And the chief fathers of families of the sons of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, of the families of the sons of Joseph, came near, and spoke before Moses, and before the princes, the chief fathers of the children of Israel
Numbers closes with a question only half answered. Five sisters had won the right to inherit their dead father's land. Now the men of their own clan come to Moses with a problem that ruling created: what happens to the land if one of these women marries into another tribe?
The chapter finishes a story that began nine chapters earlier. It also pulls in the opposite direction from the first ruling.
Numbers 36 adds a further point that winds up the account of the daughters of Zelophehad. The earlier passage honoured their faith; this one acts as a guard and puts the matter in order. It secures the glory of God while avoiding confusion among men, for the tribes of Israel must be kept as they should be. On the one hand, God's goodness meant that the daughters should inherit if there was no son. On the other hand, the inheritance must not pass out of their fathers' tribe.
Verse 1 puts a group of men in front of Moses. The last people to stand there on this matter were the sisters themselves.
The "fathers" of the house of Joseph must be heard as well as the "daughters." The faith of the daughters was most lovely. But there was a danger that the high place their faith had raised them to might make them forget the claims of others, and move the boundary markers that guarded their fathers' inheritance. This had to be thought about and provided for… We are not to force our way through with a high hand and a strong will, however strong our faith may be. We should always be ready to yield to the adjusting power of the whole truth of God.
The clan leaders are not worried about a temporary loss. They look ahead to the jubilee year and see the loss made permanent.
Turning now to Numbers 36, we find that another difficulty grew out of the settling of this question. This time the heads of the families of the children of Gilead come to Moses. Their concern was for the inheritance of the tribe… They go on to say that when the jubilee arrives, the inheritance taken away in this way will be added for good to that of the tribe these women had married into. Once again Moses receives directions from the Lord, who commands that the daughters of Zelophehad may marry "whom they think best," only it must be to men of their own tribe. This settled the difficulty completely, both then and for all time to come.
The names in verse 1 trace this clan back to Manasseh. The first time, the women pleaded for themselves; now their whole tribe pleads, with the same zeal.
In Numbers 27 the daughters of Zelophehad presented their own petition before God. In chapter 36 Manasseh, the whole tribe they belonged to, is stirred by the zeal of these women and pleads for them before Moses and the princes… The tribe is just as eager to see its inheritance stay whole and undamaged as the daughters of Zelophehad had been to have it… The Lord first gave the sons of Joseph the chance to express what they wanted, for if a man is to receive an answer from God, his faith must always be active. Then He grants full liberty to marriage, giving it His full approval on condition that it takes place within the tribe.
A single family's marriage arrangements are the last matter the book deals with.
The last chapter (Numbers 36) goes back to the daughters of Zelophehad. It makes provision about their marriages, so that the inheritance held by them would not pass out of the tribe they belonged to. This might look to us like a trivial matter, but God took notice of it and provided for it… He overlooked nothing that concerned His people.
The answer does not cancel the sisters' rights. It attaches a condition to them, and the sisters accept it.
But faith has its restraints as well as the things it owns. Soon afterwards the question came up about these women: what was to become of the land given to them if they married? The command is given that, if they take the land, they must marry within the clan of the tribe of their father. Some would have thought this an unwelcome restriction. But it was absolutely necessary, so that the property would not be lost to another tribe. Every ability and privilege carries a restriction with it… In any case, it is typical of Zelophehad's daughters that they accept the condition placed on them and keep it with loyalty and obedience, though they had not yet seen even a grain of the soil of their promised possession.
- Inheritance claimed. Chapter 27 honoured five sisters who asked for a share in land they had never seen. Chapter 36 ties up the loose end their claim left.
- Inheritance threatened. The clan leaders look ahead to the jubilee and see the family portion swallowed up by another tribe for good.
- Inheritance heard. The fathers get a hearing, just as the daughters did. Even strong faith must yield to the whole truth of God.
- Inheritance guarded. The ruling holds both sides together. The daughters marry whom they choose, but inside their father's tribe, so nothing leaves the family line.
- Inheritance noticed. One family's marriage question closes the book. Nothing about His people was too small for God to notice.
and they said, Jehovah commanded my lord to give the land for an inheritance by lot to the children of Israel; and my lord was commanded by Jehovah to give the inheritance of Zelophehad our brother to his daughters.
Israel is camped on the plains of Moab, with the land just ahead. The heads of Gilead's families come to Moses holding two commands God has already given: divide the land by lot, and give Zelophehad's daughters their father's portion. What happens when those two commands seem to collide? Can a promise God has settled still slip away?
In Numbers 27 the daughters asked for themselves. Here the whole tribe pleads for them, and God approves what the tribe says:
In Numbers 27 the daughters of Zelophehad brought their own petition before God. In chapter 36 Manasseh, the whole tribe they belonged to, pleads for them before Moses and the princes. The zeal of these women stirred the tribe to it... The tribe is just as eager to see its inheritance remain complete, with nothing lost, as the daughters of Zelophehad had been eager to gain it. The Lord is pleased to acknowledge how right Manasseh's desire is: "The tribe of the sons of Joseph has said well" (Num. 36:5), just as in chapter 27 He had acknowledged that the daughters of Zelophehad had spoken well.
