Zelophehad was a man from the tribe of Manasseh who died in the wilderness without leaving any sons. His five daughters brought their case to Moses and were granted permission to inherit their father's land allotment, leading to an important change in Israelite law regarding women's inheritance rights.
3"Our father died in the wilderness. He was not among the company that banded together against the LORD with Korah; he died for his own sin, and he had no sons.
The five daughters of Selophehad—Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah—stood before Moses, the priest Eleazar, and the leaders at the entrance to the tent of meeting, demanding to receive their father's inheritance.
1Then the daughters of Zelophehad came forward—Zelophehad son of Hepher, son of Gilead, son of Machir, son of Manasseh, from the clans of Manasseh son of Joseph. These were the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.
3"Our father died in the wilderness. He was not among the company that banded together against the LORD with Korah; he died for his own sin, and he had no sons.
The Lord told Moses that Selophehad's daughters were right and that they should receive an inheritance among their father's brothers. Their father's inheritance was to be transferred to them.
7"The daughters of Zelophehad are right. You shall certainly give them a holding as their inheritance among their father's brothers, and transfer their father's inheritance to them.
Through the case of Selophehad's daughters, a new law regarding inheritance was established: If a man dies without sons, his inheritance shall go to his daughters, and further to other relatives if there are no daughters.
11And if his father had no brothers, you shall give his inheritance to the nearest relative in his clan, and that man shall take possession of it. This shall be a binding statute for the Israelites, as the LORD commanded Moses."
The leaders of the clan of Manasseh raised the concern that the inheritance might leave the tribe if the daughters married outside it. Moses ruled that Selophehad's daughters must marry within their father's tribe to retain the inheritance.
1The heads of the fathers' houses of the clan of the sons of Gilead son of Machir son of Manasseh, from the clans of the sons of Joseph, came forward. They spoke before Moses and before the leaders, the heads of the fathers' houses of the Israelites.
2They said, "The LORD commanded my lord to give the land as an inheritance by lot to the Israelites, and my lord was commanded by the LORD to give the inheritance of our brother Zelophehad to his daughters.
3Now if they marry men from another of the Israelite tribes, their inheritance will be taken from the inheritance of our fathers and added to the inheritance of the tribe they marry into; so it will be taken from the portion allotted to us.
4And when the Jubilee comes for the Israelites, their inheritance will be added to the inheritance of the tribe they have married into, and their inheritance will be taken away from the inheritance of our fathers' tribe."
6This is what the LORD has commanded concerning the daughters of Zelophehad: They may marry whomever they please, but they must marry within a clan of their father's tribe.
7No inheritance of the Israelites shall pass from tribe to tribe, for each of the Israelites shall hold to the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers.
8Every daughter who inherits property in any of the Israelite tribes shall marry someone from a clan of her father's tribe, so that each of the Israelites may keep the inheritance of his fathers.