Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Numbers 36:5
And Moses commanded the children of Israel according to the word of the LORD, saying, The tribe of the sons of Joseph hath said well.
Their plea is just and reasonable. God did not take particular care about every occurrence that happened, or might happen, but left divers things to be found out by human prudence, which being his own gift, it was meet there should be opportunities left for the exercise of it; and God thought fit to approve and ratify the prudent and profitable inventions of men by his own law or sanction; as in the case of Jethro, Exo 18, of Zelophehads daughter, Num 27, and here of their brethren. But it is observable, that God allowed this only in civil affairs, but never in the matters of his worship, where he utterly forbids it.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
5-12. Moses commanded the childrenof Israel according to the word of the LordThe plea appearedjust and reasonable; and, accordingly an enactment was made by whichthe daughters of Zelophehad, while left to the free choice of theirhusbands, were restricted to marry not only within their own tribe,but within the family of their father’s tribethat is, oneof their cousins. This restriction, however, was imposed only onthose who were heiresses. The law was not applicable to daughters indifferent circumstances (1Ch23:22) for they might marry into another tribe; but if theydid so, they were liable to forfeit their patrimonial inheritance,which, on the death of their father or brothers, went to the nearestof the family kinsmen. Here was an instance of progressivelegislation (see also Ex 18:27)in Israel, the enactments made being suggested by circumstances. Butit is deserving of special notice that those additions to, ormodifications of, the law were confined to civil affairs; while theslightest change was inadmissible in the laws relating to worship orthe maintenance of religion.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And Moses commanded the children of Israel,…. Even all the tribes of Israel, whom the following law concerned, as well as the tribe of Manasseh:
according to the word of the Lord; whom no doubt he consulted on this occasion, as he did when the daughters of Zelophehad applied unto him about the inheritance of their father:
saying, the tribe of the sons of Joseph hath said well; in showing such a concern for the welfare of their tribe; the consideration of which would be of service to them all, and therefore was worthy of notice. Aben Ezra observes, that the heads of the fathers spoke for the sake of every tribe, what was for the good of them all, and therefore was well spoken.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Moses declared that what they had affirmed was right ( ), and then, by command of Jehovah, he told the daughters of Zelophehad that they might marry whoever pleased them (the suffix , attached to , for , as in Exo 1:21; Gen 31:9, etc.), but that he must belong to the family of their father’s tribe, that is to say, must be a Manassite. For (Num 36:7) the inheritance was not to turn away the Israelites from one tribe to another (not to be transferred from one to another), but every Israelite was to keep to the inheritance of his father’s tribe, and no one was to enter upon the possession of another tribe by marrying an heiress belonging to that tribe. This is afterwards extended, in Num 36:8 and Num 36:9, into a general law for every heiress in Israel.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
5 And Moses commanded the children of Israel according to the word of the LORD, saying, The tribe of the sons of Joseph hath said well. 6 This is the thing which the LORD doth command concerning the daughters of Zelophehad, saying, Let them marry to whom they think best; only to the family of the tribe of their father shall they marry. 7 So shall not the inheritance of the children of Israel remove from tribe to tribe: for every one of the children of Israel shall keep himself to the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers. 8 And every daughter, that possesseth an inheritance in any tribe of the children of Israel, shall be wife unto one of the family of the tribe of her father, that the children of Israel may enjoy every man the inheritance of his fathers. 9 Neither shall the inheritance remove from one tribe to another tribe; but every one of the tribes of the children of Israel shall keep himself to his own inheritance. 10 Even as the LORD commanded Moses, so did the daughters of Zelophehad: 11 For Mahlah, Tirzah, and Hoglah, and Milcah, and Noah, the daughters of Zelophehad, were married unto their father’s brothers’ sons: 12 And they were married into the families of the sons of Manasseh the son of Joseph, and their inheritance remained in the tribe of the family of their father. 13 These are the commandments and the judgments, which the LORD commanded by the hand of Moses unto the children of Israel in the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho.
Here is, I. The matter settled by express order from God between the daughters of Zelophehad and the rest of the tribe of Manasseh. The petition is assented to, and care taken to prevent the inconvenience feared: The tribe of the sons of Joseph hath said well, v. 5. Thus those that consult the oracles of God concerning the making of their heavenly inheritance sure shall not only be directed what to do, but their enquiries shall be graciously accepted, and they shall have not only their well done, but their well said, good and faithful servant. Now the matter is thus accommodated: these heiresses must be obliged to marry, not only within their own tribe of Manasseh, but within the particular family of the Hepherites, to which they did belong. 1. They are not determined to any particular persons; there was choice enough in the family of their father: Let them marry to whom they think best. As children must preserve the authority of their parents, and not marry against their minds, so parents must consult the affections of their children in disposing of them, and not compel them to marry such as they cannot love. Forced marriages are not likely to prove blessings. 2. Yet they are confined to their own relations, that their inheritance may not go to another family. God would have them know that the land being to be divided by lot, the disposal whereof was of the Lord, they could not mend, and therefore should not alter, his appointment. The inheritances must not remove from tribe to tribe (v. 7), lest there should be confusion among them, their estates entangled, and their genealogies perplexed. God would not have one tribe to be enriched by the straitening and impoverishing of another, since they were all alike the seed of Abraham his friend.
