Numbers 36:1

_AND THE CHIEF FATHERS OF THE FAMILIES OF THE CHILDREN OF GILEAD, THE SON OF MACHIR, THE SON OF MANASSEH, OF THE FAMILIES OF THE SONS OF JOSEPH, CAME NEAR, AND SPAKE BEFORE MOSES, AND BEFORE THE PRINCES, THE CHIEF_ _ FATHERS OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL:_ The chief fathers of the families ... of Gilead. Being the tribal governors in Manasseh, they consulted Moses and "the princes" - i:e., heads of tribes (see the notes at Numbers 1:5; Numbers 3:24; Numbers 3:30; Numbers 3:35; Numbers 27:2;...

1._And the chief fathers of the families. _It might appear strange that God had given an imperfect law with reference to succession, as if what will be now stated had not occurred to His mind until Moses was reminded by the chief men of the families (of Machir,) (201) that it was unjust that the inheritances should be alienated, which would have been the case if the daughters of Zelophehad had married into other tribes, whereas their portion had fallen in the lot of the tribe of Manasseh. For whatever fell into the hands of those of another tribe, was a diminution of that lot. As, therefore, God had lately made provision for preserving the rights of individuals, He now treats of the general advantage or loss. What, then, can be the meaning of the objection, that God only half considered what was right? In my opinion, He so arranged His replies, that only when inquired of He assigned to e...

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....

CHAPTER XXXVI _The inconveniences which might be produced by daughters_, _inheritances, marrying out of their own tribe, remedied on the_ _recommendation of certain chiefs of the tribe of Joseph, who_ _stated the case of the daughters of Zelophehad_, 1-4. _The daughters of Zelophehad are commanded to marry in their own_ _tribe_, 5, 6; _which is to be an ordinance in all similar circumstances_, 7-9. _The daughters of Zelophehad marry their father's brother's sons_, _and thus their inheritance is preserved in their own tribe_, 10-1

The daughters of Zelophehad had obtained an ordinance Numbers 28:6 which permitted the daughters of an Israelite dying without male issue to inherit their father’s property. The chiefs of the Machirites, of whom Zelophehad had been one, now obtain a supplemental enactment, directing that heiresses should marry within their own tribe. Numbers 36:4 BE TAKEN AWAY - i. e. be permanently taken away. The jubilee year, by not restoring the estate to the tribe to which it originally belonged, would in effect confirm the alienation. Numbers 36:11 UNTO THEIR FATHER’S BROTHERS’ SONS - Or more generally, “unto t

EXPOSITION THE MARRIAGE OF HEIRESSES (Numbers 36:1). NUMBERS 36:1 THE CHIEF FATHERS. The same phrase is more correctly translated in Exodus 6:25 "heads of the fathers." It is, however, probable that הָאָבור (fathers) is a contraction for בֵּית־הַאָבוֹת (fathers' houses). The fathers' house was the next recognized and familiar division below the _mishpachah _(family). Probably the fathers' house included originally all the descendants of a living ancestor, who formed the bond of union between them; but this union no doubt survived in many cases the death of the common ancestor, whose authority w

AND THE CHIEF FATHERS OF THE FAMILIES OF THE CHILDREN OF GILEAD,.... The princes, as Aben Ezra; so the Septuagint version, which was the tribe of Manasseh, whose grandson Gilead was, as follows: THE SON OF MACHIR, THE SON OF MANASSEH OF THE FAMILIES OF THE SONS OF JOSEPH, CAME NEAR; to the house of judgment, as the Targum of Jonathan, the sanhedrim or court of judicature, consisting of the following persons: AND SPOKE BEFORE MOSES; the Septuagint version adds, "and before Eleazar the priest", as in Numbers 27:2 AND BEFORE THE PRINCES, THE CHIEF FATHERS OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL: the princes of the several tribes; or it may be rather the seventy elders....

12. THE SECURITY OF THE INHERITANCE CHAPTER 36 _ 1. The applicants and their statement (Numbers 36:1)_ 2. The response of Moses (Numbers 36:5) 3. The epilogue (Numbers 36:13) The chapter explains itself. But what is the lesson? It is evident that the inheritance given by the Lord must remain with those to whom it is given. And this brought security and comfort to the daughters of Zelophehad. It brings security and comfort to our hearts when we consider that our inheritance in Christ can never be taken from us. It belongs to us and we belong to the inheritance. The same is true of Israel with its earthly inheritance, the promised land. Thus ends the wilderness book, a marvellous

HEIRESSES REQUIRED TO MARRY WITHIN THEIR OWN TRIBE. This law supplements the enactment in Numbers 27:1, which allowed daughters to inherit their father's property, but still left open the possibility of the property, on their marriage, passing with them to another tribe. In practice, the transfer of lands from one tribe to another seems to have been not infrequent, for the same cities are sometimes represented as belonging to different tribes (presumably at different periods). Thus Dibon is Gadite in Numbers 32:34, but Reubenite in Joshua 13:17; Heshbon is Reubenite in Numbers 32:37, but Gadite in...

CHIEF FATHERS. heads. SONS.. special various reading called _Sevir_ (App-34), with Syriac, reads "son", as in Numbers 36:12. CHILDREN. sons....