God’s commands protect and establish His people in just and harmonious ways.
“They came near before Eleazar the priest and before Joshua the son of Nun and before the leaders, saying, ‘The LORD commanded Moses to give us an inheritance among our brothers.’ So according to the command of the LORD he gave them an inheritance among their father’s brothers.” (v.4)
In this verse, we see the daughters of Zelophehad (named in the prior passage, Joshua 17:3) approaching Eleazar the priest and Joshua the son of Nun, together with the leaders of Israel. Eleazar was the son of Aaron, serving as the high priest for the nation around 1400 BC, after Israel’s wilderness wanderings were complete. Joshua was Moses’s successor, entrusted with leading the Israelites into the Promised Land. By asking for the inheritance promised to them through Moses, these women demonstrated confidence in God’s fairness and faithfulness. Their request traced back to the command originally given in Numbers 27, illustrating that even in a patriarchal culture, God’s care for justice ensured that no family line in Israel would be overlooked.
“So according to the command of the LORD he gave them an inheritance among their father’s brothers.” (v.4) underscores Joshua’s obedience to divine directives. After years of struggle in the wilderness, the new generation was distributing the land in Canaan—a tangible reward of faithfulness (see also the principle of entering the land as a reward for obedience described elsewhere in Scripture). While Eleazar performed sacred duties, Joshua oversaw practical matters such as dividing the territory. Together they honored the requests that aligned with God’s previous instructions, demonstrating a divine care that respected both men’s and women’s legal claims. This action also showed the unity of priestly authority and civil leadership in upholding covenant principles for Israel.
By preserving the daughters’ portion beside their kin, Joshua upheld the eternal character of God’s covenant, where every faith-filled household would benefit from the inheritance. This moment set a precedent that God values fairness and keeps His promises. Moreover, it prefigures how each believer today is granted a spiritual inheritance that cannot be erased, pointing ultimately toward our inheritance in Christ, which unites both men and women into one covenant family (Galatians 3:28).
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Joshua 17:4 meaning
“They came near before Eleazar the priest and before Joshua the son of Nun and before the leaders, saying, ‘The LORD commanded Moses to give us an inheritance among our brothers.’ So according to the command of the LORD he gave them an inheritance among their father’s brothers.” (v.4)
In this verse, we see the daughters of Zelophehad (named in the prior passage, Joshua 17:3) approaching Eleazar the priest and Joshua the son of Nun, together with the leaders of Israel. Eleazar was the son of Aaron, serving as the high priest for the nation around 1400 BC, after Israel’s wilderness wanderings were complete. Joshua was Moses’s successor, entrusted with leading the Israelites into the Promised Land. By asking for the inheritance promised to them through Moses, these women demonstrated confidence in God’s fairness and faithfulness. Their request traced back to the command originally given in Numbers 27, illustrating that even in a patriarchal culture, God’s care for justice ensured that no family line in Israel would be overlooked.
“So according to the command of the LORD he gave them an inheritance among their father’s brothers.” (v.4) underscores Joshua’s obedience to divine directives. After years of struggle in the wilderness, the new generation was distributing the land in Canaan—a tangible reward of faithfulness (see also the principle of entering the land as a reward for obedience described elsewhere in Scripture). While Eleazar performed sacred duties, Joshua oversaw practical matters such as dividing the territory. Together they honored the requests that aligned with God’s previous instructions, demonstrating a divine care that respected both men’s and women’s legal claims. This action also showed the unity of priestly authority and civil leadership in upholding covenant principles for Israel.
By preserving the daughters’ portion beside their kin, Joshua upheld the eternal character of God’s covenant, where every faith-filled household would benefit from the inheritance. This moment set a precedent that God values fairness and keeps His promises. Moreover, it prefigures how each believer today is granted a spiritual inheritance that cannot be erased, pointing ultimately toward our inheritance in Christ, which unites both men and women into one covenant family (Galatians 3:28).