The Inheritance of Daughters: Obedience and the Land Text: Numbers 36:10-12
Introduction: Principled Women and God's Good Order
We come now to the final words of the book of Numbers, and it is fitting that the book concludes not with a grand battle or a fiery judgment, but with a quiet and principled resolution to a practical problem. The book of Numbers is the story of a generation that perished in the wilderness because of unbelief, grumbling, and rebellion. But here, at the very end, as the new generation stands on the plains of Moab, ready to cross the Jordan, we are given a portrait of quiet faithfulness. The central figures are five women, the daughters of Zelophehad, and their story is a profound rebuke to our modern sensibilities, correcting both the errors of chauvinism and the follies of feminism.
Earlier in Numbers, these five daughters, Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Noah, had approached Moses with a righteous and intelligent appeal. Their father had died without sons, and under the existing customs, this meant his name and his inheritance in the land would be extinguished. They argued, quite rightly, that this was not just. Moses took the case to Yahweh, and Yahweh ruled in their favor, establishing a new ordinance in Israel: if a man died without sons, his inheritance was to pass to his daughters. This was a landmark ruling, establishing the dignity and worth of these women and their claim to the covenant promise of the land.
But rights always come with responsibilities. Freedom is never abstract; it always has a fence around it, a fence built by the law of God. And so, the leaders of their tribe, the tribe of Manasseh, came to Moses with a reasonable concern. If these daughters, now heiresses, married men from other tribes, the land given to Manasseh would, in the next generation, be transferred to another tribe. The tribal allotments, established by God Himself, would begin to dissolve. This was not a matter of prejudice, but of preserving the divinely appointed order of the inheritance. God's solution was both wise and simple, and it is the execution of that solution that we see in our text today. These women, who had boldly and rightly contended for their inheritance, now just as rightly and humbly submit to the Lord's regulation of it. Their story shows us that true liberty is not the freedom to do whatever you want, but the freedom to do what is right within the glorious structure of God's created order.
The Text
Just as Yahweh had commanded Moses, so the daughters of Zelophehad did: And Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Noah, the daughters of Zelophehad married their uncles’ sons. They married those from the families of the sons of Manasseh the son of Joseph, and their inheritance remained with the tribe of the family of their father.
(Numbers 36:10-12 LSB)
The Beauty of Cheerful Obedience (v. 10)
The first thing we must notice is the simple, declarative nature of their obedience.
"Just as Yahweh had commanded Moses, so the daughters of Zelophehad did:" (Numbers 36:10)
There is a world of theology packed into that simple statement. "Just as Yahweh had commanded." This is the very definition of righteousness. It is not about inventing your own path, following your heart, or doing what feels right to you. Righteousness is conforming your life to the revealed will of God. It is an act of submission, an act of faith. And notice the character of it. There is no record of argument, of complaint, of foot-dragging. They had received their inheritance by a gracious provision from God, and they received the regulation of that inheritance with the same grace.
This stands in stark contrast to the generation before them. The book of Numbers is littered with the carcasses of those who did not do "just as Yahweh had commanded." They grumbled about the food. They rebelled against the leadership. They shrank back from the giants in the land. Their story is one of tragic disobedience. But here, these five women provide a picture of the new generation, the generation that would possess the land. They are characterized by a simple, straightforward faithfulness.
This is the nature of true covenant keeping. It is not a negotiation. We do not come to God's law with a red pen, striking out the parts that inconvenience us. We come as creatures to our Creator, as servants to our Master, and as children to our Father. The command was clear: they were free to marry whomever they pleased, with one condition, that he be from within their father's tribe. And their response was not to test the boundaries of that rule, but to gladly live within them. This is the heart of a disciple. "If you love me," Jesus said, "you will keep my commandments." The daughters of Zelophehad loved the God who had provided for them, and so they kept His commandment.
The Wisdom of God's Boundaries (v. 11)
The next verse gives us the specific outworking of their obedience.
