Numbers 36: Preserving Inheritance and God's Faithfulness
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:
And they said, The Lord commanded my lord to give the land for an inheritance by lot to the children of Israel: and my lord was commanded by the Lord to give the inheritance of Zelophehad our brother unto his daughters.
And if they be married to any of the sons of the other tribes of the children of Israel, then shall their inheritance be taken from the inheritance of our fathers, and shall be put to the inheritance of the tribe whereunto they are received: so shall it be taken from the lot of our inheritance.
And when the jubile of the children of Israel shall be, then shall their inheritance be put unto the inheritance of the tribe whereunto they are received: so shall their inheritance be taken away from the inheritance of the tribe of our fathers.
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.
This is the thing which the Lord doth command concerning the daughters of Zelophehad, saying, Let them marry to whom they think best; only to the family of the tribe of their father shall they marry.
So shall not the inheritance of the children of Israel remove from tribe to tribe: for every one of the children of Israel shall keep himself to the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers.
And every daughter, that possesseth an inheritance in any tribe of the children of Israel, shall be wife unto one of the family of the tribe of her father, that the children of Israel may enjoy every man the inheritance of his fathers.
Neither shall the inheritance remove from one tribe to another tribe; but every one of the tribes of the children of Israel shall keep himself to his own inheritance.
Even as the Lord commanded Moses, so did the daughters of Zelophehad:
For Mahlah, Tirzah, and Hoglah, and Milcah, and Noah, the daughters of Zelophehad, were married unto their father’s brothers’ sons:
And they were married into the families of the sons of Manasseh the son of Joseph, and their inheritance remained in the tribe of the family of their father.
These are the commandments and the judgments, which the Lord commanded by the hand of Moses unto the children of Israel in the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho.
Numbers 36 brings us to the conclusion of the book, addressing a crucial concern about land inheritance and tribal identity as Israel prepares to enter the Promised Land. This chapter revisits a situation first introduced in Numbers 27:1-11, involving the five daughters of Zelophehad. Their initial plea was for an inheritance in Israel, as their father had died without sons. Moses, after consulting with God, granted them the right to inherit land, a landmark decision for women in that society.
The Clan's Concern: Protecting Tribal Land
This time, the concern isn't raised by Zelophehad’s daughters themselves, but by the heads of their clan (Numbers 36:1). Their worry stemmed from the potential for the women to marry outside their tribe. In a nation where land was considered a sacred and permanent grant from the Lord, passed down through generations within a family, such marriages posed a significant problem. The male leaders understood that if these women married into other tribes, their inherited land would inevitably transfer to those tribes (Numbers 36:2-4). This would disrupt the carefully planned distribution of land and potentially weaken the tribal structure, diluting the inheritance that God had assigned to each tribe.
God's Solution: Marriage Within the Tribe
Moses, recognizing the validity of their concern (Numbers 36:5), sought the Lord's guidance and received a ruling that would become a lasting statute for all of Israel. The daughters of Zelophehad were indeed free to marry whomever they chose, but with a crucial condition: they must marry within a clan of their ancestral tribe (Numbers 36:6). This ensured that the land inheritance would remain within the tribe, preserving its integrity and identity. The principle was clear: no inheritance belonging to the Israelites was to transfer from tribe to tribe (Numbers 36:7). Therefore, any Israelite daughter who owned an inheritance was required to marry within her own clan (Numbers 36:8). The daughters of Zelophehad, demonstrating obedience and respect for God's law, followed this decree (Numbers 36:10-12).
God's Faithfulness: A Promise Fulfilled
The book of Numbers chronicles Israel's journey from Mount Sinai, where God established His covenant with them, to the very border of the land He had promised to give them. Despite the people's frequent lapses into unfaithfulness, including Moses himself, God remained steadfast in His promises. He was committed to preserving His people, driving out their enemies, and settling them in the land He had sworn to give them. This chapter underscores God's meticulous care in ensuring the inheritance of His people, reflecting His commitment to fulfilling His covenant promises.
This narrative points forward to God's ultimate promise, prophesied in Numbers 24:17: “A star will come from Jacob, and a scepter will arise from Israel.” This promise found its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ, the Messiah King, who came to atone for sin, conquer His enemies, and bestow the riches of His grace upon His people. As 2 Corinthians 1:20 reminds us, "Every one of God's promises is 'Yes' in him." Numbers 36, therefore, serves as a testament to God's unwavering faithfulness, both in the immediate context of land inheritance and in the grand narrative of salvation through Jesus Christ. The meticulous attention to detail in preserving tribal inheritance foreshadows the even greater care God takes in securing our eternal inheritance in Christ.
