Tyndale Open Study NotesNumbers 36

The five daughters of Zelophehad requested and received fair property rights (27:1–11). This passage discusses the effects of that decision.

Women who inherited land might marry men from another tribe. Their land would then be lost by their ancestral tribe and transferred to their husband’s tribe.

The "Year of Jubilee" usually allowed land to return to its original owner (Leviticus 25:8–55). But it only applied to land sold, not land gained through marriage.

The Lord quickly provided the justice that the men of the tribe of Joseph asked for in their request.

Here, the tribe of Joseph refers to the tribe of Manasseh, the son of Joseph.

These rules solved the problem. They ensured that each tribe would keep its land.

In this way, the land given to each tribe would remain stable and continue within that tribe for future generations.

Zelophehad’s five daughters married their cousins on their father's side, as instructed. This kept their father's land within his clan.

In ancient Hebrew society, marrying a first cousin was acceptable (compare Leviticus 18, 20; see also 1 Chronicles 23:22). Other Near Eastern cultures also accepted this practice.

• commands and ordinances: These might refer to the legal instructions in the whole book (compare Leviticus 27:34). They might also refer only to the laws given on the plains of Moab (Numbers 26–36).

• After this, only one step remained before the Israelites entered Canaan. Moses needed to remind them of their history and their covenant responsibilities. These are the main themes of the book of Deuteronomy.