The men do not say that Moses divided the land by his own judgment. They point to the lot — and God Himself controlled the lot:
God takes care that each of His people keeps the inheritance allotted to him. This teaches us that His giving never changes, for the lot decided everything, and He controlled the lot. It also teaches us that He means each person's own place in the inheritance to be kept. So in His mind the person and his portion of land, allotted by God (Num. 33:54; Joshua 14:2; Num. 36:2-3; Prov. 16:33), belong together so closely that nothing may separate them. Individuality, distinctness and lasting character are all bound up in this.
Zelophehad had no sons. That gap made the tribe's portion look fragile. God's answer shows it cannot undo His gift:
Weakness may have come in. With no male heirs, the inheritance seems to pass into the hands of others — and the jubilee itself would then keep it from ever passing back out of their hands. But everything must give way to the first great necessity: the inheritance God allotted must stay with those He allotted it to. Nothing will change this. Nothing — thank God — will keep any of His own from enjoying for ever the inheritance prepared for them.
The daughters had shown real faith in asking for a portion. But faith itself can carry a danger:
The "fathers" of the house of Joseph must be heard as well as the "daughters." The faith of the daughters was most lovely. But there was just a danger in it. Faith had raised them to a high place, and there they might forget the claims of others and move the landmarks that guarded their fathers' inheritance... We need guarding on every side, so that faith and the testimony keep their integrity. However strong our faith, we are not to push things through with a high hand and a strong will. We should always be ready to yield to the adjusting power of the whole truth of God.
Moses does not rule on the case himself. He takes it to the Lord, and three lessons follow:
First, human wisdom can settle nothing in relation to the people of God. We must lay every difficulty before the Lord. Second, if we lack wisdom the Lord is always ready to give, and to give generously. Nothing that affects the welfare of His people is too small to bring before Him; and for us to try to act without His mind is to take His place. Third, the Lord did not deal with the difficulty in advance. He knew it would arise, but He waited until His servant brought it to Him... He would have His people in constant dependence, and so gave only the word for the moment — the wisdom as it was needed.
God's answer reaches past one family. He sets a limit on marriage, turns the case into a rule for all Israel, and the daughters obey it:
The Lord gives marriage full liberty and His full approval, on one condition: it must take place within the tribe (vv. 6-9)... So from one particular case God draws a general principle, and it becomes binding at once... "Even as the Lord had commanded Moses, so did the daughters of Zelophehad" (v. 10). They themselves treated the revelation given to them, which answered their particular need, as a commandment of the Lord.
- Given — Men did not choose the portions. God controlled the lot, and in His mind each person and his land belong together.
- Guarded — A family's weakness could not undo that gift. The inheritance stayed with those God gave it to.
- Heard — The daughters spoke, and so did the fathers of Joseph. God said the tribe spoke well. Faith must not override the claims of others.
- Asked — Moses settled nothing by his own judgment. Every new problem went to the Lord. He answered as the need arose and kept His people dependent.
- Obeyed — The daughters took the word given to them as a command and did it. The inheritance stayed where God had put it.
Now 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 added to the inheritance of the tribe to which they shall belong; and it shall be taken from the lot of our inheritance.
The heads of the Gilead families bring Moses a problem. Zelophehad's daughters had been given their father's land, and if they married outside the tribe that land could leave Manasseh for good.
An earlier ruling in Numbers 27 gave the daughters their father's portion.
The earlier decision in their favour made their father's inheritance their own. But there is a danger in this. If they marry outside the tribe, the inheritance may pass through them out of the tribe's hands, and the whole stability of the tribe's holding would be overturned.
The men do not stop at the immediate loss. They look ahead to the jubilee year.
Their concern was for the inheritance of the tribe… And further, they go on to say, when the jubilee arrives, the inheritance taken away in this way will be added to that of the tribe these women had married into, and added for good. Once again Moses receives directions from the Lord. He commands that the daughters of Zelophehad shall marry "whom they think best," only it must be to men of their own tribe. This removed the difficulty completely, both for that moment and for all time to come.
The jubilee was meant to put things right.
The daughters of Zelophehad would naturally marry, and they might well marry outside the boundaries of their own tribe. Then, in the year of jubilee — that great adjusting institution — instead of adjustment there would be confusion, and a permanent breach in the inheritance of Manasseh.
The daughters had acted in real faith. But faith itself can carry a danger.
The "fathers" of the house of Joseph must be heard as well as the "daughters." The faith of the daughters was most lovely. But there was just a danger here. Faith had lifted them high, and from that height they might forget the claims of others and move the landmarks that guarded the inheritance of their fathers… We are not to force things through with a high hand and a strong will, however strong our faith may be. We are always to be ready to yield ourselves to the adjusting power of the whole truth of God.
The men call the land "the lot of our inheritance." How that land was handed out tells us something about the God who gave it.
God takes care that each of His people keeps the inheritance allotted to him. This teaches us that His giving never changes, for He Himself controlled the lot that settled everything. It also teaches us that He means each person's own individuality to be kept in that inheritance. So God ties the person and his allotted portion of land so closely together in His mind that the two are never to be separated. Individuality, distinctness and lasting character are all involved in this.
In Numbers 27 the five women spoke for themselves.
