Numbers 27:4

Easy-to-Read Version

This means that our father's name will not continue. It is not fair that our father's name will not continue. His name will end because he had no sons. So we ask you to give us some of the land that our father's brothers will get."

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
Why 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.

King James Version
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.

Lexham English Bible
Why should the name of our father disappear from the midst of his clan because he does not have a son? Give us property in the midst of the brothers of our father."

English Standard Version
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."

New Century Version
Our father's name will die out because he had no sons. Give us property among our father's relatives."

New English Translation
Why should the name of our father be lost from among his family because he had no son? Give us a possession among the relatives of our father."

Amplified Bible
"Why should the name of our father be removed from his family because he had no son? Give to us a possession (land) among our father's brothers."

New American Standard Bible
"Why should the name of our father be withdrawn from among his family simply because he had no son? Give us property among our father's brothers."

Geneva Bible (1587)
Wherefore should the name of our father be taken away from among his familie, because he hath no sonne? giue vs a possession among the brethren of our father.

Legacy Standard Bible
Why should the name of our father be withdrawn from among his family because he had no son? Give us a possession among our father's brothers."

Contemporary English Version
to carry on his family name. But why should his name die out for that reason? Give us some land like the rest of his relatives in our clan, so our father's name can live on.

Complete Jewish Bible
Why should the name of our father be eliminated from his family just because he didn't have a son? Give us property to possess along with the brothers of our father."

Darby Translation
Why 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.

George Lamsa Translation
Why should the name of our father be lost from among his family because he had no son? Give to us therefore a possession among the brothers of our father.

Good News Translation
Just because he had no sons, why should our father's name disappear from Israel? Give us property among our father's relatives."

Christian Standard Bible®
Why should the name of our father be taken away from his clan? Since he had no son, give us property among our father’s brothers.”

Literal Translation
Why is our father's name taken away from the midst of his family because there is no son to him? Give us an inheritance among our father's brothers.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Wherfore shulde or fathers name perishe then amonge his kynred, though he haue no sonne? Geue vs a possession also amonge oure fathers brethren.

American Standard Version
Why 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.

Bible in Basic English
Why 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.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Wherefore then is the name of our father taken away from among his kinred, because he hath no sonne? Geue vnto vs therefore a possession among the brethren of our father.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Why should the name of our father be done away from among his family, because he had no son? Give unto us a possession among the brethren of our father.'

King James Version (1611)
Why should the name of our father be done away from among his family, because he hath no sonne? Giue vnto vs therefore a possession among the brethren of our father.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And Moses brought their case before the Lord.

English Revised Version
Why 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.

Berean Standard Bible
Why should the name of our father disappear from his clan because he had no sons? Give us property among our father's brothers."

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And Moises telde `the cause of hem to the doom of the Lord;

Young's Literal Translation
why 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;'

Update Bible Version
Why 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.

Webster's Bible Translation
Why 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.

World English Bible
Why 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.

New King James Version
Why should the name of our father be removed from among his family because he had no son? Give us a possession among our father's brothers."

New Living Translation
Why should the name of our father disappear from his clan just because he had no sons? Give us property along with the rest of our relatives."

New Life Bible
Why should the name of our father be taken away from his family because he had no son? Give us land among our father's brothers."

New Revised Standard
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."

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Wherefore should the name of our father be withdrawn out of the midst of his family, because he had no son? Give ye unto us a possession, ill the midst of the brethren of our father.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And Moses referred their cause to the judgment of the Lord.

Revised Standard Version
Why should the name of our father be taken away from his family, because he had no son? Give to us a possession among our father's brethren."

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Why should the name of our father be withdrawn from among his family because he had no son? Give us a possession among our father's brothers."

