Unfinished Matters Before Canaan

A search of Numbers 33 through 36 (KJV):

Chapter 33 reviewed the points of travel of the children of Israel from beginning to just before they entered Canaan.

Chapter 34 described the borders of Canaan. The Lord assigned the task of dividing the Promised Land to Eleazar, the priest, Joshua, the son of Nun and one prince from each of the remaining tribes (34:17,18). The names of the princes with their tribes in parentheses were as follows: Caleb (Judah), Shemuel (Simeon), Elidad (Benjamin), Bukki (Dan), Hanniel (Manasseh), Kemuel (Ephraim), Elizaphan (Zebulun), Paltiel (Issachar), Ahihud (Asher) and Pedahel (Naphtali) (34:19-28).

In chapter 35, Moses was commanded to have the children of Israel to give of their inheritance to the Levites (35:2). Israel was to give them cities in which to live and suburbs for their cattle, beasts and goods (35:2,3). In all, the Levites were to be given forty-eight cities with their suburbs (35:7). Six of these cities were to be used for refuge purposes for Israel or strangers or sojourners involved somehow in killing any person (35:6,15). The killer was to stay in refuge until judged by the congregation (35:12). God dwelled among the children of Israel and did not want the land defiled by bloodshed (35:34).

In chapter 36, the Lord worked through Moses to clear up concerns among Israel about the daughters of Zelophehad. Moses said, "This is the thing which the Lord doth command concerning the daughters of Zelophehad, saying, Let them marry to whom they think best; only to the family of the tribe of their father shall they marry. So shall not the inheritance of the children of Israel remove from tribe to tribe: for every one of the children of Israel shall keep himself to the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers. And every daughter, that possesseth an inheritance in any tribe of the children of Israel, shall be wife unto one of the family of the tribe of her father, that the children of Israel may enjoy every man the inheritance of his fathers. Neither shall the inheritance remove from one tribe to another tribe; but every one of the tribes of the children of Israel shall keep himself to his own inheritance" (36:6-9).

"Even as the Lord commanded Moses, so did the daughters of Zelophehad: For Mahlah, Tirzah, and Hoglah, and Milcah, and Noah, the daughters of Zelophehad, were married unto their father's brothers' sons: And they were married into the families of the sons of Manasseh the son of Joseph, and their inheritance remained in the tribe of the family of their father. These are the commandements and the judgments, which the Lord commanded by the hand of Moses unto the children of Israel in the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho" (36:10-13).