In Numbers 27 the daughters of Zelophehad presented their own request before God. In chapter 36 Manasseh, the whole tribe they belonged to, is stirred by the zeal of these women and pleads for them before Moses and the princes. No high priest appears here to intercede for them at the tent of meeting: Manasseh itself has become the intercessor for the daughters of its people. The tribe is just as eager to see its inheritance stay whole and undamaged as the daughters of Zelophehad had been eager to have it.
God's reply does not stay tied to five women.
So from one particular case God draws a general principle, and it becomes binding at once… "The daughters of Zelophehad did as the Lord commanded Moses." The revelation had been given to them and met their own particular need. They themselves treated it as a commandment of the Lord.
Writers also draw a present-day lesson from the marriage restriction.
In the Church of God today there are no tribes, for it is "one body." But Scripture warns believers not to be unequally yoked together with unbelievers (2 Cor. 6:14). Every believer should watch this closely.
Every ruling in this chapter rests on one thing.
All things must give way to the first great necessity: the inheritance God allotted must stay with those He allotted it to. Nothing shall change this; nothing, thank God, shall stop any of His own from enjoying for ever the inheritance prepared.
- Asked. Faith won the inheritance in chapter 27. That same faith now needs a fence, since a gift pressed without regard for others moves the landmarks of a whole tribe.
- Allotted. The land came by lot from God's own hand. He ties person and portion together in His mind and never parts them.
- Endangered. Marriage outside the tribe would have drained Manasseh's portion. The jubilee, meant to set things right, would have sealed the loss instead.
- Guarded. The answer left the women free to marry whom they thought best, but within their father's tribe. One case then became a standing rule for all Israel.
- Kept. Nothing overturns God's allotment. Nothing will stop any of His own from enjoying for ever the inheritance prepared for them.
And when the jubilee of the children of Israel shall come, then shall their inheritance be added to the inheritance of the tribe to which they shall belong; and their inheritance shall be taken away from the inheritance of the tribe of our fathers.
The heads of the families of Gilead bring a worry to Moses. The five daughters of Zelophehad had received their late father's land. Verse 4 is the strongest step in their argument. A marriage outside the tribe would not just lend the land away for a time. The jubilee — the law made to put land back where it belonged — would make the loss permanent.
Their whole case rests on what the fiftieth year did in Israel. Commentators say it gave Israel nothing new. It only gave back what they had lost:
It must have been a joyful sound. But this institution really gave them nothing new. It only restored liberty to the slave, and the land to its original owner. Restoration was its special feature. That is just what suited a failing people. By one means or another — really the fruit of sin — they had lost either their personal freedom or the land their fathers had owned.
That was the sting the Gileadites felt. The year meant to put every holding back in place would here do the opposite:
It was natural to suppose that the daughters of Zelophehad would marry. And they might well marry outside the boundaries of their tribe. Then the year of jubilee, that great adjusting institution, would bring confusion instead of adjustment. It would leave a permanent break in the inheritance of Manasseh.
In Numbers 27 God granted the daughters' request. Here the same story comes back from the other side:
In Numbers 36 we have a further point which winds up the account of the daughters of Zelophehad. The earlier account honoured their faith. This one acts as a guard. It stamps order on the matter. It secures the glory of God and avoids confusion among men, for the tribes of Israel must be kept as they should be. On the one hand, it matched God's goodness that the daughters should inherit if there was no son. On the other hand, the inheritance could not pass out of the tribe of their fathers.
Chapter 27 had the women speaking for themselves. Here the tribe speaks, and God weighs its words too:
In Numbers 27 the daughters of Zelophehad brought their own request before God. In chapter 36 their whole tribe, Manasseh, pleads for them before Moses and the princes. The zeal of these women stirred the tribe to act… The tribe is just as eager to see its inheritance stay whole and undamaged as the daughters of Zelophehad had been eager to have it. The Lord is pleased to acknowledge how right Manasseh's desire is. He declares: "The tribe of the people of Joseph is right" (Num. 36:5), just as in chapter 27 He had acknowledged that the daughters of Zelophehad had spoken rightly.
God's reply does not stop at these five women. Their private difficulty becomes a law binding on every heiress in Israel:
"Every daughter who possesses an inheritance in any tribe of the people of Israel shall be wife to one of the clan of the tribe of her father, so that every one of the people of Israel may possess the inheritance of his fathers" (vv. 8-9). So from one case God draws a general principle, and it becomes binding at once… "The daughters of Zelophehad did as the LORD commanded Moses" (v. 10). They themselves treated the revelation given to meet their own need as a commandment of the LORD.
Another commentator turns the jubilee around. The law that alarmed the Gileadites is what makes loss impossible in the end:
Weakness may have come in. The lack of male heirs may seem to put the inheritance into the hands of others. And the very institution of the jubilee would then stop it passing out of their hands again. But everything must give way to the first great necessity. The inheritance God allotted must stay with those He allotted it to. Nothing shall change this. Nothing, blessed be God, shall stop any of His own from enjoying the inheritance prepared for them, for ever.
Commentators apply the rule about whom the daughters could marry to marriage among believers now:
Marriage must be within the bounds of the family of God and within the realm of faith. If not, disorder will soon enter the Assembly. The Assembly will lose part of its heavenly inheritance, or see it reduced. This inheritance should not be damaged, and it cannot pass into other hands. Every marriage with someone outside is a loss for the whole body.
