seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Numbers 36:1 The family heads of the clan of Gilead son of Makir, the son of Manasseh, who were from the clans of the descendants of Joseph, came and spoke before Moses and the leaders, the heads of the Israelite families. 2 They said, “When the Lord commanded my lord to give the land as an inheritance to the Israelites by lot, he ordered you to give the inheritance of our brother Zelophehad to his daughters. 3 Now suppose they marry men from other Israelite tribes; then their inheritance will be taken from our ancestral inheritance and added to that of the tribe they marry into. And so part of the inheritance allotted to us will be taken away. 4 When the Year of Jubilee for the Israelites comes, their inheritance will be added to that of the tribe into which they marry, and their property will be taken from the tribal inheritance of our ancestors.”
5 Then at the Lord’s command Moses gave this order to the Israelites: “What the tribe of the descendants of Joseph is saying is right. 6 This is what the Lord commands for Zelophehad’s daughters: They may marry anyone they please as long as they marry within their father’s tribal clan. 7 No inheritance in Israel is to pass from one tribe to another, for every Israelite shall keep the tribal inheritance of their ancestors. 8 Every daughter who inherits land in any Israelite tribe must marry someone in her father’s tribal clan, so that every Israelite will possess the inheritance of their ancestors. 9 No inheritance may pass from one tribe to another, for each Israelite tribe is to keep the land it inherits.”
10 So Zelophehad’s daughters did as the Lord commanded Moses. 11 Zelophehad’s daughters—Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milkah and Noah—married their cousins on their father’s side. 12 They married within the clans of the descendants of Manasseh son of Joseph, and their inheritance remained in their father’s tribe and clan.
13 These are the commands and regulations the Lord gave through Moses to the Israelites on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho.
5 Then at the Lord’s command Moses gave this order to the Israelites: “What the tribe of the descendants of Joseph is saying is right. 6 This is what the Lord commands for Zelophehad’s daughters: They may marry anyone they please as long as they marry within their father’s tribal clan. 7 No inheritance in Israel is to pass from one tribe to another, for every Israelite shall keep the tribal inheritance of their ancestors. 8 Every daughter who inherits land in any Israelite tribe must marry someone in her father’s tribal clan, so that every Israelite will possess the inheritance of their ancestors. 9 No inheritance may pass from one tribe to another, for each Israelite tribe is to keep the land it inherits.”
10 So Zelophehad’s daughters did as the Lord commanded Moses. 11 Zelophehad’s daughters—Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milkah and Noah—married their cousins on their father’s side. 12 They married within the clans of the descendants of Manasseh son of Joseph, and their inheritance remained in their father’s tribe and clan.
13 These are the commands and regulations the Lord gave through Moses to the Israelites on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho.
I was so happy when the Zelophehad daughters were awarded a piece of the lottery in place of their father. That was back in Numbers 27 and I posted it here back on April 18th. Now I find that in order to be fair.... they had to marry anyone they wanted as long as it was these certain men!
Here's what the easy English site says.
However, this new law caused a problem. When a woman married, her land became her husband’s property. So, if her husband belonged to a different tribe, her tribe would lose that land. So, the leaders of Gilead’s clan in Manasseh’s tribe came to Moses and the other leaders. Zelophehad’s daughters, from Manasseh’s tribe, had inherited their father’s land. But this land would not belong to Manasseh’s tribe if Zelophehad’s daughters married men from other tribes.
The leaders from Gilead’s clan referred to the Year of Jubilee (Leviticus chapter 25). This was a special year that happened every 50th year. During this special year, when people had sold land, they received the right to own that land again. The purpose of this rule was to make sure that families and tribes would always keep their own land. But this rule would not operate correctly if women inherited property. For example, if Zelophehad’s daughters married, their land would belong to their husbands’ tribes. Women could not own land legally after they had married. The effect would be that the husbands’ tribes could claim this land during the Year of Jubilee.
The leaders from Gilead’s clan referred to the Year of Jubilee (Leviticus chapter 25). This was a special year that happened every 50th year. During this special year, when people had sold land, they received the right to own that land again. The purpose of this rule was to make sure that families and tribes would always keep their own land. But this rule would not operate correctly if women inherited property. For example, if Zelophehad’s daughters married, their land would belong to their husbands’ tribes. Women could not own land legally after they had married. The effect would be that the husbands’ tribes could claim this land during the Year of Jubilee.
So, with the loophole closed and everyone must have gone back to getting ready to invade the Promised Land... maybe....
Here's what that new commentary site giantsforchrist has to offer.
And with that, we conclude the book of Numbers. The Israelites are now encamped in the plains of Moab adjacent to the Jordan river, opposite Jericho. They are preparing for the invasion with Moses detailing many laws related to the land, which is uniquely relevant given their impending invasion. However, we are not yet ready to conquer the promised land. Next we are going to read the book of Deuteronomy as Moses just keeps talking. I kid you not: 34 chapters of Moses talking virtually non-stop. I'm not going to steal my own thunder and give the introduction to Deuteronomy here, however: onward!
