And they said, The LORD commanded my lord to give the land for an inheritance by lot to the children of Israel: and my lord was commanded by the LORD to give the inheritance of Zelophehad our brother unto his daughters.
36:2 unto his daughters. See Numbers 27:1-11. The daughters of Zelophehad had been given an inheritance in the land of Manasseh because their father had no sons. This inheritance might be lost, however, if the daughters should marry outside the tribe. Hence they were instructed by the Lord through Moses (Numbers 36:6) to marry only within their tribe. The same principle was to apply in similar circumstances throughout all the tribes (Numbers 36:8-9).