- Inheritance — God allotted the land, so the first necessity is that it stays with those He gave it to.
- Jubilee — the fiftieth year gave every man his property back. The Gileadites feared it would instead seal their loss for good.
- Guard — chapter 27 honoured the daughters' faith. Chapter 36 guards it, so that faith in one family costs nothing to another.
- Marriage — commentators read the rule as a call to marry inside the family of faith; a marriage outside costs the whole company, not one household only.
- Kept — what God allots, He keeps. Nothing shall stop any of His own from enjoying the inheritance prepared for them.
And Moses commanded the children of Israel according to the word of Jehovah, saying, The tribe of the sons of Joseph hath said well.
A dispute over land closes the book of Numbers. The leaders of Joseph's tribe fear that Zelophehad's daughters will marry outside the tribe and take the family land with them. Moses does not rule on it himself — he passes on a verdict from the Lord, and that verdict is that the objectors are right.
Earlier, in Numbers 27, Zelophehad's daughters had asked for a share of the land, and God said they spoke rightly. Now the same approval falls on the men who raise the difficulty their success created. One writer sets the two scenes side by side and notes who is pleading this time:
In Numbers 27 the daughters of Zelophehad brought their own request before God. In chapter 36 Manasseh, the whole tribe they belonged to, is stirred by the zeal of these women and pleads for them before Moses and the leaders… The tribe is just as eager to see its inheritance stay whole, with nothing lost, as the daughters of Zelophehad were eager to have it. The Lord is pleased to acknowledge how right Manasseh's desire is. He declares that "the tribe of the people of Joseph is right" (Num. 36:5), just as in chapter 27 He had acknowledged that the daughters of Zelophehad spoke well.
The same writer explains why God waited for them to speak at all: "if anyone is to receive an answer from God, his faith must always be active."
The phrase that carries the verse is "according to the word of the LORD." Moses adds nothing of his own. Twice in this story a question comes to him that he cannot answer, and twice he takes it to God before he speaks. One writer draws four principles from the pattern:
First, and this is obvious: human wisdom cannot settle anything that concerns the people of God. We must bring every difficulty or puzzle to the Lord. Second, if we lack wisdom the Lord is always ready to give, and to give generously… Third, notice that the Lord did not step in ahead of the difficulty. He knew it would come, but He waited until His servant brought it to Him before He gave His mind on the matter… Last, it is lovely to see how readily everyone involved obeyed the word of the Lord.
Notice that Moses owned up to having no answer, though the question looked small:
The matter in itself was a small one. But the principle behind it was so great and reached so far that even Moses felt he could not take the responsibility of deciding it. He referred the subject to the judgment of God (Numbers 27). It is that easy for the humblest person to ask a question the wisest cannot answer.
The sisters had won their land by faith. That very success carried a risk:
The faith of the daughters was most lovely. But there was a danger. Faith had lifted them high, and from there they might forget the claims of others and move the landmarks that guarded the inheritance of their fathers… It was natural to expect that the daughters of Zelophehad would marry, and they might well marry outside the boundaries of their tribe. Then, in the year of jubilee — the great institution for adjusting inheritances — there would be confusion instead of adjustment, and a permanent break in the inheritance of Manasseh… We are not to push things through with a high hand and a strong will, however strong our faith may be. We should always be ready to yield to the adjusting power of the whole truth of God.
God's answer here does not cancel His answer in chapter 27:
The earlier ruling honoured their faith; this one acts as a guard. It stamps order on the matter. It secures the glory of God and avoids confusion among men, for the tribes of Israel must be kept as they should be. On the one hand, God's goodness meant the daughters should inherit if there was no son. On the other hand, He could not allow the inheritance to pass out of the tribe of their fathers.
One writer draws a line from the marriage limit to who a believer marries today:
God gave the answer that these daughters must not marry outside their own tribe. In the Church of God today there are no tribes, for it is "one body." But believers are warned not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers (2 Cor. 6:14), and every believer should watch this closely. It is good that these young women obeyed these instructions and married within their tribe.
- Asked — God waited for Manasseh's leaders to raise the problem before He answered it; an active faith brings its case to Him.
- Referred — Moses settles nothing by human wisdom; the ruling stands only because it came "according to the word of the LORD."
- Approved — He calls their concern right, just as He called the daughters' claim right; both sides of the matter please Him.
- Guarded — the same faith that gains an inheritance can overreach, so God fences it in with the claims of others.
- Kept — the land stays in the family that received it, and the daughters accept the limit and marry within their tribe.
This is the thing which Jehovah hath commanded concerning the daughters of Zelophehad, saying, Let them marry whom they please; only they shall marry one of the tribe of their father,
Numbers ends by returning to five sisters whose father died without sons, and to the land God gave them. Their own tribe now raises a worry: if these heiresses marry outside the tribe, the family land goes with them.
The verse holds two things at once. The women may choose their husbands, but the choice runs inside a boundary God draws.
First the Lord gave the sons of Joseph the chance to express their desire. If a man is to receive an answer from God, his faith must always be active. Then the Lord grants every liberty to the institution of marriage, and gives it His full approval — on condition that it takes place within the bounds of the tribe.