II. The law, in this particular case, was made perpetual, and to be observed whenever hereafter the like case should happen, v. 8. Those that were not heiresses might marry into what tribe they pleased (though we may suppose that, ordinarily, they kept within their own tribe), but those that were must either quit their claim to the inheritance or marry one of their own family, that each of the tribes might keep to its own inheritance, and one tribe might not encroach upon another, but throughout their generations there might remain immovable the ancient landmarks, set, not by their fathers, but by the God of their fathers.
III. The submission of the daughters of Zelophehad to this appointment. How could they but marry well, and to their satisfaction, when God himself directed them? They married their father’s brothers’ sons, v. 10-12. By this it appears, 1. That the marriage of cousin-germans is not in itself unlawful, nor within the degrees prohibited, for then God would not have countenanced these marriages. But, 2. That ordinarily it is not advisable; for, if there had not been a particular reason for it (which cannot hold in any case now, inheritances being not disposed of as then by the special designation of Heaven), they would not have married such near relations. The world is wide, and he that walks uprightly will endeavour to walk surely.
IV. The conclusion of this whole book, referring to the latter part of it: These are the judgments which the Lord commanded in the plains of Moab (v. 13), these foregoing, ever since ch. xxvi., most of which related to their settlement in Canaan, into which they were now entering. Whatever new condition God is by his providence bringing us into, we must beg of him to teach us the duty of it, and to enable us to do it, that we may do the work of the day in its day, of the place in its place.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
Verses 5-9:
Moses clarified the inheritance law, by the “word of Jehovah.” The daughters of Zelophehad were free to marry whom they chose, but only within the tribe-family of their father. This became a precedent in Israel, which applied to all matters dealing with inheritance by heiresses. This provision assured that there would be no transfer of tribal possession from one tribe to another.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
5. And Moses commanded the children of Israel. The account here given is not identical with the previous one, that Moses referred the matter to God; yet the same thing is more briefly stated, viz., that Moses answered the people out of the mouth of God, from whence we infer that God was consulted by him. Moreover, God not only decides in favor of the children of Manasseh, but approves of their appeal, in that they were contented with their allotment, and claim for themselves what could not be alienated without the violation of the Divine decree. From this particular occasion, a general law is laid down, that no woman to whom an inheritance had fallen, was to marry out of her tribe, because she would defraud her own relatives of her marriage portion. In this way, however, a free permission to marry was accorded to females, provided they renounced their paternal inheritance. The words, indeed, seem to be of wider application, i e., that no man should marry a wife, except of his own kindred; but the meaning of the law is to be sought from the cause which led to its enactment. Moreover, there is no doubt but that promiscuous marriages are here forbidden, in so far as they confound the order of hereditary rights.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(5) And Moses commanded the children of Israel according to the word of the Lord.In regard to the application made by the daughters of Zelophehad to Moses and Eleazar and the princes, it is said that Moses brought their cause before the Lord (Num. 27:5). In the present case there is no express declaration made to the same effect; but there can be no doubt that the statement contained in this verse, that Moses commanded the children of Israel according to the word of the Lord, and that contained in Num. 36:6, This is the thing which the Lord doth command, imply that Moses had committed this cause also to the Lord, and that he had received direction from Him.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
5. Tribe of the sons of Joseph Nominally there was no tribe of Joseph, but really two tribes, Ephraim and Manasseh; so that Joseph was treated as the firstborn, so far as the inheritance was concerned. Gen 48:5; 1Ch 5:2, note. The text specially refers to the tribe of Manasseh, to which these heiresses belonged.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
The Faithfulness of the Daughters of Zelophehad ( Num 36:5-12 ).
Analysis.
a The women are to marry whom they think fit but within the family of the tribe of their father (within the clan) (Num 36:5-6).
b Thus no inheritance will remove from tribe to tribe for the children of Israel will cleave every one to the tribe of his fathers (Num 36:7).
c Every woman who inherits land from her father shall be wife to one who is of the family of the tribe of her father (Num 36:8 a)
c This is so that the children of Israel may possess every man the inheritance of his fathers (Num 36:8 b).
b Thus no inheritance will remove from tribe to tribe for the children of Israel will cleave every one to the tribe of his fathers (Num 36:9).
a This was what the daughters of Zelophehad did, marrying their father’s brothers sons, thus they were married to Manassites and the inheritance remained in the tribe of the family of their father (Num 36:10-12).
Moses Confirms The Essential Rightness of Their Position.
