A promise thus given, thus repeated, and thus believed, easily, and indeed unavoidably, became the fundamental principle of that settlement of property which Moses made when at length he had effected the Divine will in the redemption of the children of Israel. The observances and practices, too, which we have noticed as prevail ing among the patriarchs, would, no doubt, have great influence on the laws which the Jewish legislator originated or sanctioned.
(6) Division of the Promised Land. The land of Canaan was divided among the twelve tribes descended through Isaac and Jacob from Abraham. The division was made by lot for an inheritance among the families of the sons of Israel, according to the tribes, and to the num ber and size of families in each tribe. The tribe of Levi, however, had no inheritance; but forty eight cities with their suburbs were assigned to the Levites, each tribe giving according to the number of cities that fell to its share (Num. xxxiii :5o; xxxiv:z ; xxx:z). The inheritance thus acquired was never to leave the tribe to which it belonged ; every tribe was to keep strict ly to its own inheritance. An heiress, in conse
quence, was not allowed to marry out of her own tribe, lest property should pass by her rnqrriage into another tribe (Num. xxxvi :6-9). t his re striction led to the marriage of heiresses with their near relations; thus the daughters of Zelo phehad 'were married unto their father's broth er's sons,"and their inheritance remained in the tribe of the family of their father' (ver. t, 12; comp. Joseph. Antiq. iv:7, 5). In general ca,es the inheritance went to sons, the firstborn re ceiving a double portion, 'for he is the beginning of his father's strength.' If a man had two wives, one beloved, the other hated, and if the firstborn were the son of her who was hated, he never theless was to enjoy 'the right of the firstborn' (Deut. xxi :15). If a man left no sons, the in heritance passed to his daughters ; if there was no daughter, it went to his brothers; in case there were no brothers. it was given to his father's brothers ; if his father had no brothers, it came into possession of the nearest kinsman (Num. xxvii :8).