John Calvin Commentary Numbers 27:8

"And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a man die, and have no son, then ye shall cause his inheritance to pass unto his daughter." — Numbers 27:8 (ASV)

And you shall speak to the children of Israel. This question was the occasion of the delivery of a law, which was to be a perpetual and general rule regarding the right of inheritance. But, although God prefers daughters to all other relatives when there is no male issue, still, with this single exception of the first degree, He admits only males to the succession, and thus preserves the usual order.

And surely it would be very unjust to exclude a man’s (natural) heirs on account of their sex; but when it became necessary to pass from his own children to other relatives, the prerogative of the male line began to be established.

I speak of the land of Canaan, in which not only the name of Abraham but also that of the twelve tribes was to be preserved, so that the memory (of God’s blessing)²⁰⁰ might be more distinct and unclouded.

²⁰⁰ Added from Fr.