons. Moses did not act on his own view of the case. He did not act on what others might think fair and reasonable either. He admitted that he had no wisdom of his own, and he laid the matter before the Lord. I wish we would all follow his example when we cannot discover the mind of God in any difficult case. The Lord gave an answer at once: "The daughters of Zelophehad are right." He directed Moses to "give them possession of an inheritance among their father's brothers." At the same time He announced a statute and rule for the children of Israel, covering every such case that might arise... Human wisdom can settle nothing that concerns the people of God. We must lay every difficulty or perplexity before the Lord. And if we lack wisdom, the Lord is always ready to give, and to give generously.
This permanent ruling came from grace, not from legal precedent.
Israel has not yet entered the land. Through the claim of the daughters of Zelophehad to their father's inheritance, God proves the sovereignty of grace. He makes provision in a case where the law made none... 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 and rule." Here, in shadow, we already see 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.
Each step in the chain covers the failure of the step before it.
Further, the Lord instructed that the normal practice in Israel would give an inheritance to a daughter if there was no son to inherit it (v.9). If a man had no daughter, his inheritance would pass to his brothers. If he had no brothers, it would pass to the nearest living relative or relatives (vs.8-11).
However broken a family's line, the chain of heirs always reached someone.
The law had no ruling for their situation, so they counted on God instead.
There was no son left. This was a case which had not yet arisen; but as we see, the daughters of Zelophehad counted on God, and not in vain. God cannot be like weak human beings, who say, "You expect more good than I am prepared to give." God could not make such an answer. He always gives more. Whatever the petition of faith may be, the answer of grace never fails to go beyond it. And so the goodness of God made their place sure, though it lay outside the usual routine of law.
Had these women kept quiet, the loss would not have stopped with them.
Here we have a great principle laid down about inheritance. Humanly speaking, we would never have heard of it without the faith and faithful conduct of these remarkable women. Suppose they had listened to the voice of timidity and unbelief. Suppose they had refused to come forward before the whole congregation to assert the claims of faith. Then they would have lost their own inheritance and blessing. And all future daughters of Israel in the same position would have lost their portion too... their conduct provided, by divine authority, a precedent for all future generations.
God's answer to one family did not stay private to them.
So from a particular case God draws a general principle, and it becomes binding at once... "The daughters of Zelophehad did as the LORD commanded Moses." They themselves treated the revelation God gave them, which met their particular need, as a commandment of the Lord.
- Gap. The law covered sons only. It said nothing about a man who died without one, and Moses had no answer of his own.
- Grace. God filled the gap by giving, not by legal reasoning. He made provision "where the law made none," and then made it permanent law.
- More. Faith asked for a piece of ground. The answer went further, because God never tells faith it has asked too much.
- Reach. The ruling runs down to the nearest relative in the clan, so no Israelite family line loses its heir.
- Precedent. What one family dared to ask became the settled right of every generation after them. Their silence would have cost far more than their own portion.