Numbers 36:6

6 This is the thing which the LORD commands concerning the daughters of Zelophehad, saying, Let them marry as they desire; but they shall marry only within the family of the tribe of their father

Numbers 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 ) .

Numbers 36:6 In-Context

4 And when the jubilee of the sons of Israel shall come, then shall their inheritance be put unto the inheritance of the tribe unto which they are received; so shall their inheritance be taken away from the inheritance of the tribe of our fathers.
5 Then Moses commanded the sons of Israel according to the word of the LORD, saying, The tribe of the sons of Joseph has spoken well.
6 This is the thing which the LORD commands concerning the daughters of Zelophehad, saying, Let them marry as they desire; but they shall marry only within the family of the tribe of their father
7 so that the inheritance of the sons of Israel shall not be passed from tribe to tribe; for each one of the sons of Israel shall cleave to the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers.
8 And any daughter, that possesses an inheritance in any tribe of the sons of Israel, shall marry one of the family of the tribe of her father so that each man of the sons of Israel may possess the inheritance of his fathers.
The Jubilee Bible (from the Scriptures of the Reformation), edited by Russell M. Stendal, Copyright © 2000, 2001, 2010