Num 36:5
‘And Moses commanded the children of Israel according to the word of Yahweh, saying, “The tribe of the sons of Joseph speak what is right.”
The first point was an immediate acknowledgement about the rightness of their position. Let all the tribes know that what these sons of Joseph say is right. Their land is secured to them by Yahweh, and He will not allow any of it to be taken away from them.
Num 36:6
“ This is the thing which Yahweh commands concerning the daughters of Zelophehad, saying, Let them be married to whom they think best; only into the family of the tribe of their father shall they be married.”
So while the decision concerning the daughters of Zelophehad stood firm, it was incumbent on them to respond to Yahweh’s goodness by marrying into their own clan. They had the right to choose whom they would, as long as it was within that clan.
Num 36:7
“ So shall no inheritance of the children of Israel remove from tribe to tribe; for the children of Israel shall cleave every one to the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers.”
The result would be that no inheritance would remove from tribe to tribe, and the children of Israel would each cleave to that land originally given to them by lot.
Num 36:8
“ And every daughter, who possesses an inheritance in any tribe of the children of Israel, shall be wife to one of the family of the tribe of her father, that the children of Israel may possess every man the inheritance of his fathers.”
So every daughter who possessed an inheritance in any tribe of the children of Israel would by this restriction to marrying within the family of the tribe of their fathers, ensure that the land remained in the clan. And this would ensure that every family in Israel would continually possess what Yahweh had originally given. Here was certainty indeed.
Num 36:9
“ So shall no inheritance remove from one tribe to another tribe; for the tribes of the children of Israel shall cleave every one to his own inheritance.”
And so verse 7 is repeated for emphasis. No inheritance will move from tribe to tribe, and each tribe would have all its allotted land as a permanent inheritance. What they were fighting for was guaranteed and unloseable.
Num 36:10-11
‘Even as Yahweh commanded Moses, so did the daughters of Zelophehad. For Mahlah, Tirzah, and Hoglah, and Milcah, and Noah, the daughters of Zelophehad, were married to their father’s brothers’ sons.’
And then comes the final accolade. These faithful daughters of Zelophehad, whom all now knew by name, did precisely as Yahweh commanded Moses. They married their father’s brothers’ sons. They had believed in the fairness of Yahweh, they had braved the ordeal of the leading assembly of Israel, they had courageously stood firm to plead their cause in the face of all opposition, and now through their faithfulness and courage they had achieved their aim. And they had done so by strict obedience to Yahweh’s commandment. Let them and their faithfulness be a final example to Israel in the light of the prospect of the battles ahead of what happens when men and women are faithful to Yahweh.
Num 36:12
‘They were married into the families of the sons of Manasseh the son of Joseph; and their inheritance remained in the tribe of the family of their father.’
For they were married into the families of the sons of Manasseh, the son of Joseph, their own tribe, and thus ensured that their inheritance would remain in the tribe of the clan of their father, a shining example of faith, courage and obedience and all it would achieve. They had believed and possessed their land, and all land allocated would ultimately be safe to those to whom it would be given.
There could have been no higher note on which the book could end, for it stressed the importance of faith and obedience as the means of possessing the land.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
The Regulation
v. 5. And Moses commanded the children of Israel according to the word of the Lord, v. 6. This is the thing which the Lord doth command concerning the daughters of Zeiophehad, saying, Let them marry, v. 7. So shall not the inheritance of the children of Israel remove from tribe to tribe, v. 8. And every daughter that possesseth an inheritance in any tribe of the children of Israel, v. 9. Neither shall the inheritance remove from one tribe to another tribe; but every one of the tribes of the children of Israel shall keep himself to his own inheritance.
v. 10. Even as the Lord commanded Moses, so did the daughters of Zeiophehad; v. 11. for Mahlah, Tirzah, and Hoglah, and Milcah, and Noah, the daughters of Zeiophehad, were married unto their father’s brothers’ sons, v. 12. And they were married into the families, v. 13. These are the commandments and the judgments,
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
Although in every point of view, politically and nationally considered, this law seems good, yet certainly it had a much higher significance, in the prospect of gospel mercies. JESUS is the Head of the tribe of his people. With him must all alliance be made, and with his people in him. The spiritual law of the gospel is now to this purpose: let the people marry to whom they think best; only to the family of the tribe of JESUS. Or, as the apostle says, be ye not unequally yoked with unbelievers. 2Co 6:14-18 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
word. Hebrew mouth. Put by Figure of speech Metonymy (of Cause), App-6, for what is spoken by it.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
hath said well: Num 27:7, Deu 5:28
Reciprocal: Lev 24:12 – that the mind of the Lord might be showed them
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
36:5 And Moses commanded the children of Israel according to the word of the LORD, saying, The tribe of the sons of Joseph hath said {d} well.
(d) For the tribe could not have continued, if the inheritance which was the maintenance of it should have been alienated to others.