Numbers36

The chief fathers of Gilead approached Moses, concerned that if Zelophehad's daughters married outside their tribe, their inherited land would transfer, diminishing Manasseh's portion. Moses, by divine command, decreed that daughters inheriting land must marry within their father's tribal family to preserve tribal land boundaries. The daughters of Zelophehad complied, ensuring their inheritance remained with Manasseh.

The Manassehites Raise a Legal Concern

1
The leaders of the clans of the family of the descendants of Gil'ad, the son of Machir, the son of M'nasheh, of the families of the descendants of Yosef, approached and addressed Moshe and the leaders, the heads of the clans of the people of Isra'el. ​
2
They said, "ADONAI ordered my lord to give by lot the land to be inherited by the people of Isra'el, and my lord was ordered by ADONAI to give the inheritance of our kinsman Tz'lof'chad to his daughters. ​
3
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. ​
4
And when the yovel of the people of Isra'el comes, their inheritance will be added to the land possessed by the tribe they will then belong to and be subtracted from the inheritance belonging to the tribe of our ancestors." ​

God’s Command Regarding Tribal Inheritance

5
Moshe gave this order to the people of Isra'el, in keeping with the word of ADONAI : "The tribe of the descendants of Yosef is right in what it says. ​
6
Here is what ADONAI has ordered concerning the daughters of Tz'lof'chad: 'Let them be married to whomever they think best, but they must marry only into a family from their father's tribe. ​
7
In this way no inheritance of the people of Isra'el will move from one tribe to another; for each of the people of Isra'el is to hold on to the land for inheritance belonging to his father's tribe. ​
8
Every daughter who possesses an inheritance in any tribe of the people of Isra'el is to become the wife of someone from the family of her father's tribe, so that every one of the people of Isra'el will stay in possession of his ancestors' inheritance. ​
9
Thus no inheritance will move from one tribe to another, for each of the tribes of the people of Isra'el will hold on to its own inheritance."

Compliance and Conclusion

10
The daughters of Tz'lof'chad did as ADONAI had ordered Moshe.
11
Machlah, Tirtzah, Hoglah, Milkah and No'ah all got married to sons of their father's brothers. ​
12
They were married into the families of the descendants of M'nasheh the son of Yosef, and their inheritance remained in the tribe of their father's family.
13
These are the mitzvot and rulings which ADONAI gave through Moshe to the people of Isra'el in the plains of Mo'av by the Yarden, across from Yericho. 4 1-2 ​

Study Notes for Numbers 36

Verse 1

The leaders of the clan of Gilead approach Moses to address a potential loophole in the land inheritance law concerning Zelophehad's daughters (first discussed in Num 27).

Verse 2

They correctly reference the previous divine command that allowed women (in the absence of sons) to inherit land, but they foresee a consequence that threatens the divinely ordered tribal boundaries.

Verse 3

The concern centers on the patrilineal nature of Israelite land ownership. If the daughters marry outside Manasseh, their descendants would belong to the husband’s tribe, and the inherited land would eventually shift tribes.

Verse 4

The Jubilee year (Leviticus 25) was the ultimate mechanism for resolving land ownership disputes. The Gileadites feared that the Jubilee would legally finalize the transfer of their tribal land to the receiving tribe.

Verse 5

Moses affirms that the Gileadites have raised a valid concern. This demonstrates the dynamic nature of Mosaic Law, which required judicial clarification when new situations arose from previous rulings.

Verse 6

The divine compromise allows the daughters personal freedom of choice ('marry to whom they think best') while restricting that choice strictly to members of their father’s ancestral clan, thus keeping the inheritance within the tribe.

Verse 7

This ruling establishes the foundational principle that the covenantal land distribution must remain fixed. Maintaining tribal boundaries was essential for preserving the identity and stability of the twelve tribes.

Verse 8

This verse broadens the ruling into a permanent statute applicable to any daughter in Israel who might inherit property, ensuring that lands remain perpetually within the tribe of origin.

Verse 11

The daughters comply by marrying their cousins (their father’s brothers’ sons), thereby ensuring the land remains within the immediate family lineage of Manasseh, demonstrating faithfulness to the Law.

Verse 13

This verse serves as the concluding colophon (summary statement) for the entire legal section of the Book of Numbers, encompassing all the laws delivered while Israel was encamped in the plains of Moab.

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