THE FIVE SISTERS' INHERITANCE

The Bible tells the story of the five daughters of Zelophehad, who boldly approached Moses and the Israelite leaders to claim their rightful inheritance, as recorded in Numbers 27:1-8 (KJV).

Then came the daughters of Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, of the families of Manasseh the son of Joseph: and these are the names of his daughters; Mahlah, Noah, and Hoglah, and Milcah, and Tirzah. And they stood before Moses, and before Eleazar the priest, and before the princes and all the congregation, by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, saying, Our father died in the wilderness, and he was not in the company of them that gathered themselves together against the Lord in the company of Korah; but died in his own sin, and had no sons. Why should the name of our father be done away from among his family, because he hath no son? Give unto us therefore a possession among the brethren of our father. And Moses brought their cause before the Lord. And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 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. And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a man die, and have no son, then ye shall cause his inheritance to pass unto his daughter. (Numbers 27:1-8 KJV)

In this account, the five sisters boldly approached Moses and the leaders, asserting their right to inherit their father's property since he had no sons. Moses sought guidance from the Lord, who ruled in favor of the sisters, establishing a precedent for inheritance laws in Israel.

This story highlights the importance of justice and fairness in the Israelite legal system, as well as the value placed on women's rights and their ability to own property, which was progressive for the time.




Written by Zach Anderson (zmanderson@gmail.com). Placed in public domain at ultrafree.org/articles. Feel free to copy and repost, free of charge.