The concern was not the wedding but the land. A marriage outside the tribe would move a portion for good. The jubilee, the year when land went back to its owners, would then seal that move instead of undoing it.
Weakness may have come in. The lack of male heirs may seem to put the inheritance into the hands of others, and the jubilee itself would then keep it from ever passing back out of their hands. But everything must give way to the first great necessity: the inheritance God allotted must stay with those He allotted it to. Nothing will change this. Nothing, blessed be God, will stop any of His own from enjoying for ever the inheritance He has prepared.
The same faith that asked for a portion must now accept a condition attached to it. The sisters had still not set foot on the land these rules protected.
But faith has its restraints as well as its possessions... Some would have thought this an unwelcome restraint. But it was completely necessary, so that the property would not pass out of the tribe. Every ability and privilege carries a restraint with it. "Property also has its duties." At any rate it is typical of Zelophehad's daughters that they accept the condition laid on them and keep it with loyalty and submission. They had not yet seen so much as a grain of the earth of their promised possession.
God had honoured what these women asked, and that honour carried its own risk. Others in the tribe had claims too.
The "fathers" of the house of Joseph must be heard as well as the "daughters." The faith of the daughters was most lovely. But there was a danger. Faith had raised them to a high position, and there they might forget the claims of others and remove the landmarks that guarded the inheritance of their fathers... We need guarding on every side, so that faith and the testimony keep their integrity. We are not to force things through with a high hand and a strong will, however strong our faith may be. We should always be ready to yield to the adjusting power of the whole truth of God.
Rossier applies the tribal limit to believers choosing a partner, and ties one person's choice to the whole company's loss.
Christians, is it not the same for us with marriage? Marriage must be within the bounds of the family of God, and within the realm of faith, or disorder will soon enter the Assembly... Every individual alliance with those outside is a loss for the body as a whole. To that extent it keeps the body from enjoying at least part of its inheritance.
The timing of the answer matters as much as its content.
The Lord did not anticipate the difficulty. He knew it would arise, but He waited until His servant brought it to Him before He gave His mind on the matter... He would have His people in constant dependence, and so gave only the word for the moment — the wisdom as it was needed... It is beautiful to notice the ready obedience of all concerned to the word of the Lord. His word was all they wanted, and having obtained it they yielded willing submission to it.
- Asked — God waited until His people brought the question to Him. He gives the word for the moment, to keep them depending on Him.
- Granted — The sisters kept a real choice of husband, and God gave marriage His full approval.
- Bounded — The one condition was the tribe. A marriage outside it would move the family land for good, and the jubilee would seal that loss instead of undoing it.
- Accepted — They took the restraint while still owning nothing they could see. Faith that claims a possession must also accept the duty tied to it.
- Kept — What God allots stays with those He allots it to. One person's alliance outside can cost the whole company part of the inheritance it enjoys.
that no inheritance of the children of Israel pass from tribe to tribe; for every one of the children of Israel shall keep to the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers.
Numbers 36 ends the book with one more question: the daughters of Zelophehad had won their father's land, but marriage into another tribe would carry it away. Verse 7 answers it, and behind the answer lies a bigger question — why does God guard an allotment so closely?
This is not property law for its own sake. God Himself handed out the land, and what He gives stays where He puts it.
Weakness may have come in. The lack of male heirs may seem to put the inheritance into the hands of others, and the jubilee itself would then prevent it ever passing back out of their hands. But everything must give way to the first great need: the inheritance God allotted must stay with those He allotted it to. Nothing shall change this. And nothing, thank God, shall stop any of His own from enjoying forever the inheritance prepared for them.
God settled each portion by lot. That tells us something lasting about the way He gives.
God cares that each of His people should keep the inheritance allotted to him. This teaches us that His giving never changes, for He decided everything by lot, and He controlled the lot. It also teaches that He means each person's own portion to be kept distinct. The person and his portion in the land, as God allotted it, are so joined in His mind that no separation is to take place.
The same women had already come up earlier in the book. This chapter handles their case in a different way.
In Numbers 36 we have a further point which winds up the account of the daughters of Zelophehad. The earlier passage honoured their faith. This one acts as a guard and puts the matter in order. It secures the glory of God and prevents confusion among men, for the tribes of Israel must be kept as they should be. On the one hand, God's goodness let the daughters inherit when there was no son. On the other hand, the inheritance could not pass out of the tribe of their fathers.
There was a danger hidden inside their success.
The faith of the daughters was most lovely. But there was a danger in the high place that faith had given them. They might forget the claims of others and move the boundary stones that guarded the inheritance of their fathers... However strong our faith, we are not to push things through with a high hand and a strong will. We should always be ready to yield to the adjusting power of the whole truth of God.
The gift came with a condition attached.
But faith has its restraints as well as its possessions... Some would have thought this an unwelcome restraint. But it was absolutely necessary, so that the property would not pass into other hands. Every ability and privilege carries a restraint with it. "Property also has its duties." It is typical of Zelophehad's daughters that they accept the condition laid on them. They keep it with loyalty and submission, though they had not yet seen so much as a grain of the soil of their promised land.
God's answer reaches past the one family that asked for it.
