Question 1

Who were the daughters of Zelophehad and what did they ask for?

Accepted Answer

The daughters of Zelophehad were five sisters named Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. Their father died in the wilderness and had no sons. They were worried that their father’s name and land share would disappear from his clan just because there were no male heirs. So they went to Moses, the priest, and the leaders in front of all the people and asked for an inheritance among their father’s brothers. They wanted their family’s place in Israel to be kept, and they brought this request respectfully within God’s order.

Question 2

Why did God say the daughters of Zelophehad were right?

Accepted Answer

When Moses took their case to God, God answered that the daughters of Zelophehad were speaking what was right. He told Moses to give them a possession among their father’s brothers and to pass their father’s inheritance to them. This shows that God cared that their family would not be erased just because there were no sons. It also shows that women were not forgotten in God’s plans. God used their request to shape a lasting rule about inheritance in Israel.

Question 3

What new inheritance law is given in this passage?

Accepted Answer

God gives a clear order for what should happen to a man’s land if he dies. If he has a son, the son receives it. If he has no son, the inheritance goes to his daughter. If he has no daughter, it goes to his brothers. If he has no brothers, it goes to his father’s brothers. If there are none of them, it goes to the nearest relative in his family. This way, the land stays within the family line, and each family’s share in Israel is preserved.

Question 4

What does this passage show about God’s view of women and inheritance?

Accepted Answer

This passage shows that God listens to women and cares about their place in the family and in His people. The daughters of Zelophehad were not pushing against God’s will; they were asking how to keep their father’s name and share within Israel. God agreed with them and gave a law that allows daughters to inherit when there are no sons. This does not erase male leadership in the family, but it makes clear that women also share in God’s promises and are not left out when men are absent.

Question 5

Why is Moses told he will die after seeing the land?

Accepted Answer

God tells Moses to go up to mount Abarim and see the land that He will give to Israel. After he sees it, God says Moses will be gathered to his people, like Aaron was. The reason given is that Moses and Aaron rebelled at the water of Meribah in the desert of Zin, when they did not honor God before the people. This shows that even a faithful servant like Moses is not above God’s holiness. Yet God is kind, letting him see the land and speaking of his death as a gathering to his people, a peaceful ending.

Question 6

What does the phrase God of the spirits of all flesh mean here?

Accepted Answer

Moses calls God “the God of the spirits of all flesh” when he prays for a new leader. This phrase shows that God made all people and knows every heart. He rules over their inner life, not just their bodies or outward actions. Moses is asking the One who truly knows every person’s spirit to choose the right man to lead Israel. It reminds us that human eyes see only the outside, but God knows who is fit to guide His people and cares for every person’s life and soul.

Question 7

Why did Moses ask for a leader so Israel would not be like sheep without a shepherd?

Accepted Answer

Moses loved the people and did not want them left without care after his death. He knew they needed someone to go out before them and come in before them, to lead them in their movements and daily life. Without a leader, they would be like sheep without a shepherd, scattered and unsafe. By praying this way, Moses shows a tender, humble heart. He is less worried about himself and more about the people having guidance, protection, and order as they enter the land God promised.

Question 8

Why was Joshua chosen to follow Moses, and how was he appointed?

Accepted Answer

God told Moses to take Joshua son of Nun, “a man in whom is the spirit.” Joshua already had a heart shaped by God and was fit to lead. Moses was to lay his hand on Joshua, set him before Eleazar the priest and all the people, and give him a charge in their sight. Moses was also to put some of his honor on Joshua so the people would obey him. Joshua would depend on God’s guidance through the priest and Urim. This public act showed that Joshua’s leadership came from God and was recognized by the community.

Question 9

What is the role of Eleazar and the Urim in Joshua’s leadership?

Accepted Answer

Eleazar the priest has the task of asking counsel for Joshua by the judgment of Urim before the Lord. The Urim was used in the priest’s office to seek God’s decision in hard cases. For Joshua and the people, this meant their going out and coming in, their movements and major choices, were to follow God’s word given through the priest. Joshua had authority to lead, but he was not to rule by his own ideas. He was to act in line with God’s revealed will for the whole congregation.

Question 10

How can this passage guide how we think about leadership and justice today?

Accepted Answer

This passage brings together two things: a just answer to a family who could lose its place, and a careful choice of a new leader. It shows that God cares when people fear being left out or forgotten, like Zelophehad’s daughters, and that He provides fair order to protect families. It also shows that leaders should be chosen with prayer, looking for those shaped by God’s spirit, not just outward strength. For us, it encourages seeking fairness for the weak and asking God to raise leaders who serve like shepherds, not rulers who seek their own gain.

Numbers 27:1

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.

The Daughters of Zelophehad

Moses Requests a Successor

Joshua to Succeed Moses

The Daughters of Zelophehad

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Numbers 27:1

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.

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The Daughters of Zelophehad

Moses Requests a Successor

Joshua to Succeed Moses

The Daughters of Zelophehad

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