Numbers 36

1 Soothly and the princes of the families of Gilead, the son of Machir, son of Manasseh, of the generation of the sons of Joseph, nighed, and spake to Moses before the princes of Israel, (And the leaders of the families of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, of the families of the sons of Joseph, came, and spoke to Moses before the leaders of Israel,)

2 and said, The Lord commanded to thee our lord, that thou shouldest part the land by lot to the sons of Israel (that thou shouldest divide up the land by lot to the Israelites), and that thou shouldest give to the daughters of Zelophehad, our brother, the possession due to their father.

3 And if men of another lineage shall take to wives these daughters, their possession shall follow them, and it shall be translated to another lineage, and so it shall be decreased from our heritage; (But if men from another tribe shall take these daughters as wives, their possession shall follow them, and it shall be transferred to another tribe, and so it shall be taken away from our inheritance;)

4 and so it shall be done, that when the jubilee, that is, the fiftieth year of remission, cometh, the parting of lots be confounded, or fail, and that the possession of other men pass to other men (and that the possession of some men shall pass to other men). (and then it shall be done, that when the Jubilee cometh, that is, the fiftieth Year of Remission, or the Year of Restoration or Forgiveness, their possession shall be transferred to the possession of the tribe to whom they go, and so it shall be taken away from our inheritance forevermore.)

5 Moses answered to the sons of Israel, and said, for the Lord commanded (it), The lineage of the sons of Joseph hath spoken rightfully, (And Moses answered to the Israelites, by the Lord's command, and said, The tribe of the sons of Joseph hath spoken rightly, or correctly,)

6 and this law is announced of the Lord on the daughters of Zelophehad; be they wedded to which men they will, (but) only to the men of their lineage; (and so this is the Lord's command for Zelophehad's daughters; let them be wedded to whichever men they want, as long as they be men of their own tribe;)

7 lest the possession of the sons of Joseph be meddled from lineage into lineage. For all men shall wed wives of their lineage and kindred; (lest the possession of the Israelites be mixed, or mingled, from tribe to tribe. For all men shall only wed wives of their own tribe and kindred;)

8 and each daughter, that shall have the heritage (who shall have an inheritance), shall be (a) wife to one man of the kindred of her father,

9 and [the] lineages be not meddled to themselves, but dwell so, as those be parted of the Lord. (and so the tribes shall not be mixed, or mingled, among themselves, but shall remain as they were separated by the Lord./and so the inheritance, or the possession, shall not pass from one tribe to another, but each tribe shall keep its own inheritance unto itself.)

10 And the daughters of Zelophehad did, as it was commanded to them.

11 And Mahlah, and Tirzah, and Hoglah, and Milcah, and Noah, were wedded to the sons of their father's brother(s),

12 of the family of Manasseh, that was the son of Joseph; and (so) the possession that was given to them, dwelled in the lineage (stayed in the tribe), and in the family, of their father.

13 These be the commandments and dooms, which the Lord commanded, by the hand of Moses, to the sons of Israel, in the field places of Moab, above (the) Jordan, against Jericho. (These be the commandments and the laws, which the Lord commanded, through Moses, to the Israelites, on the plains of Moab, across the Jordan River, opposite Jericho.)

Numbers 36 Commentary

Chapter 36

The inheritance of the daughters of Zelophehad. (1-4) The daughters of Zelophehad are to marry in their own tribe. (5-12) Conclusion. (13)

Verses 1-4 The heads of the tribe of Manasseh represent the evil which might follow, if the daughters of Zelophehad should marry into any other tribes. They sought to preserve the Divine appointment of inheritances, and that contests and quarrels should not rise among those who should come afterwards. It is the wisdom and duty of those who have estates in the world, to settle them, and to dispose of them, so that no strife and contention may arise.

Verses 5-12 Those who consult the oracles of God, concerning the making of their heavenly inheritance sure, shall not only be directed what to do, but their inquiries shall be graciously accepted. God would not have one tribe enriched at the expense of another. Each tribe was to keep to its own inheritance. The daughters of Zelophehad submitted to this appointment. How could they fail to marry well, when God himself directed them? Let the people of God learn how suitable and proper it is, like the daughters of Israel, to be united only to their own people. Ought not every true believer Israel, to be united only to their own people. Ought not every true believer in Jesus, to be very attentive in the near and tender relations of life, to be united only to such as are united to the Lord? All our intentions and inclinations ought to be subjected to the will of God, when that is made known to us, and especially in contracting marriage. Although the word of God allows affection and preference in this important relation, it does not sanction that foolish, ungovernable, and idolatrous passion, which cares not what may be the end; but in defiance of authority, determines upon self-gratification. All such conduct, however disguised, is against common sense, the interests of society, the happiness of the marriage relation, and, what is still more evil, against the religion of Christ.

Verse 13 These are the judgments the Lord commanded in the plains of Moab. Most of them related to the settlement in Canaan, into which the Israelites were now entering. Whatever new condition God, by his providence, brings us into, we must beg him to teach us the duties of it, and to enable us to do them, that we may do the work of the day in its day, the duty of a place in its place.

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO NUMBERS 36

This chapter gives an account of an application made by the heads of the tribe of Manasseh, concerning the inheritances of the daughters of Zelophehad, which, should they marry into other tribes, would be removed thither, and so be a loss to theirs, Nu 36:1-4, which case was judged worthy of regard; and to remedy this inconvenience, they were ordered to marry into the family of their father's tribe, and this was to be a law to all heiresses for the future in other tribes, Nu 36:5-9 and accordingly the daughters of Zelophehad married their father's brothers' sons, Nu 36:10-13.