36:1-4
Earlier we read about Zelophehad’s daughters, and Moses had agreed to give them an inheritance (Num 27:1-11). We now see the promise being fulfilled. We also see the situation being examined further, with the question of what happens if the daughter marries a man from another tribe. There is a great concern to ensure that land stays within the correct tribe. This would happen at the year of the Jubilee.
36:5-9
Moses agrees with the contention of the daughters. Note that Moses takes the questions raised by the daughters seriously. The solution given is to marry within their father’s tribal clan. Now many will baulk at this “solution”, thinking it is patriarchal, or some such slur. We need to appreciate the desire to keep an inheritance within the tribe. It is also worth noting that the basing of inheritance etc on the male side meant that in most circumstances, people could marry between tribes, for the land would remain within the man’s tribe. The problems only arose if the couple only had daughters. Moreover, we tend to view marriage from a largely romantic perspective. There is a much more practical outlook on marriage in the Bible. Moreover, we all know from experience that the practical consequences of marriage are very important.
36:10-13
Zelophehad’s daughters accepted the decision of Moses (given to him by the Lord) and married within their tribe. The five daughters are named, and we see that Noah can be a girl’s name! So their inheritance remained within their father’s tribe.
36:13 marks the end of a section, and indeed the end of the book. So next we move onto Deuteronomy.
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