36:1-13

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A question about tribal land

(Nu 36:1-13)

Concerning the issue raised earlier by the daughters of Zelophehad, the decision was that where a man died without sons, his inheritance could pass to his daughters (see Nu 27:1-11).

Leaders of Manasseh, the tribe to which these women belonged, feared that the land they had just won (see Nu 32:39-42) might be lost to other tribes if the daughters of Zelophehad married men from other tribes (Nu 36:1-4).

To prevent such a transfer of land, Moses introduced a law to ensure that if, in such a case, a woman married, she had to marry within her own tribe (Nu 36:5-13).