So from a particular case God draws a general principle, and it becomes binding at once... "The daughters of Zelophehad did as the LORD commanded Moses" (v. 10). They had been given a revelation that met their own particular need. They themselves treated it as a commandment of the Lord.
Centuries later King Ahab tried to get land that belonged to a man named Naboth.
On the surface this was fair and honest. But Ahab knew, or should have known, that he could only have it if Naboth broke the law of God. Naboth valued obedience to the Word above the king's favour and his own advantage. So he answered, "The LORD forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers." (See Num. 36:7.)
One writer brings the marriage rule forward to believers today.
In the Church of God today there are no tribes, for it is "one body," but believers are warned not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers (2 Cor. 6:14), something every believer should carefully observe. It is good that these young women submitted to these instructions and married within their tribe.
- Given — What God allotted, He allotted for good. He joins the person to his portion, and no missing heir can break that link.
- Guarded — The faith He once honoured He now fences in, so one family's blessing never becomes another family's loss.
- Restrained — They could marry, with one condition. Every privilege carries a duty, and they obeyed before ever seeing the land.
- Made law — One family's case became a rule for all Israel. The sisters took the answer to their own need as a command from God.
- Held — Naboth stood on this verse against a king and died for it, long after the tribes had settled the land.
And every daughter that possesseth an inheritance among the tribes of the children of Israel, shall be married to one of the family of the tribe of her father, that the children of Israel may possess every one the inheritance of his fathers,
Commentary for this verse has not been generated yet.
and the inheritance shall not pass from one tribe to another tribe; for each of the tribes of the children of Israel shall keep to his inheritance.
Numbers ends not with a battle or a census but with a property rule: when a woman inherits her father's land, her marriage must not move that land into another tribe. This verse gives the reason behind the rule, and raises a question about how seriously God takes the portion He gives.
The ruling was prompted by one family — the five daughters of Zelophehad, who had no brothers and had already been granted their father's land. Commentators note that God takes their situation and turns it into a rule for everyone.
This is the answer to Manasseh's request (vv. 8-9)… So from a particular case God draws a general principle, which at once becomes binding. In the same way we recall the setting up of the Lord's Supper, of the first day of the week, of the collections, and a special case of discipline at Corinth — all of them becoming general obligations.
The pressure here came from a weakness — a family with no male heir. Yet the lack of an heir is not allowed to unsettle the tribal map.
Weakness may have come in, and the lack of male heirs may seem to put the inheritance into the hands of others. The jubilee itself would then stop it from ever passing back out of their hands. But everything must give way to the first great necessity: the inheritance God allotted must stay with those He allotted it to. Nothing shall alter this. Nothing, blessed be God, shall stop any of His own from enjoying for eternity the inheritance prepared.
The same writer draws out what this care tells us about the way God gives.
God cares that each of His people keeps the inheritance allotted to him. This teaches us the unchangeable character of His giving, for it was all settled by lot, and He controlled the lot. It also teaches that He means each person's own place in the inheritance to be kept.
That principle later gave one man ground to refuse a king. Naboth would not sell his family vineyard to King Ahab, and the same writer explains why: "Naboth's refusal was based on the Lord's word. The Lord's mind about the change of possession had been given in Numbers 36:7-9."
Earlier the daughters had asked for their father's land, and their faith was honoured. Now the heads of their families raise a concern that limits them. One writer sees the danger that faith itself can bring.
Their faith was most lovely. But there was a danger. Lifted up by that faith, they might forget the claims of others and move the boundary markers that guarded the inheritance of their fathers. This had to be thought of and provided for… We need to be guarded on every side, so that faith and the testimony keep their integrity. We are not to force things through with a high hand and a strong will, however strong our faith. We must always be ready to yield ourselves to the adjusting power of the whole truth of God.
One writer holds two sides of the rule side by side: God's goodness to the daughters, and His care that each tribe keeps its own.
The earlier note honoured their faith. This one acts as a guard. It stamps order on the matter, securing the glory of God while avoiding confusion among men, for the tribes of Israel must be kept as they should be. On the one hand, God's goodness meant the daughters should inherit if there was no son. On the other hand, God would not permit the inheritance to pass out of the tribe of their fathers.
One writer applies the boundary to marriage today, and notes that the tribes themselves are gone.
In the Church of God today there are no tribes, for it is "one body." But Scripture warns believers not to be unequally yoked together with unbelievers (2 Cor. 6:14), and every believer should watch this closely. It is good that these young women submitted to these instructions and married within their tribe.
One writer adds that the loss is not only personal.
Every individual alliance with those outside is a loss for the body as a whole. To that extent the body is hindered in the enjoyment of at least part of its inheritance.
- Allotted. God gave the land by lot, and He controlled the lot. The inheritance is His gift, not a human arrangement.
- Guarded. Because His giving never changes, the law fences it. No tribe's portion may drift away through marriage, weakness, or a missing heir.
- Adjusted. Real faith welcomes the fence. The concern of the family heads completed the daughters' claim; it did not crush it.
- Widened. One family's question became a standing rule for all Israel. God answers one need in a way that serves everyone.
- Enjoyed. The guarding has an end in view. Nothing will stop any of His own from enjoying for eternity the inheritance prepared for them.
