CHAPTER XXVII.

18

1 The daughters of Zelophehad sue for an inherit-
ance. 6 The law of inheritances. 12 Moses, be-
ing told of his death, sueth for a successor.
Joshua is appointed to succeed him.
THEN came the daughters of 'Zelophehad,
the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the
son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, of the
families of Manasseh the son of Joseph: and
these are the names of his daughters; Mah-
lah, Noah, and Hoglan, and Milcah, and
Tirzah.

2 And they stood before Moses, and before Eleazar the priest, and before the princes and all the congregation, by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, saying,

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.

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.

5 And Moses brought their cause before the LORD.

6 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

7 The daughters of Zelophehad speak right thou shalt surely give them a possession of an inheritance among their father's brethren; and thou shalt cause the inheritance of their father to pass unto them.

8 And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a man die, and have no son, then ye shall cause his inheritance to pass unto his daughter.

9 And if he have no daughter, then ye shall give his inheritance unto his brethren. 10 And if he have no brethren, then ye shall give his inheritance unto his father's brethren.

the children of Israel a statute of judgment, as the LORD commanded Moses.

12 And the LORD said unto Moses, "Get thee up into this mount Abarim, and see the land which I have given unto the children of Israel.

13 And when thou hast seen it, thou also shalt be gathered unto thy people, as 'Aaron thy brother was gathered.

14 For ye 'rebelled against my commandment in the desert of Zin, in the strife of the congregation, to sanctify me at the water before their eyes: that is the 'water of Meribah in Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.

15 ¶ And Moses spake unto the LORD, saying,

16 Let the LORD, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation,

17 Which may go out before them, and which may go in before them, and which may lead them out, and which may bring them in; that the congregation of the LORD be not as sheep which have no shepherd.

18 And the LORD said unto Moses, Take thee Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, and lay thine hand upon him;

19 And set him before Eleazar the priest, and before all the congregation; and give him a charge in their sight.

20 And thou shalt put some of thine honour upon him, that all the congregation of the children of Israel may be obedient.

21 And he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall ask counsel for him "after the judgment of Urim before the LORD: at his word shall they go out, and at his word they shall come in, both he, and all the children of Israel with him, even all the congregation.

22 And Moses did as the LORD commanded him: and he took Joshua, and set him before Eleazar the priest, and before all the congregation:

11 And if his father have no brethren, then ye shall give his inheritance unto his kinsman that is next to him of his family, and he shall possess it: and it shall be unto 1 Chap. 26, 33. Josh. 17.3. 2 Chap. 14. 35, and 26. 64, 65. 3 Heb. diminished. 4 Deut. 32. 49. 5 Chap. 20. 24.

23 And he laid his hands upon him, and gave him a charge, as the LORD commanded by the hand of Moses.

7 Exod. 17.7. 8 Exod. 28. 30.

Chap. 20. 24.

Verse 7. "Thou shall surely give them a possession of an inheritance.”—This application of Zelophehad's daughters, and the determination founded upon it, is replete with instruction in the Hebrew law of inheritance. It is evident that the women considered their claim as entirely new, and rather opposed to existing usages; and, certainly, cases must often have arisen before this, in which a man died leaving no male children, and some usage must have existed with which the daughters of Zelophehad were not satisfied, and which perhaps ceased to be applicable when the Israelites had exchanged or were about to exchange the character of a nomade for that of a settled people. In this view it is remarkable that the application immediately follows the census and the directions concerning the distribution of the