Contextual Overview

¹ Zelophehad was the son of Hepher. Hepher was the son of Gilead. Gilead was the son of Makir. Makir was the son of Manasseh. Manasseh was the son of Joseph. Zelophehad had five daughters. Their names were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. ² These five women went to the Meeting Tent and stood before Moses, Eleazar the priest, the leaders, and all the Israelites. The five daughters said, ³ "Our father died while we were traveling through the desert. He died a natural death. He was not one of the men who joined Korah's group. (Korah was the man who turned against the Lord .) But our father had no sons. ⁴ This means that our father's name will not continue. It is not fair that our father's name will not continue. His name will end because he had no sons. So we ask you to give us some of the land that our father's brothers will get." ⁵ So Moses asked the Lord what he should do. ⁶ The Lord said to him, ⁷ "The daughters of Zelophehad are right. They should share the land with their father's brothers. So give them the land that you would have given to their father. ⁸ "So tell the Israelites, ‘If a man has no son, when he dies everything he owns will be given to his daughter. ⁹ If he has no daughter, everything he owns will be given to his brothers. ¹⁰ If he has no brothers, everything he owns will be given to his father's brothers.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Why: Exodus 32:11, Psalms 109:13, Proverbs 13:9

done away: Heb. diminished

Give: Joshua 17:4

Reciprocal: 1 Chronicles 2:34 - no sons

Cross-References

Genesis 14:19
He blessed Abram and said, "Abram, may you be blessed by God Most High, the one who made heaven and earth.

Genesis 24:60
While Rebekah was leaving they said to her, "Our sister, may you be the mother of millions of people, and may your descendants defeat their enemies and take their cities."

Genesis 27:1
Isaac grew old, and his eyes became so weak that he could not see clearly. One day he called his older son Esau to him and said, "Son!" Esau answered, "Here I am."

Genesis 27:7
Your father said, ‘Kill an animal for me to eat. Prepare the food for me, and I will eat it. Then, with the Lord as witness, I will bless you before I die.'

Genesis 27:15
Then Rebekah took the clothes that her older son Esau loved to wear. She put these clothes on the younger son Jacob.

Genesis 27:20
But Isaac said to his son, "How have you hunted and killed the animals so quickly?" Jacob answered, "Because the Lord your God allowed me to find the animals quickly."

Genesis 27:22
So Jacob went to Isaac his father. Isaac felt him and said, "Your voice sounds like Jacob's voice, but your arms are hairy like the arms of Esau."

Genesis 27:23
Isaac did not know it was Jacob, because his arms were hairy like Esau's. So Isaac blessed Jacob.

Genesis 27:25
Then Isaac said, "Bring me the food. I will eat it and bless you." So Jacob gave him the food, and he ate it. Then Jacob gave him some wine, and he drank it.

Genesis 27:27
So Jacob went to his father and kissed him. When Isaac smelled Esau's clothes, he blessed him and said, "My son smells like the fields the Lord has blessed.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Why should the name of our father be done away from among his family, because he hath no son.... Or be withdrawn, and his family lose their part and share on that account; this they thought was unreasonable: according to the Targum of Jonathan, to prevent the name of their father being lost, and his part in the land, their motion was, that their mother might marry their father's brother, according to the law in Deuteronomy 25:5, with which Jarchi agrees; but it does not appear that that law was as yet in being; though how otherwise the name of their father would be preserved, than by raising up seed in that way, is not easy to say; except, as some think, it was done by a son of one of those heiresses, or by the first son of everyone of them, being called after the name of their grandfather Zelophehad, or their mother's grandfather Hepher; though the Jews t commonly by the "name" understand no other than the "inheritance", which seems to be confirmed by what follows:

give us therefore a possession among the brethren of our fathers; a part with their uncles, or their children; by which they express their faith that the children of Israel would inherit the land, though as yet it was not conquered, nor even entered into; and might signify, as some think, their concern to have a part and portion in the heavenly inheritance the land of Canaan was typical of; and if so, as Ainsworth observes, they may be considered as five wise virgins indeed.

t Pesikta, T. Bab. Jebamot, fol. 49. 1. Moses Cotzensis Praecept. Affirm. 51. Apud Selden. de Succession. ad leg. Ebra. c. 14. p. 97, 98.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Give unto us - As representing our father; that so he, through us his representatives, may enjoy a like inheritance with his brethren.