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.