Topical Bible: Women: Property Rights of in Inheritance

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In the biblical context, the property rights of women, particularly in terms of inheritance, are addressed within the framework of ancient Israelite society. The Bible provides specific instances and laws that outline the inheritance rights of women, reflecting the cultural and legal norms of the time.

Inheritance Laws in the Old Testament

The primary biblical passage addressing the inheritance rights of women is found in the Book of Numbers. The case of the daughters of Zelophehad is a pivotal moment in the biblical narrative concerning women's inheritance rights. Zelophehad, a member of the tribe of Manasseh, died without leaving any sons. His daughters—Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah—approached Moses and the leaders of Israel to claim their father's inheritance.

Numbers 27:4-7 records their plea and God's response: "Why should the name of our father disappear from his clan because he had no son? Give us property among our father’s brothers.” So Moses brought their case before the LORD, and the LORD said to him, “The daughters of Zelophehad speak correctly. You certainly must give them property as an inheritance among their father’s brothers and transfer their father’s inheritance to them."

This passage establishes a legal precedent in Israel that allowed daughters to inherit their father's property in the absence of sons. It underscores the importance of preserving family lineage and property within the tribe, even when male heirs are not present.

Further Clarifications and Conditions

The inheritance rights granted to the daughters of Zelophehad were later expanded upon to ensure that property remained within the tribe. Numbers 36:6-9 provides additional instructions: "This is what the LORD commands concerning the daughters of Zelophehad: They may marry anyone they please, as long as they marry within the clan of their father’s tribe. No inheritance in Israel is to pass from tribe to tribe, for each Israelite tribe is to keep the land it inherits."

This stipulation required that daughters who inherited property marry within their own tribe, thereby preventing the transfer of land between tribes and maintaining the tribal inheritance structure.

Implications for Women's Rights

The case of the daughters of Zelophehad is significant as it demonstrates a recognition of women's rights to property under specific conditions. While the broader patriarchal context of ancient Israel often limited women's roles and rights, this legal provision acknowledged their capacity to inherit and manage property in the absence of male heirs.

New Testament Context

In the New Testament, while there is less direct discussion of women's property rights, the teachings of Jesus and the apostles emphasize the inherent value and dignity of women. The early Christian community, as seen in the Acts of the Apostles and the epistles, often practiced communal living and shared resources, which may have influenced the understanding and practice of property rights among believers.

Overall, the biblical narrative provides a nuanced view of women's property rights in inheritance, reflecting both the cultural constraints and the progressive elements within the legal traditions of ancient Israel.

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Numbers 27:1-11
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; Mahlah, Noah, and Hoglah, and Milcah, and Tirzah.
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Numbers 36:1
And the chief fathers of the families of the children of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, of the families of the sons of Joseph, came near, and spoke before Moses, and before the princes, the chief fathers of the children of Israel:
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Joshua 17:3-6
But Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, had no sons, but daughters: and these are the names of his daughters, Mahlah, and Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.
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Job 42:15
And in all the land were no women found so fair as the daughters of Job: and their father gave them inheritance among their brothers.
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Library

The Women of the Gospel Narrative the Study of the Early Christian ...
... Yet, from the earliest times, the property rights of Israelitish women were very ...
If a man die, and have no son, then ye shall cause his inheritance to pass ...
/.../brittain/women of early christianity/i the women of the.htm

Private Property and the Common Good
... 2. What legalized property rights are antagonistic to Jesus' principles? ... the sting
of sin out of private property? ... money would they breed better men and women? ...
/.../the social principles of jesus/chapter viii private property and.htm

The Joint Heirs and their Divine Portion
... thou me?" "He had not persecuted Christ," you say, "it was only some poor men and
women that he had ... Therefore, our rights and our property extend to all ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 7 1861/the joint heirs and their.htm

Appeal to the Christian Women of the South
... chattel personal," robs him of all his rights as a ... They were mobbed by "the gentlemen
of property and standing ... they would then understand that the women of the ...
/.../an appeal to the christian women of the south/appeal to the christian women.htm

Mothers, Daughters, and Wives in Israel
... as if reluctant to put in force the rights of the ... The dowry, whether in money, property,
or jewellery, was ... it was most strictly enjoined upon women to have ...
/.../edersheim/sketches of jewish social life/chapter 9 mothers daughters and.htm

The Old Testament and Comparative Religion
... 9-13, Concealing of stolen property; 14, Kidnapping ... Burglary and brigandage; 26-41,
Rights and duties of ... 111, Regulations concerning wine-sellers, always women. ...
/.../eiselen/the christian view of the old testament/chapter v the old testament.htm

Cheating and Dishonest Ways of Making Money are Utterly Unfit for ...
... by night to be eager to damage another's property, not to ... Thy love came to me like
the love of women. ... plots of ground"but he says it of his fathers' rights. ...
/.../ambrose/works and letters of st ambrose/chapter ix cheating and dishonest.htm

Chaldaean Civilization
... perhaps also a common religion, and eventual rights of succession or ... Empire we find
instances of married women selling their property themselves, and ...
/.../chapter iiichaldaean civilization.htm

Epistle xx. St. Ambrose Relates to his Sister the Events at Milan ...
... you received the gift of Roman rights in order ... Of women change follows on change,
their hatreds alternate ... which was to mark the building as Imperial property. ...
/.../ambrose/works and letters of st ambrose/epistle xx st ambrose relates.htm

The Siege. (xxi, xxxii-xxxiv, xxxvii, xxxviii. )
... Behold all the women, that are left in the king of ... was his own right to a bit of
property in land ... those observe, who deny to such individual rights any communal ...
//christianbookshelf.org/smith/jeremiah/3 the siege xxi xxxii-xxxiv.htm