The Boldness, Courage, and Humility of the Five Daughters of Zelophehad
The Daughters of Zelophehad, as in Numbers 27:1-11; illustration from The Bible and Its Story Taught by One Thousand Picture Lessons; edited by Charles F. Horne and Julius A. Bewer, 1908; image from Wikimedia Commons.
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Have you ever heard of the five daughters of Zelophehad? Perhaps I can jog your memory: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. No? Well, it's probably not a surprise. These women are mentioned several times in the book of Numbers—not the most popular Old Testament book—and they just aren't as famous as Mary and Martha in the New Testament. Yet, I find their story to be one that is an example of the traits of a Christian woman: The daughters of Zelophehad are courageous and bold, they desire the things of the Lord, and they are humble. We learn of their story in Numbers 27:
Then drew near the daughters of Zelophehad the son of Hepher, son of Gilead, son of Machir, son of Manasseh, from the clans of Manasseh the son of Joseph. The names of his daughters were: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. And they stood before Moses and before Eleazar the priest and before the chiefs and all the congregation, at the entrance of the tent of meeting, saying, "Our father died in the wilderness. He was not among the company of those who gathered themselves together against the Lord in the company of Korah, but died for his own sin. And he had no sons. Why should the name of our father be taken away from his clan because he had no son? Give to us a possession among our father's brothers." (Num. 27:1-4)
The daughters of Zelophehad courageously stood before the leaders of their people for a just request—to have an inheritance among God’s people.
First, I would like to highlight the courage these women demonstrated. The text states that the daughters of Zelophehad stood before the leaders of their people: they came before not just Moses and Eleazar the prophet and priest of the people of God but all the chiefs of the clans as well. These were the men who led God's people, acted as judges in arguments, and made judicial decisions. This was an auspicious group of people, and these women stepped up to the challenge of speaking before this governing body. These women spoke their mind before this court, and God would bless their courage.
Second, they desired that their family should have a possession in the promised land, and they stated the reasons why their request was a just one. Christian women are to seek what is good and right. In this case, these women wanted their family to be included in the people of God, and they expressed this in an articulate fashion, marshaling the pertinent arguments.
Third, the daughters of Zelophehad were humble. Just because they were courageous and bold in making their claim known does not mean they lacked humility. They went about lodging their concern/complaint in the correct way, going before those who were responsible for upholding right government. They did not spread discontent among the people of God by complaining to their neighbor about their situation; instead, they showed respect and humility in coming before the leadership of God's people, submitting to them.
The boldness and humility of the daughters of Zelophehad challenge the stereotype that godly women are supposed to stay in the background.
Is this narrative of the five sisters at odds with any stereotypes of Christian women you may have encountered? These women spoke before a court, presenting arguments to defend their case and calling for justice. They were bold and articulate and yet humble in their delivery, as they stated their case. Perhaps a timid, soft-spoken woman who doesn't make her needs and desires known, or doesn't speak up publicly about her concerns, is what comes to mind as the stereotypical Christian woman—a woman who constantly stays in the background, going along with whatever is decided by others.
Yet, the boldness and courage of the daughters of Zelophehad and their desire to have a place among God's people are blessed by God, and the sisters' complaint instigates new legislation that will protect others in their situation:
Moses brought their case before the Lord. And the Lord said to Moses, "The daughters of Zelophehad are right. You shall give them possession of an inheritance among their father's brothers and transfer the inheritance of their father to them. And you shall speak to the people of Israel, saying, 'If a man dies and has no son, then you shall transfer his inheritance to his daughter.'” (Num. 27:5-8)
The actions of the daughters of Zelophehad were blessed by God, as well as blessing others in their same situation.
God immediately recognizes the validity and "rightness" of the daughters' claim and provides for them and for others in their situation. Because they spoke up, not only they but also others would be blessed. The chiefs of the people and Moses and Eleazar had a blind spot, they hadn’t seen this important need, but God used these courageous and bold women who longed to be part of God's people to bring it to light. May we encourage all our Christian women, younger and older, to have the boldness and courage to speak for what is right and to desire what is good for the people of God, and to do so with humility, for this is what God blesses.
This article is adapted from “Boldness and Courage to Speak What Is Right” in BCL's May 2022 Newsletter: What Does It Mean to Be a Christian Woman?
