After the counting of the Jews in the previous aliyah, in this, the third aliyah, G-d commands Moshe to divide up the land of Israel as an inheritance according to the size of each tribe. Although the size of each portion is determined by the size of each tribe, the location of each portion within the land of Israel is determined by lottery. The Torah states here that all men previously counted by Moshe died in the desert, except for Calev and Yehoshua. All women lived because they didn't believe the evil report of the spies.

At the end of the aliyah, the daughters of Tzelafechod approach Moshe and state that their father died in the desert of his own sin (unrelated to the sin of the generation that listened to the spies), and left no sons. Therefore, according to the law of inheritance stated so far, their family would get no portion of the land for an inheritance. Their answer comes in the next aliyah.