במדבר, פרק ל״ו, פסוק י׳

The conclusion of the story regarding the daughters of Zelophehad highlights their absolute obedience and the purity of their intentions. After receiving divine guidance about their marriages to preserve their father's inheritance, their full compliance is emphasized even before detailing who they actually married. Their actions stemmed from a purely spiritual motive. They sought only to fulfill the will of their Creator, rather than acting out of personal desire or physical attraction to specific men [ספורנו].

A subtle shift in how their actions are described reveals the depth of their devotion. Often, an action is detailed first, followed by a statement that it was done as God commanded. In this instance, the order is reversed. This shift shows that God had actually granted these women a special exemption, allowing them to marry anyone they chose. Despite this, they voluntarily declined to use this unique privilege, choosing instead to follow the general command that applied to the rest of the nation [אור החיים]. This choice reflects the understanding that the instruction to marry within their tribe was offered as good advice, and the women are praised for putting the national and public interest ahead of their personal preferences [רש ר הירש].

One might wonder why it is necessary to declare that they did as they were commanded, especially since the subsequent events clearly describe their marriages to their cousins. The explanation lies in the intense pressure they faced from their own family. Their relatives pushed them to marry strictly within their immediate family circle. However, the daughters of Zelophehad understood the divine instruction with perfect precision. God forbade them from marrying outside their tribe, but He did not restrict them to a specific family within that tribe. By acting exactly as God commanded Moses, they proved that they did not surrender to the strict demands of their relatives. Instead, they operated precisely within the boundaries of the law, which permitted them to marry into other families within their father's tribe [העמק דבר, מלבי״ם].