land. Further, it is observed that the daughters are careful to avoid stating the matter so as to convey the impression that they thought they had any right, as daughters, to inherit the property of their father, in preference to a male kinsman not his descendant, or that they had any claims individually; but they made it rest on the honour of their father, that his name might not be lost in Israel, and therefore that his land might become theirs and be possessed by their posterity in his name. Their request was complied with; and the law of succession was in other respects also settled with more precision. Turning to the last chapter of this book, we find a more particular account of the terms under which this concession was made to daughters: this was, that they should not marry out of their own tribe :- Let them marry to whom they think best; only to the family of the tribe of their father they shall marry. So shall not the inheritance of the children of Israel remove from tribe to tribe." (xxxvi. 6, 7.) It is evident that this restriction was only in the comparatively rare case of daughters becoming heiresses; in ordinary circumstances there was nothing to prevent them from marrying into other tribes, although it is probable that usage, resulting from the principle of clanship, operated much in restricting marriages to members of the same tribe (see the note on Gen. xxiv. 4). However, the daughters of Zelophehad did more than was required of them, as they all married their cousins, whom. in virtue of the newly established right, they had superseded in the inheritance. Michaelis points out a remarkable similarity between this law and that of the Athenians on the same subject. At Athens, daughters, in like manner, inhe rited nothing when there was a son alive; and a daughter who had no brother, and consequently was herself heiress, was bound to marry her nearest relation. This was a closer limitation than in the law of Moses, which gave heiresses freedom of choice within their own tribe, notwithstanding which there is reason to conclude that they generally did, like Zelophehad's daughters, marry their nearest relations.

7 Exod. 12. 18. Levit. 23. 5.

20 And their meat offering shall be of flour mingled with oil: three tenth deals shall ye offer for a bullock, and two tenth deals for a ram;

21 A several tenth deal shalt thou offer for every lamb, throughout the seven lambs: 22 And one goat for a sin offering, to make an atonement for you.

23 Ye shall offer these beside the burnt offering in the morning, which is for a continual burnt offering.

24 After this manner ye shall offer daily, throughout the seven days, the meat of the sacrifice made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD: it shall be offered beside the continual burnt offering, and his drink offering.

25 And on the seventh day ye shall have an holy convocation; ye shall do no servile

work.

26 Also in the day of the firstfruits, when ye bring a new meat offering unto the LORD, after your weeks be out, ye shall have an holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work:

27 But ye shall offer the burnt offering for a sweet savour unto the LORD; two young bullocks, one ram, seven lambs of the first year;

28 And their meat offering of flour mingled with oil, three tenth deals unto one bullock, two tenth deals unto one ram,

29 A several tenth deal unto one lamb, throughout the seven lambs;

30 And one kid of the goats, to make an atonement for you.

31 Ye shall offer them beside the continual burnt offering, and his meat offering, (they shall be unto you without blemish) and their drink offerings.

Verse 11. "In the beginnings of your months ye shall offer a burnt offering."-This was the feast of the new moon, concerning which we have no other direction in the law than that a larger number of sacrifices should be offered, and that, as on other solemn days, the trumpets should be blown over the sacrifices (ch. x. 10). It would seem from Amos viii. 5, that the people abstained from traffic on these days; from 1 Sam. xx. 5, 6, that it was customary to make feasts on the occasion; and the new moons seem to be mentioned together with the sabbath, by several of the prophets, as days of public worship. None of these particulars are however found in the law; and the Rabbins inform us that on the new moons, except the seventh, people pursued their ordinary avocations, the women only being exempted from labour. The sacrifices, as we observe, consisted of two young bullocks, a ram, and seven lambs, with a suitable bread and drink offering. The Rabbins find something mystical in the eleven animal sacrifices, the reason for which, they say, was, because the lunar year was shorter than the solar by so many days.

