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Numbers 27

1The daughters of Zelophehad son of Hepher, son of Gilead, son of Machir, son of Manasseh, from the clans of Manasseh son of Joseph, approached. These were his daughters' names: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. 2They stood before Moses, Eleazar the priest, the leaders, and the whole congregation at the entrance of the tent of meeting, saying, 3“Our father died in the wilderness. He was not among the congregation who assembled against Yahweh in Korah's congregation; he died for his own sin, and he had no sons. 4Why should our father's name disappear from his clan because he had no son? Give us property among our father's brothers.” 5Moses brought their case before Yahweh. 6Yahweh said to Moses, 7“Zelophehad's daughters are right in what they say. You must certainly give them inherited property among their father's brothers and transfer their father's inheritance to them. 8Speak to the sons of Israel: ‘If a man dies and has no son, you must transfer his inheritance to his daughter. 9If he has no daughter, give his inheritance to his brothers. 10If he has no brothers, give his inheritance to his father's brothers. 11If his father has no brothers, give his inheritance to his nearest relative in his clan, who will inherit it. This is to be a legal statute for the sons of Israel, as Yahweh commanded Moses.’”

12Yahweh said to Moses, “Go up this mountain of the Abarim and see the land I have given to the sons of Israel. 13When you have seen it, you too will be gathered to your people, as Aaron your brother was gathered. 14For you both rebelled against my command in the wilderness of Zin when the congregation quarreled, rather than showing me holy at the water before their eyes.” These are the waters of Meribah at Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin. 15Moses spoke to Yahweh: 16“May Yahweh, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation 17who will go out before them and come in before them, who will lead them out and bring them in, so that Yahweh's congregation will not be like sheep without a shepherd.” 18Yahweh said to Moses, “Take Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom there is spirit, and lay your hand on him. 19Have him stand before Eleazar the priest and the whole congregation, and commission him before their eyes. 20Give him some of your authority, so that the whole congregation of the sons of Israel will obey. 21He is to stand before Eleazar the priest, who will inquire for him before Yahweh by the decision of the Urim. At his direction they are to go out, and at his direction they are to come in—he and all the sons of Israel with him, the whole congregation.” 22Moses did as Yahweh commanded him. He took Joshua and had him stand before Eleazar the priest and the whole congregation. 23He laid his hands on him and commissioned him, as Yahweh had spoken through Moses.

Translation notes 4

27:1–11 — Daughters' case. The five women are named and speak for themselves. Their father's own sin is distinguished from participation in Korah's uprising, but its nature is not identified. The ruling grants daughters inheritance when there is no son; the following sequence gives priority to brothers, paternal uncles, and the nearest clan relative when the preceding category is absent. “Brothers” can sometimes extend to male kin, but the draft retains the stated relationship here. The further marriage restriction appears in chapter 36.

27:12–14 — Death and holiness. “Gathered to your people” is an expression for death without specifying the burial location. The rebellion verb is plural, including Moses and Aaron. The stated failure concerns making Yahweh's holiness visible before the congregation; the text does not here assign every disputed detail of the earlier rock incident. Meribah evokes the word for quarreling.

27:16–20 — Spirits; leadership. “All flesh” retains the collective creaturely expression rather than restricting it to a named group. The going-out and coming-in formulas describe leadership and can have military force. Joshua has “spirit” in him; the Hebrew does not explicitly add “holy” or a possessive “my” here. “Authority” renders a word also associated with splendor or majesty; the text says Moses gives some of it.

27:21–23 — Urim; hand and hands. The Urim belongs to the priestly means of seeking a decision before Yahweh, but the object's exact appearance and operation are not described. “At his direction” follows the pronoun without replacing it with a newly named speaker. The instruction has singular “hand”; its fulfillment has plural “hands.” Both are retained.