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:
And they said, The Lord commanded my lord to give the land for an inheritance by lot to the children of Israel: and my lord was commanded by the Lord to give the inheritance of Zelophehad our brother unto his daughters.
And if they be married to any of the sons of the other tribes of the children of Israel, then shall their inheritance be taken from the inheritance of our fathers, and shall be put to the inheritance of the tribe whereunto they are received: so shall it be taken from the lot of our inheritance.
And when the jubile of the children of Israel shall be, then shall their inheritance be put unto the inheritance of the tribe whereunto they are received: so shall their inheritance be taken away from the inheritance of the tribe of our fathers.
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.
This is the thing which the Lord doth command concerning the daughters of Zelophehad, saying, Let them marry to whom they think best; only to the family of the tribe of their father shall they marry.
So shall not the inheritance of the children of Israel remove from tribe to tribe: for every one of the children of Israel shall keep himself to the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers.
And every daughter, that possesseth an inheritance in any tribe of the children of Israel, shall be wife unto one of the family of the tribe of her father, that the children of Israel may enjoy every man the inheritance of his fathers.
Neither shall the inheritance remove from one tribe to another tribe; but every one of the tribes of the children of Israel shall keep himself to his own inheritance.
Even as the Lord commanded Moses, so did the daughters of Zelophehad:
For Mahlah, Tirzah, and Hoglah, and Milcah, and Noah, the daughters of Zelophehad, were married unto their father’s brothers’ sons:
And they were married into the families of the sons of Manasseh the son of Joseph, and their inheritance remained in the tribe of the family of their father.
These are the commandments and the judgments, which the Lord commanded by the hand of Moses unto the children of Israel in the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho.
Numbers 36 brings us to the conclusion of the book, addressing a crucial concern about land inheritance and tribal identity as Israel prepares to enter the Promised Land. This chapter revisits a situation first introduced in Numbers 27:1-11, involving the five daughters of Zelophehad. Their initial plea was for an inheritance in Israel, as their father had died without sons. Moses, after consulting with God, granted them the right to inherit land, a landmark decision for women in that society.
The Clan's Concern: Protecting Tribal Land
This time, the concern isn't raised by Zelophehad’s daughters themselves, but by the heads of their clan (Numbers 36:1). Their worry stemmed from the potential for the women to marry outside their tribe. In a nation where land was considered a sacred and permanent grant from the Lord, passed down through generations within a family, such marriages posed a significant problem. The male leaders understood that if these women married into other tribes, their inherited land would inevitably transfer to those tribes (Numbers 36:2-4). This would disrupt the carefully planned distribution of land and potentially weaken the tribal structure, diluting the inheritance that God had assigned to each tribe.
God's Solution: Marriage Within the Tribe
Moses, recognizing the validity of their concern (Numbers 36:5), sought the Lord's guidance and received a ruling that would become a lasting statute for all of Israel. The daughters of Zelophehad were indeed free to marry whomever they chose, but with a crucial condition: they must marry within a clan of their ancestral tribe (Numbers 36:6). This ensured that the land inheritance would remain within the tribe, preserving its integrity and identity. The principle was clear: no inheritance belonging to the Israelites was to transfer from tribe to tribe (Numbers 36:7). Therefore, any Israelite daughter who owned an inheritance was required to marry within her own clan (Numbers 36:8). The daughters of Zelophehad, demonstrating obedience and respect for God's law, followed this decree (Numbers 36:10-12).
God's Faithfulness: A Promise Fulfilled
The book of Numbers chronicles Israel's journey from Mount Sinai, where God established His covenant with them, to the very border of the land He had promised to give them. Despite the people's frequent lapses into unfaithfulness, including Moses himself, God remained steadfast in His promises. He was committed to preserving His people, driving out their enemies, and settling them in the land He had sworn to give them. This chapter underscores God's meticulous care in ensuring the inheritance of His people, reflecting His commitment to fulfilling His covenant promises.
This narrative points forward to God's ultimate promise, prophesied in Numbers 24:17: “A star will come from Jacob, and a scepter will arise from Israel.” This promise found its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ, the Messiah King, who came to atone for sin, conquer His enemies, and bestow the riches of His grace upon His people. As 2 Corinthians 1:20 reminds us, "Every one of God's promises is 'Yes' in him." Numbers 36, therefore, serves as a testament to God's unwavering faithfulness, both in the immediate context of land inheritance and in the grand narrative of salvation through Jesus Christ. The meticulous attention to detail in preserving tribal inheritance foreshadows the even greater care God takes in securing our eternal inheritance in Christ.