Numbers 27 3

Numbers 27:3 kjv

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.

Numbers 27:3 nkjv

"Our father died in the wilderness; but he was not in the company of those who gathered together against the LORD, in company with Korah, but he died in his own sin; and he had no sons.

Numbers 27:3 niv

"Our father died in the wilderness. He was not among Korah's followers, who banded together against the LORD, but he died for his own sin and left no sons.

Numbers 27:3 esv

"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.

Numbers 27:3 nlt

"Our father died in the wilderness," they said. "He was not among Korah's followers, who rebelled against the LORD; he died because of his own sin. But he had no sons.

Numbers 27 verses

Numbers 27 3 Meaning

Numbers 27:3 states the core of Zelophehad’s daughters' petition: their father died in the wilderness not due to his participation in the notorious Korahite rebellion, but as part of the general judgment upon his generation. Crucially, he left no sons, meaning their family name and land inheritance would perish from Israel.

Numbers 27 3 Context

This verse is part of the appeal made by Zelophehad's five daughters to Moses, Eleazar, the tribal leaders, and the congregation at the Tent of Meeting. Following the second census (Numbers 26), which indicated the distribution of land in Canaan would be according to tribal and familial numbers, the problem of Zelophehad’s lack of male heirs became critical. In a patrilineal society, land inheritance traditionally passed through sons, threatening to extinguish his family line and preventing them from receiving their rightful portion of the Promised Land. This plea challenges the established legal custom, appealing to principles of fairness and the preservation of family identity and land tenure in Israel.

Numbers 27 3 Word analysis

• Our father (אָבִינוּ, ʾāvînû): Emphasizes their direct, personal relationship to the deceased and highlights the emotional aspect of their loss, both of their parent and of the potential inheritance linked to his lineage.
• died (מֵת, mēṯ): Simple past tense. Signifies a concrete and irreversible event, leading to the current legal dilemma.
• in the wilderness (בַּמִּדְבָּר, bammidbār): Specifies the setting of his death. The wilderness was a place of hardship, divine judgment, and transition, where the rebellious generation perished.
• he was not among the company of those who gathered themselves together against the LORD (וְהוּא לֹא־הָיָה בְּתוֹךְ הָעֵדָה הַנּוֹעָדִים עַל־יְהוָה, wəhûʾ lōʾ-hāyâ bəṯôḵ hāʿēdâ hannôʿāḏîm ʿal-YHWH): This phrase is a crucial legal and moral distinction. The daughters proactively differentiate their father's death from the most infamous act of rebellion during the wilderness wandering—Korah's rebellion (Numbers 16). They assert he was not a corporate rebel.
  • company (הָעֵדָה, hāʿēdâ): Refers to a congregation or assembly. Here, it specifically points to the rebellious faction of Korah. The same word is often used for the assembly of Israel, highlighting the danger of division within the community.
  • gathered themselves together against the LORD (hannôʿāḏîm ʿal-YHWH): Indicates an organized, defiant act of direct opposition to God's authority as represented by Moses and Aaron.
• in the company of Korah (בַּעֲדַת קֹרַח, baʿăḏaṯ qōraḥ): Directly names Korah, making the distinction absolutely clear. Korah’s rebellion involved a direct challenge to God-ordained leadership, resulting in dramatic and public divine judgment (the earth opening up).
• but died in his own sin (כִּי בְּחֶטְאוֹ מֵת, kî bəḥiṭʾô mēṯ): This is a profound statement. It acknowledges their father's participation in the general disobedience that led to the death of the wilderness generation (Numbers 14:35; Deuteronomy 1:35-36). It means he was subject to the same general decree as the rest of the rebellious generation for their lack of faith, but not for the extreme, public defiance of Korah. His "sin" here is likely understood as the collective sin of that generation: murmuring, unbelief, and rebellion against God’s promise.
• and he had no sons (וּבָנִים לֹא־הָיוּ לוֹ, ûvānîm lōʾ-hāyû lô): This is the heart of their problem and the reason for their appeal. Without male heirs, the family name would cease, and the family’s allocated portion of the Promised Land would be lost, disrupting the tribal inheritance structure and effectively wiping them off the map in Israel.

Numbers 27 3 Bonus section

• The meticulous legal argument presented by Zelophehad's daughters reveals a sophisticated understanding of their societal laws and a boldness rooted in faith. They don't accuse the law; they ask for an equitable interpretation and expansion of it.
• This case is a foundational example of progressive revelation in God's law. While God had established certain norms, He remained open to adapting or clarifying them based on righteous petitions and emerging needs, especially to ensure justice and continuity for families in the Promised Land.
• The preservation of the "name" and "inheritance" (specifically land) was paramount in ancient Israel. Land symbolized identity, belonging, and the fulfillment of God’s covenant promise. To lose land meant losing a foundational stake in God’s people and their future.
• The ruling on this case in Numbers 27:6-7, "The daughters of Zelophehad speak right," represents a divine precedent for inheritance rights for women, later qualified by marriage regulations in Numbers 36 to maintain tribal integrity, demonstrating a careful balance of individual rights and community order.

Numbers 27 3 Commentary

Numbers 27:3 succinctly presents the rationale behind the revolutionary plea of Zelophehad's daughters. They skillfully craft their argument, highlighting two critical aspects of their father's death. First, they emphasize that he died "in the wilderness," aligning him with the common fate of the disobedient generation (Numbers 14). Second, they meticulously distinguish his sin: he was "not among the company of those who gathered themselves together against the LORD in the company of Korah." This distinction is vital because Korah's rebellion was a unique act of defiance against God’s ordained leadership, punished with immediate, severe judgment. By separating their father's demise from such gross rebellion, they imply that while he shared in the general collective sin of unbelief, his actions were not so heinous as to justify the absolute erasure of his name and legacy from Israel through the loss of his family’s land inheritance. The final clause, "but died in his own sin, and he had no sons," serves as the pivot: his individual 'sin' was the general unbelief, which led to his physical death in the wilderness, but his specific problem was the lack of male heirs, creating a legal loophole that threatened to disinherit his family entirely. Their appeal forces a divine re-evaluation of Israel’s inheritance laws, demonstrating God's responsiveness to pleas for justice and fairness, especially concerning vulnerable members of society. It highlights that God's justice is nuanced, considering specific circumstances beyond strict adherence to custom.