In the culture of Israel, inheritance came through male offspring. Women participated in inheritance either through their husband or through their sons. The birth of a son would thus serve to be a comfort to Phinehas's wife,1 because her name would continue and she had an inheritance in Israel.
20 Comme elle allait mourir, les femmes qui étaient auprès d'elle lui dirent: Ne crains point, car tu as enfanté un fils! Mais elle ne répondit pas et n'y fit pas attention.