It was an ancient heathen custom, in various countries, to offer sacrifices to the new moon, and it may be conceived that a new moon festival was introduced into the Hebrew service in order to prevent this idolatry, by assigning to the practice a legitimate object. Another reason may have been to make the time of the new moon more carefully observed, which, as Jennings remarks, "was a matter of considerable importance, not only to prevent confusion in their chronology, since they reckoned by lunar months, but likewise because the true time of observing all their great festivals depended upon it." The Scripture does not acquaint us by what method the ancient Jews fixed the time of the new moon-whether they understood by the "new moon" the new moon properly so called, that is, the time when the moon is in conjunction with the sun, or the time when, in clear weather, the moon first became visible. The Rabbins themselves are not agreed on this subject; but the majority of them are of the latter opinion. There can be little question that they are in the right when they state that the Jews did not use astronomical calculations and cycles for fixing the commencement of their months and years, until they acquired this art from the Chaldæans during the captivity; and that they were previously guided by actual observation. Their account of the mode in which the requisite observation was taken, we are not required to believe. They say that about the time when the moon's appearance was expected, the Sanhedrin sent men to keep watch upon the mountain tops, who gave immediate notice of its first appearance. When this was announced, a fire was kindled on Mount Olivet, and the signal was transmitted from mountain to mountain through the land. They proceed to state, that this procedure was rendered abortive by the Samaritans and other profane persons, who sometimes kindled such fires at improper seasons, for the purpose of deceiving the people and deranging the order of the sacred festivals. In later times, therefore, the Sanhedrin was obliged to send expresses throughout the country to announce the appearance of the moon. This is perfectly absurd; and seems to proceed on the supposition that the new moon was nowhere visible but at Jerusalem. The people in distant parts of the land must generally have seen the moon as soon as those at Jerusalem, or at least sooner than any express could announce its appearance. Then also the delay would have prevented the festival from being simultaneously observed in the different parts of the country. Indeed this account contradicts the further explanation, which states that, as the Hebrews had no month exceeding thirty days, if they did not perceive the new moon on the thirtieth day they concluded that its appearance was obstructed by clouds, and made the next day the first of the following month. There is something very similar in this to what is observed among the Moslems whose months are also lunar, and who have to pay particular attention to the moon's appearance, as their yearly lent, or month's fast, begins with the appearance of the moon Ramazan, and gives place to festivity when the following new moon appears. We cannot explain the Moslem practice more expressively than in the words of Joseph Pitts :- As the Christians date by the month, so the Turks date by the moon, so that this month of Ramazan, or month of fast, doth every year fall back ten or eleven days; so that this month, in the space of thirty years or thereabouts, goes round the whole year. And here the reader may be pleased to note that they are altogether ignorant of astronomy, and hold it to be a great piece of arrogance for any to dive into those things which belong to that science. And they moreover say, that no man in the world knows when the new moon is, but God alone knows. And they say, that none but Christians will presume to inquire into such hidden and abstruse matters. And therefore many will not believe there is a new moon till they see it: so that they begin their fast the next day after the moon appears, and fast till they see the next moon. Unless it so happen that the weather hinder the sight of the moon and then they complete thirty days' fast, after they have seen the Ramazan moon." The appearance of the moon both at the beginning and end of the fast is, in towns, announced by the

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firing of a cannon; and during the period of the writer's own residence in the East, he recollects no instance in which the fast was protracted on account of the non-appearance of the moon, for a reward being given to him who brings to the proper authorities the first news of its appearance, there are never wanting persons ready to swear that they have seen, at the usual season, what the mass of the people may have been unable to perceive. There is a chapter, 'On Seeing the New Moon,' in the Mischat-ul-Masabih, in which authority for most of these practices is found. One tradition reports Mohammed to have said-"A month is twenty nights: then keep not fast till you have seen the new moon; which being hid from you by clouds, then complete thirty days." In another instance, a Bedouin came and told him that he had seen the new moon; on which Mohammed questioned him as to his faith; and finding that he was a Moslem, turned to Billal, the crier, and told him to proclaim the fast.

CHAPTER XXIX.

1 The offering at the feast of trumpets, 7 at the day of afflicting their souls, 13 and on the eight days of the feast of tabernacles.

AND in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, ye shall have an holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work: 'it is a day of blowing the trumpets unto you.

2 And ye shall offer a burnt offering for a sweet savour unto the LORD; one young bullock, one ram, and seven lambs of the first year without blemish:

3 And their meat offering shall be of flour mingled with oil, three tenth deals for a bullock, and two tenth deals for a ram,

1 Levit. 23. 24.

4 And one tenth deal for one lamb, throughout the seven lambs:

5 And one kid of the goats for a sin offering, to make an atonement for you:

6 Beside the burnt offering of the month, and his meat offering, and the daily burnt offering, and his meat offering, and their drink offerings, according unto their manner, for a sweet savour, a sacrifice made by fire unto the LORD.

7 And ye shall have on the tenth day of this seventh month an holy convocation; and ye shall afflict your souls: ye shall not do any work therein:

8 But ye shall offer a burnt offering unto

Levit, 16, 29, and 23, 27.