Even as Jehovah had commanded Moses, so did the daughters of Zelophehad;
The book of Numbers ends with the daughters of Zelophehad marrying just as God had told Moses. Their faith, God's ruling, and the limit He set on their marriage all come to rest in this one line of obedience.
God answered one family's problem with a rule for all Israel.
From a particular case God draws a general principle, which becomes binding at once. In the same way we recall the institution of the Supper, the first day of the week, the collections, and a special case of discipline at Corinth. All of them became general obligations. "The daughters of Zelophehad did as the LORD commanded Moses" (v. 10). They themselves treated the revelation God had given them, which met their own particular need, as a commandment of the LORD.
Faith had won these daughters a portion. A condition came with it.
But faith has its restraints as well as its possessions. A question arose soon afterwards about these women. What was to become of the land allotted to them if they married? The command came that, if they take the land, they may marry only within the clan of their father's tribe. Some would have thought this an objectionable restraint. But it was necessary, so that the property would not pass into other hands. Every ability and privilege carries a restraint with it. "Property also has its duties." It is characteristic of Zelophehad's daughters that they accept the condition imposed and keep it with loyalty and submission. Yet they had not yet seen so much as a grain of the soil of their promised possession.
Mackintosh sees a danger in the very honour their faith had won.
The faith of the daughters was most lovely. But there was just a danger. Faith had raised them to a high place, and there they might forget the claims of others and move the boundary markers that guarded the inheritance of their fathers... We need a guard on every side, so that faith and the testimony keep their integrity. However strong our faith may be, we are not to force things through with a high hand and a strong will. We are always to be ready to yield ourselves to the adjusting power of the whole truth of God.
The rule guards more than one family's land.
Weakness may have come in. With no male heirs, the inheritance looks as if it will pass into the hands of others, and the jubilee itself would then stop it ever coming back. But everything must give way to the first great necessity: the inheritance God allotted must stay with those He allotted it to. Nothing shall change this. Nothing, blessed be God, shall stop any of His own from enjoying for eternity the inheritance prepared.
Kelly reads the two chapters about these daughters as a pair:
The earlier account honoured their faith. This one acts as a guard and stamps order on the matter. It secures the glory of God and avoids confusion among men... So the whole book, from first to last, is full of repeated, continual, and perfect proof of God's loving care for His people on the earth.
Grant carries the tribal rule over to believers today.
God gave the answer that these daughters must not marry outside their own tribe. In the Church of God today there are no tribes, for it is "one body." But Scripture warns believers not to be unequally yoked together with unbelievers (2 Cor. 6:14), a matter every believer should take care to observe. It is good that these young women submitted to these instructions, and married within their tribe.
No one in the story argued with the word they received.
It is beautiful to see the ready obedience of everyone concerned to the word of the Lord. His word was all they wanted. Once they had it, they willingly submitted to it. The chief fathers of Gilead, the daughters of Zelophehad, and indeed the whole of Israel, obeyed the word of the Lord they had received through Moses. Truly the path of obedience is the only way of blessing!
- Asked — Faith spoke first, and God allotted them a father's portion.
- Given — Their one case became a general rule, and they took it as a command from the LORD.
- Restrained — Every privilege carries a restraint. They kept the marriage condition before seeing one grain of the soil.
- Guarded — Honoured faith still needs a guard. They yielded to the whole truth of God instead of pressing their own right.
- Kept — The inheritance stayed where God put it. Nothing will stop any of His own from enjoying for eternity the inheritance prepared.
and Mahlah, Tirzah, and Hoglah, and Milcah, and Noah, the daughters of Zelophehad, were married unto their uncles' sons.
Numbers ends not with a battle or a census but with a wedding. Five sisters marry their cousins. The land of their dead father stays inside his tribe. Why does God give a whole chapter and five names to one family's marriage plans? And why must these women marry inside their own tribe?
Their case was unusual, and the ruling that settled it was new. They treated that ruling as binding.
So God draws a general principle from one particular case, and it becomes binding at once. In the same way we recall how the Lord's Supper began, and the first day of the week, and the collections, and one case of discipline at Corinth. All of them became general obligations. "The daughters of Zelophehad did as the LORD commanded Moses" (v. 10). God gave them that revelation to meet their own particular need. They themselves treated it as a commandment of the Lord.
Everyone involved obeyed, not just the sisters:
Lastly, it is beautiful to note the ready obedience of everyone involved to the word of the Lord. His word was all they wanted, and once they had it they gladly submitted to it. The leading fathers of Gilead obeyed the word of the Lord that came through Moses. So did the daughters of Zelophehad, and indeed all Israel. Truly the path of obedience is the only way of blessing!
Two things had to hold together. The daughters keep their father's land, and the land stays in its tribe.
In Numbers 36 we have a further point which winds up the account of the daughters of Zelophehad. The earlier account honoured their faith. This one acts as a guard and stamps order on the matter. It secures the glory of God and avoids confusion among men, for the tribes of Israel must be kept as they should be. On the one hand, God's goodness let the daughters inherit when there was no son. On the other hand, the inheritance could not pass out of the tribe of their fathers.
The sisters had asked, and God gave them the land. But strong faith carries its own danger.
