(The Lord speaking is red text)
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.
But if they get married to anyone belonging to another of the tribes of the people of Isra'el, then their inheritance will be taken away from the inheritance of our ancestors and be added to the inheritance of the tribe they will then belong to; thus it will be taken away from the sum total of our inheritance.
But if they marry any of the men from the other tribes of Israel, their inheritance will be withdrawn from the portion of our fathers and added to the tribe into which they marry. So our allotted inheritance would be taken away.
And if they be married to any of the sons of the other tribes of the children of Israel, then will their inheritance be taken away from the inheritance of our fathers, and will be added to the inheritance of the tribe whereunto they shall belong: so will it be taken away from the lot of our inheritance.
And if they be married{H802} to any{H259} of the sons{H1121} of the other tribes{H7626} of the children{H1121} of Israel{H3478}, then shall their inheritance{H5159} be taken{H1639} from the inheritance{H5159} of our fathers{H1}, and shall be put{H3254} to the inheritance{H5159} of the tribe{H4294} whereunto they are received: so shall it be taken{H1639} from the lot{H1486} of our inheritance{H5159}.
Numbers 36:3 addresses a specific legal issue concerning property rights and inheritance within the context of ancient Israelite society. The verse is part of a broader conversation that takes place toward the end of the Book of Numbers, which deals with the apportionment of the Promised Land among the tribes of Israel. The historical context is the Israelites' preparation to enter and distribute the land of Canaan, which God promised to their ancestors.
In this verse, the concern is raised by the daughters of Zelophehad, who belonged to the tribe of Manasseh. These women had previously approached Moses with a request that they be allowed to inherit their father's property since he had no sons (Numbers 27:1-11). God had granted their request, establishing a precedent that daughters could inherit property in the absence of sons.
However, a new issue arose: what would happen if these women married men from other Israelite tribes? Numbers 36:3 articulates the concern that if such intertribal marriages occurred, the inherited property could be transferred out of the original tribe (Manasseh, in this case) to the husband's tribe. This could potentially disrupt the established tribal land allocations and inheritance rights.
The verse reflects the broader themes of justice, equity, and the preservation of tribal identity and land ownership within Israelite society. It underscores the importance of maintaining a balance between individual rights and the collective well-being of the tribe. The legal stipulation outlined in this verse was designed to ensure that tribal lands remained within the tribe, preserving the integrity of the land distribution system that God had commanded. This was crucial for maintaining the social and economic structure of Israelite society as they prepared to settle in the Promised Land.
*This commentary is produced by Microsoft/WizardLM-2-8x22B AI model
Note: H = Hebrew (OT), G = Greek (NT)