And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a man die, and have no son, then ye shall cause his inheritance to pass unto his daughter.
And you shall tell the people of Israel: If a man dies and has no son, then you shall give his inheritance to his daughter.
God is establishing that when a man dies without sons, his daughters have the right to inherit his property and possessions.
📚 Historical Context
In the context of the Israelites wandering in the wilderness and preparing to settle in the Promised Land, God was giving laws to organize inheritance and preserve tribal lands, which were crucial for their societal structure. The daughters of Zelophehad approached Moses because their father had died without a son, and under existing customs, they risked losing their family's portion of the land. As a result, God instructed Moses to establish this rule, allowing daughters to inherit in the absence of sons, which addressed a specific gap in Israelite law and promoted fairness within their patriarchal society.
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