Numbers 36 Summary

The chief fathers of the families of Gilead, descendants of Manasseh and Joseph, approach Moses with a concern: if the daughters of Zelophehad marry men from other tribes, the inheritance granted to them would transfer out of Manasseh's tribal portion permanently, even through the Year of Jubilee. Moses responds with a divine command stating that heiresses such as the daughters of Zelophehad must marry within the clan of their father's tribe, so that no inheritance passes from one tribe to another. In obedience to this ruling, Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Noah—the five daughters of Zelophehad—each marry their father's brothers' sons, keeping their inheritance within the tribe of Manasseh. The chapter closes by noting that these commandments and judgments were given by the LORD through Moses to the children of Israel in the plains of Moab by the Jordan near Jericho, forming a fitting conclusion to the book of Numbers.