Numbers 27 · Verse 4

Numbers 27:4

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.
Numbers 27:4, King James Version

Numbers 27:4 in other translations

BSBWhy should the name of our father disappear from his clan because he had no sons? Give us property among our father’s brothers.”
WEBWhy should the name of our father be taken away from among his family, because he had no son? Give to us a possession among the brothers of our father.”
ASVWhy should the name of our father be taken away from among his family, because he had no son? Give unto us a possession among the brethren of our father.
YLTwhy is the name of our father withdrawn from the midst of his family because he hath no son? give to us a possession in the midst of the brethren of our father;'
DARBYWhy should the name of our father be taken away from his family, because he has no son? Give unto us a possession among the brethren of our father.
BBEWhy is the name of our father to be taken away from among his family, because he had no son? Give us a heritage among our father's brothers.
WebsterWhy should the name of our father be done away from among his family, because he hath no son? Give to us therefore a possession among the brethren of our father.

What does Numbers 27:4 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
4. Give unto us a possession among the brethren of our father--Those young women perceived that the males only in families had been registered in the census. Because there were none in their household, their family was omitted. So they made known their grievance to Moses, and the authorities conjoined with him in administering justice. The case was important; and as the peculiarity of daughters being the sole members of a family would be no infrequent or uncommon occurrence, the law of inheritance, under divine authority, was extended not only to meet all similar cases, but other cases also--such as when there were no children left by the proprietor, and no brothers to succeed him. A distribution of the promised land was about to be made; and it is interesting to know the legal provision made in these comparatively rare cases for preserving a patrimony from being alienated to another tribe. (See on Nu 36:5).

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Numbers 27:1-11

The five daughters of Zelophehad considered themselves as left destitute, having neither father nor brother to inherit any land. Their believing expectation that the word of the Lord would be performed in due season, and their desire of an interest in the promised inheritance; and the modest, candid manner in which they asked, without secret murmurs or discontents, are a good example. They ask for a possession in…

Read the full comment on Numbers 27:1-11 →

Numbers 27:4 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

לָ֣מָּהLa.mah<to> why?H4100
יִגָּרַ֤עyi.ga.Ra'will it be withdrawnH1639
שֵׁם\־shem-[the] name ofH8034
אָבִ֙ינוּ֙'a.Vi.nufather ourH1
מִתּ֣וֹךְmi.Tokhfrom amongH8432
מִשְׁפַּחְתּ֔וֹmish.pach.Toclan hisH4940
כִּ֛יkiforH3588
אֵ֥ין'einnotH369
ל֖וֹlo[belonged] to <the> him
בֵּ֑ןBena sonH1121
תְּנָה\־te.nah-give !H5414
לָּ֣נוּLa.nuto <the> us
אֲחֻזָּ֔ה'a.chu.Zaha possessionH272
בְּת֖וֹךְbe.Tokhin amongH8432
אֲחֵ֥י'a.Chei[the] brothers ofH251
אָבִֽינוּ\׃'a.Vi.nufather ourH1

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Numbers 27:4

  • Joshua 17:4

    And they came near before Eleazar the priest, and before Joshua the son of Nun, and before the princes, saying, The Lord commanded Moses to give us an inheritance among our brethren. Therefore according to the commandment of the Lord he gave them an inheritance among the brethren of their father.

  • Psalms 109:13

    Let his posterity be cut off; and in the generation following let their name be blotted out.

  • Exodus 32:11

    And Moses besought the Lord his God, and said, Lord, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand?

  • Proverbs 13:9

    The light of the righteous rejoiceth: but the lamp of the wicked shall be put out.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Why.
Ex 32:11; Ps 109:13; Pr 13:9
done away. Heb. diminished. Give.
Jos 17:4

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Numbers 27:3

    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 27:4

    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.

  • Numbers 27:5

    And Moses brought their cause before the Lord.

Read all of Numbers 27

Numbers 27:4 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		¿Por qué será quitado el nombre de nuestro padre de entre su familia, por no haber tenido hijo? Danos heredad entre los hermanos de nuestro padre.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Pourquoi le nom de notre père serait-il retranché du milieu de sa famille parce qu’il n’a pas de fils? Donne-nous une possession au milieu des frères de notre père.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Warum soll der Name unseres Vaters abgeschnitten werden aus der Mitte seines Geschlechts, weil er keinen Sohn hat? Gib uns ein Eigentum unter den Brüdern unseres Vaters!
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Retulitque Moyses causam earum ad judicium Domini.