"And Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Noah, the daughters of Zelophehad married their uncles’ sons." (Numbers 36:11 LSB)
They married their cousins. To our modern, individualistic ears, this sounds restrictive, perhaps even strange. Our culture elevates romantic love, understood as an autonomous personal feeling, as the highest possible good in marriage. The Bible has a much richer and more robust understanding. Marriage is not primarily about self-fulfillment, though a good marriage is deeply fulfilling. It is a covenantal bond that serves a purpose far larger than the two individuals involved. It is about building households, raising godly seed, and stewarding a legacy.
The command to marry within the clan was not arbitrary. It was a structural safeguard for the covenant promise of the land. The land was not a mere commodity; it was the inheritance from Yahweh, the theater of redemption, the place where God would dwell with His people. Each tribe had its God-given portion, and to lose that portion was to lose one's stake in the covenant promises. By marrying their cousins, these women ensured that their father's land, their father's name, and their father's legacy would remain within the tribe of Manasseh. They were thinking generationally.
This is a principle we have almost entirely lost. We think of marriage as a private affair between two people based on chemistry. The Bible thinks of it as a public, covenantal act that affects the whole community and has implications for generations to come. These women understood that their personal choices had corporate consequences. Their obedience was not just for their own good, but for the good of their entire tribe. They were not sacrificing their freedom; they were using their freedom responsibly, for the glory of God and the preservation of His people.
The Fruit of Faithfulness (v. 12)
The final verse concludes the matter by stating the blessed result of their faithful obedience.
"They married those from the families of the sons of Manasseh the son of Joseph, and their inheritance remained with the tribe of the family of their father." (Numbers 36:12 LSB)
Here we see the logic of God's law. The command was not given to constrain them, but to protect them and their inheritance. The result of their obedience was that everything was preserved. The inheritance remained. The tribe was secure. The father's name was not blotted out. God's good order was upheld, and the promises attached to the land were kept safe for the next generation.
This is always how God's law functions. It is not a set of arbitrary rules designed to make life difficult. It is the designer's instructions for how life works best. When we live within the wise and gracious boundaries that God has established, the result is stability, fruitfulness, and preservation. When we disregard those boundaries in the name of personal autonomy, the result is chaos, dissolution, and loss. These women chose the path of wisdom, and the result was blessing.
Their story is a beautiful illustration of what it means to be a covenant keeper. They received a gift, the inheritance, and they stewarded that gift according to the terms laid down by the Giver. They did not see the restrictions as a burden, but as the necessary framework for enjoying the blessing. Their faithfulness ensured that the portion of land God had allotted to their father would continue to be a source of blessing for their children and their children's children.
Conclusion: Our Enduring Inheritance
So what are we to make of this story today? The specific laws regarding tribal land inheritance in Israel do not apply to us directly. We are not members of the tribe of Manasseh, and our inheritance is not a plot of ground in the Middle East. But the principles here are timeless and essential.
First, like the daughters of Zelophehad, we have received an inheritance. The apostle Peter tells us we have been born again "to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you" (1 Peter 1:4). Our inheritance is Christ Himself and all the blessings of salvation that are found in Him. This is a gift of sheer grace, just as the land was a gift to Israel.
Second, this inheritance comes with stipulations. It must be stewarded according to the commands of the Giver. We are called to a life of obedience, not as a means of earning our inheritance, but as the necessary fruit of having received it. We are to live as a people set apart, a holy nation. Our choices in life, in work, in family, and especially in marriage, are not to be governed by the whims of the world but by the Word of God. We are to "marry in the Lord" (1 Cor. 7:39), which is the New Covenant equivalent of marrying within the tribe. Our most intimate covenant on earth should be ordered toward our highest covenant in heaven.
The daughters of Zelophehad were not feminists fighting the patriarchy, nor were they oppressed women with no agency. They were intelligent, courageous, and faithful women who understood their place in God's covenant. They contended for their rights within God's law and then submitted to God's rule over those rights. In doing so, they secured their inheritance and served their people. They show us that true strength is found in submission to God, true freedom is found in obedience to His commands, and a life of quiet faithfulness is what preserves a legacy for the generations to come.
May we, like them, receive our inheritance with gratitude and steward it with cheerful, exact obedience, so that the legacy of faith might remain secure in our families and in our tribe, the Church of Jesus Christ.