Log inSign up

Numbers 36 · a question people ask

Did this ruling take back what the daughters had been given?

In the text

No. The heads of Gilead start from it: "My lord was commanded by the LORD to give the inheritance of Zelophehad our brother to his daughters" (36:2), and nothing in the answer changes it. What the answer adds is whom they marry: "only they shall marry into the family of the tribe of their father", and within that, "to whom they think best" (36:6). The chapter ends, "Their inheritance remained in the tribe of the family of their father" (36:12), and Joshua records that "the daughters of Manasseh had an inheritance among his sons" (Joshua 17:6).

The verses

“They said, “The LORD commanded my lord to give the land for inheritance by lot to the children of Israel. My lord was commanded by the LORD to give the inheritance of Zelophehad our brother to his daughters.”
Numbers 36:2 · World English Bible
“This is the thing which the LORD commands concerning the daughters of Zelophehad, saying, ‘Let them be married to whom they think best, only they shall marry into the family of the tribe of their father.”
Numbers 36:6 · World English Bible
“They were married into the families of the sons of Manasseh the son of Joseph. Their inheritance remained in the tribe of the family of their father.”
Numbers 36:12 · World English Bible
“because the daughters of Manasseh had an inheritance among his sons. The land of Gilead belonged to the rest of the sons of Manasseh.”
Joshua 17:6 · World English Bible

From Favor's study of Numbers 36

Numbers 36: Their inheritance remained

Numbers 27 gave the daughters their father's land; Numbers 36 keeps it in his tribe. By the LORD's word, both sides spoke right (27:7, 36:5): the daughters married "to whom they think best" within their father's tribe (36:6), "Their inheritance remained" (36:12), and the book ends on the plains of Moab, at the edge of the land (36:13).

In Favor, questions like this come up right where they arise as you read, with the Hebrew and Greek behind the words and how the chapter leads to Jesus.

Start your free weekNumbers 36 Bible study

First week free, then $10 a month per person

More questions about Numbers 36

All questions about Numbers →

The best way to learn the Bible

Favor opens up every chapter as you read.

Favor is a Bible study app for your phone or computer. It takes you through the Bible one chapter at a time, a few minutes a day, and shows you what's really there: the words behind the words, the moments most people miss, and how the whole story fits together. For you. For everyone.

  • Every chapter explains itself

    As you read, short notes open up what's really going on, the details most readers walk past, and the honest questions people ask.

  • The Hebrew and Greek behind it

    Tap a highlighted word to see the original, how to say it, and what it means, checked against the original-language texts.

  • Every page leads to Jesus

    Watch promises made in Genesis kept in Jesus. Each line lights up on your map as you read.

  • Better together

    Read on your own, or start a Bible study with friends, family or your church. Answers stay sealed until you meet, then appear together.

  1. 1

    Start your free week

    Sign up in a minute with your email.

  2. 2

    Read a few minutes a day

    Each chapter opens itself up as you go. Tap what you're curious about.

  3. 3

    Bring your people, if you like

    Send one link. Everyone reads the same chapter, then meets to talk.

Start your free week

First week free, then $10 a month per person

Questions like this, in every chapter

The best way to learn the Bible. For you. For everyone.

There's a seat for you at the table.

Start your free week

First week free, then $10 a month per person · Log in

Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Every answer cites the verses it rests on. What we believe · All Bible questions