Numbers 36:8

_AND MOSES COMMANDED THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL ACCORDING TO THE WORD OF THE LORD, SAYING, THE TRIBE OF THE SONS OF JOSEPH HATH SAID WELL._ Moses commanded ... according to the word of the Lord. The plea appeared just and reasonable; and accordingly an enactment was made by which the daughters of Zelophehad, while left to the free choice of their husbands, were restricted to marry not only within their own tribe, but within the family of their father's tribe - i:e., one of their cousins. This restriction, however, was imposed only on those who were heiresses. The law was not applicable to daughters in different circumstances (1 Chronicles 23:22). The great object of these two exceptional laws was, that the name of the man who died sonless should not be lost (Numbers 27:4); and on th

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, a...

Verse Numbers 36:8. _EVERY DAUGHTER THAT POSSESSETH AN INHERITANCE_] This law affected none but _heiresses_; all others were at liberty to marry into any of the other tribes. The priests and Levites, who could have no inheritance, were exempt from the operation of this law. Jehoiada had the king of Judah's daughter to wife, 2 Chronicles 22:11. And another priest had for wife one of the daughters of _Barzillai_ the _Gileadite_, Ezra 2:61. "By reason of such marriages," says Mr. Ainsworth, "there might be kindred between Elisabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, who was of the daughters of Aaron, and Mary the virgin, the mother of our Lord, who was of the lineage of David, and tribe of Judah;...

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 EVERY DAUGHTER THAT POSSESSETH AN INHERITANCE IN ANY TRIBE IF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL,.... For the same law which gave the daughters of Zelophehad right to their father's inheritance, gave every other daughter in Israel a right to inherit where there were no sons, Numbers 27:8 and every such daughter, according to this law, SHALL BE WIFE UNTO ONE OF THE FAMILY OF THE TRIBE OF HER FATHER; marry into her father's tribe and family; by which it appears that such who were not heiresses might marry persons of another family, and even of another tribe: THAT THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL MAY ENJOY EVERY MAN THE INHERITANCE OF HIS FATHERS; of his father's brethren, or of those that are near akin to him....

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...

MAN. Hebrew. _'ish._ App-14....

P. The chapter lays down a law that heiresses may not be married to anyone outside their own tribe. As in ch. 27, the present law is put in a concrete form. In ch. 27 it was ruled that the daughters of Zelophehad might inherit property, in order that the inheritance might not be alienated from the tribe of Manasseh. But it was realised that that law might, after all, be annulled if they were married to persons of other tribes. Here, therefore, the supplementary law is issued, forbidding them to do so....