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UTN uW Translation Notes:

Numbers 27 Introduction

Structure and Formatting

4. At the plains of Moab (22:1–36:13) * The daughers of Zelophehad (27:1–11) * Moses commissions Joshua (27:12–23) In the first half of this chapter, the daughters of Zelophehad request land in the name of their father, although he had no sons. Yahweh grants their request and provides instructions regarding inheritance. In the second half of this chapter, Yahweh tells Moses that he will die before entering the land. He also tells Moses to commission Moses to be the next leader of the Israelites, along with Eleazar the priest.

Religious and Cultural Concepts in This Chapter

Children and inheritance

In this culture, when a father died, his sons usually inherited his land and property. This practice maintained land and property within one group that was descended from a single ancestor. In this chapter, the daughters of a man who had no sons make a request. They want to inherit their father’s land and property. That way, a portion of their tribe’s land will continue to belong to the descendants of their father, just like it will for their father’s brothers. Yahweh agrees that this is the right thing to do. Daughters should inherit their father’s land and property if there are no sons. Only if there are also no daughters should the land and property be inherited by other relatives, like brothers or uncles.

Commissioning Joshua

When Moses learns that he will soon die, he asks Yahweh to appoint a leader who will replace him. Yahweh tells Moses to commission Joshua. Joshua will only share some of Moses’ glory, and he will have to communicate with God through the high priest instead of directly. However, he will be the next leader of the Israelites. Moses signifies this by laying his hands on Joshua.

Translation Issues in This Chapter

When does the story in 27:12–23 happen?

The Hebrew conjunction that begins the story in [27:12](../27/12.md) does not indicate that the events narrated in this story happened immediately after the events in the story in [27:1–11](../27/01.md). These events may have happened before or after daughters of Zelophehad asked to inherit their father’s land. Consider how you might introduce the story in 27:12–23 in a way that does not indicate that the events narrated in it immediately follow the events narrated in the previous story. (See: figs-events)