I read this today and thought it was interesting:

In Numbers 26, a census is taken of the Israelite people (that's right, I don't skip over the censuses or the genealogies- this is just one golden nugget of an example for why!). One was taken about 40 years earlier, shortly after coming out of Egypt. God specifically says that Moses and Aaron should count the men, age 20 and above, and list them by name according to their tribe. This is the second census, right before they are about to cross the Jordan and enter the land God promised to the descendants of Abraham. This is also after everyone (no gender is specified), 20 years and older had died in the wilderness for their unfaithfulness to God (notice that God forgave them in 14:20, but still insists that not one of them- with the exception of Moses Caleb and Joshua- will enter the land promised to their ancestors). So here, in ch. 26, the entire Israelite community was to be numbered, and again it is just the men, 20 years and older, just as before. Additionally, this list would then be used to distribute the parcels of land to the Israelites. However, what stuck out was this: Numbers 26 v. 33 "Zelophehad son of Hepher had no sons; he had only daughters, whose names were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milkah and Tirzah.".

And then what is really interesting is the account that follows a bit later:

Numbers 27: 1-11

The daughters of Zelophehad son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Makir, the son of Manasseh, belonged to the clans of Manasseh son of Joseph. The names of the daughters were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milkah and Tirzah. They came forward and stood before Moses, Eleazar the priest, the leaders and the whole assembly at the entrance to the tent of meeting and said, “Our father died in the wilderness. He was not among Korah’s followers, who banded together against the LORD, but he died for his own sin and left no sons. Why should our father’s name disappear from his clan because he had no son? Give us property among our father’s relatives.”

 So Moses brought their case before the LORD, and the LORD said to him, “What Zelophehad’s daughters are saying is right. You must certainly give them property as an inheritance among their father’s relatives and give their father’s inheritance to them.

“Say to the Israelites, ‘If a man dies and leaves no son, give his inheritance to his daughter. If he has no daughter, give his inheritance to his brothers. If he has no brothers, give his inheritance to his father’s brothers. If his father had no brothers, give his inheritance to the nearest relative in his clan, that he may possess it. This is to have the force of law for the Israelites, as the LORD commanded Moses.’”


I guess the religious power brokers missed that one when they were erasing the parts they didn't like...