The faith of the daughters was most lovely. But there was a danger. Raised so high by that faith, they might forget the claims of others. They might move the landmarks that guarded the inheritance of their fathers... However strong our faith may be, we are not to force things through with a high hand and a strong will. We must always be ready to yield ourselves to the adjusting power of the whole truth of God.
The result is a settlement in which nobody loses:
So everything is settled. The truth of God governs the activities of faith. It brings individual claims into harmony with the true interests of all.
Commentators draw the line forward in different ways. One applies it to the church as a body:
Christians, is it not the same with us regarding marriage? Marriage must be within the family of God, and within the realm of faith. Otherwise disorder will quickly come into the church... Every individual alliance with those outside is a loss for the body as a whole.
Another points out that the tribes are gone, and names a different boundary:
In the Church of God today there are no tribes, for it is "one body." But Scripture warns believers not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers (2 Cor. 6:14). Every believer should watch this carefully. It is good that these young women submitted to these instructions, and married within their tribe.
The book closes by making one thing unshakeable.
Weakness may have come in, and the lack of male heirs may seem to put the inheritance into the hand of others... But everything must give way to the first great necessity. The inheritance God allotted must stay with those He allotted it to. Nothing shall alter this. Nothing, blessed be God, shall stop any of His own from enjoying forever the inheritance He has prepared.
- Asked. Five sisters pressed their claim to their father's land, and God honoured their faith.
- Granted. Their father's portion became theirs. God's goodness let daughters inherit where there was no son.
- Guarded. The gift came with a boundary. They had to marry inside their father's tribe. No landmark moved, and no tribe lost its land.
- Obeyed. They took a ruling made for their own case as a command of the Lord and acted on it. So did all Israel.
- Kept. What God allots stays with those He allots it to. Numbers ends with an inheritance nothing can take away.
To those that were of the families of the sons of Manasseh the son of Joseph were they married; and their inheritance remained in the tribe of the family of their father.
The last chapter of Numbers does not end with a battle or a census. It ends with the daughters of Zelophehad marrying inside their own tribe, so that their land stayed in their father's family. Behind that quiet family event lies the question the whole book has been building toward. Can the portion God gives His people ever be lost?
The daughters already had their inheritance. Now they were told whom they could marry, and this verse records that they obeyed. One writer notes that everyone involved answered the same way:
Lastly, it is beautiful to notice the ready obedience of everyone concerned to the word of the Lord. His word was all they wanted, and once they had it they willingly submitted to it. The chief of the fathers of Gilead, the daughters of Zelophehad, and indeed the whole of Israel, obeyed the word of the Lord they had received through Moses. Truly the path of obedience is the only way of blessing!
The ruling answered one family's problem. But the sisters took it as a command, and God made it a rule for all Israel. A commentator traces that widening:
"Every daughter who possesses an inheritance among the tribes of the people of Israel shall be married to one of the family of the tribe of her father… and the inheritance shall not pass from one tribe to another tribe" (vv. 8-9). So from a particular case God draws a general principle, which immediately becomes binding… "The daughters of Zelophehad did as the Lord commanded Moses" (v. 10). They themselves regarded the revelation given to them, which answered their particular need, as a commandment of the Lord.
The same writer follows them into the land, where their confidence changed the rule for others:
Their faith and their confidence in the Lord's commandment to Moses led all Manasseh to adopt the same rule about female descendants, even beyond the Jordan. "The daughters of Manasseh received an inheritance along with his sons" (Joshua 17:6). So the rule given to a few became the privilege of all.
God had honoured their faith. This chapter draws a boundary around it. One writer sees a danger in the very height faith had given them:
The faith of the daughters was most lovely. But there was just a danger. Faith had raised them to a high place, and there they might forget the claims of others and move the landmarks that protected their fathers' inheritance… We need a guard on every side, so that faith and the testimony keep their integrity. However strong our faith, we are not to force things through with a high hand and a strong will. We should always be ready to yield to the adjusting power of the whole truth of God.
Another writer sets the two decisions side by side:
The earlier account honoured their faith. This one acts as a guard, and stamps order on the matter. It secures the glory of God and avoids confusion among men… On the one hand, God's goodness let the daughters inherit if there was no son. On the other hand, the inheritance could not pass out of the tribe of their fathers.
The verse ends with the inheritance still in its place. One writer looks past the land law to what it pictures:
Weakness may have come in. The lack of male heirs seems to put the inheritance into the hands of others, and the jubilee itself would then stop it passing back out of their hands. But everything must give way to the first great need: the inheritance God allotted must stay with those He allotted it to. Nothing shall change this; nothing, blessed be God, shall stop any of His own from enjoying for eternity the inheritance prepared.
One writer brings the tribal boundary over into Christian marriage:
In the Church of God today there are no tribes, for it is "one body," but Scripture warns believers not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers (2 Cor. 6:14), a matter every believer should watch closely. It is good that these young women submitted to these instructions, and married within their tribe.
- Honoured — God honoured the daughters' faith and gave them a share in the land.
- Guarded — strong faith still needs limits. This chapter guards the claims of others too.
- Obeyed — they treated a ruling given for their own case as the Lord's command, and acted on it.
- Widened — a ruling for one family became the rule for a whole tribe and beyond.
- Kept — the inheritance stayed where God allotted it. Nothing will stop His own from enjoying the portion prepared for them.