Bamidbar 36:6

6 This is the thing which Hashem doth command concerning the Banot Tzelophechad, saying, Let them marry to whom they think best; only within the Mishpakhat Matteh Avihem shall they marry.

Bamidbar 36:6 Meaning and Commentary

Numbers 36:6

This is the thing which the Lord doth command concerning the
daughters of Zelophehad
Concerning this affair relative to them; the Targum of Jonathan paraphrases the words,

``not for the generations that rise up after the division of the land, but for the daughters of Zelophehad;''

as if this order only respected them, or what might happen before the land was divided, but not after; and this is the general opinion of the Jewish writers; but it seems, that as the following law not only concerns them, but all heiresses, so all such after as well as before the division of the land, since the reason of it holds good after as before:

saying, let them marry to whom they think best;
whom they like best, who are most acceptable to them; as it was reasonable they should, and not have such forced upon them, whose persons were disagreeable to them:

only into the family of the tribe of their father shall they marry;
they were to marry not only such as were of the tribe of Manasseh, but of their father's family in that tribe; they could only marry into the family of the Hepherites; see ( Numbers 26:32 Numbers 26:33 ) .

Bamidbar 36:6 In-Context

4 And when the Yovel of the Bnei Yisroel shall be, then shall their nachalah be added unto the nachalah of the matteh whereunto they marry into; so shall their nachalah be taken away from the nachalah of the matteh of Avoteinu. [See Leviticus 25:8-55; 27:16-25.]
5 And Moshe commanded the Bnei Yisroel according to the command of Hashem, saying, The matteh of the Bnei Yosef hath said well.
6 This is the thing which Hashem doth command concerning the Banot Tzelophechad, saying, Let them marry to whom they think best; only within the Mishpakhat Matteh Avihem shall they marry.
7 So shall not the nachalah of the Bnei Yisroel remove from matteh to matteh; for every ish of the Bnei Yisroel shall keep himself to the nachalat matteh of his Avot.
8 And every bat, that possesseth a nachalah in mattot Bnei Yisroel, shall be isha unto one of the mishpakhat matteh of her av, that the Bnei Yisroel may possess every ish the nachalat of his avot.
The Orthodox Jewish Bible fourth edition, OJB. Copyright 2002,2003,2008,2010, 2011 by Artists for Israel International. All rights reserved.