About Numbers

Numbers records Israel's forty years of wandering in the wilderness due to unbelief, yet shows God's faithfulness in preserving the nation.

Author: MosesWritten: c. 1445-1405 BCReading time: ~2 minVerses: 13
FaithfulnessRebellionWanderingGod's PatienceJudgmentPromise

King James Version

Numbers 36

13 verses with commentary

Inheritance Laws for Women

And the chief fathers of the families of the children of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, of the families of the sons of Joseph, came near, and spake before Moses, and before the princes, the chief fathers of the children of Israel:

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KJV Study Commentary

The family heads of Gilead (Joseph's descendants through Manasseh) coming before Moses demonstrates responsible leadership concerned about tribal integrity. Their question about the daughters of Zelophehad's inheritance addresses the practical implications of earlier rulings. If the daughters marry outside their tribe, their inherited land would pass to another tribe, permanently diminishing Manas...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**6-19. Moses said unto the children of Gad and to the children of Reuben, Shall your brethren go to war, and shall ye sit here--**Their language was ambiguous; and Moses, suspicious that this proposal was an act of unbelief, a scheme of self-policy and indolence to escape the perils of warfare and live in ease and safety, addressed to them a reproachful and passionate remonstrance. Whether they h...
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And they said, The LORD commanded my lord to give the land for an inheritance by lot to the children of Israel: and my lord was commanded by the LORD to give the inheritance of Zelophehad our brother unto his daughters.

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KJV Study Commentary

The reference to God's command that land be given by lot establishes the divine origin of land distribution. The leaders' concern isn't with overturning earlier decisions but with preserving the system's integrity. They acknowledge both the LORD's command to give the daughters inheritance and the principle that tribal allocations are permanent. This demonstrates that God's commands don't contradic...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**6-19. Moses said unto the children of Gad and to the children of Reuben, Shall your brethren go to war, and shall ye sit here--**Their language was ambiguous; and Moses, suspicious that this proposal was an act of unbelief, a scheme of self-policy and indolence to escape the perils of warfare and live in ease and safety, addressed to them a reproachful and passionate remonstrance. Whether they h...
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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. whereunto: Heb. unto whom they shall be

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>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</strong>—The Hebrew <em>nachalah</em> (נַחֲלָה, 'inheritance') refers not merely to property but to covenant identity rooted in tribal land allotment. The concern raised by Zelophehad's daughters' male relatives addresses a genui...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**6-19. Moses said unto the children of Gad and to the children of Reuben, Shall your brethren go to war, and shall ye sit here--**Their language was ambiguous; and Moses, suspicious that this proposal was an act of unbelief, a scheme of self-policy and indolence to escape the perils of warfare and live in ease and safety, addressed to them a reproachful and passionate remonstrance. Whether they h...
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And when the jubile of the children of Israel shall be, then shall their inheritance be put unto the inheritance of the tribe whereunto they are received: so shall their inheritance be taken away from the inheritance of the tribe of our fathers.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And when the jubile of the children of Israel shall be, then shall their inheritance be put unto the inheritance of the tribe whereunto they are received</strong>—The <em>yovel</em> (יוֹבֵל, 'jubilee,' every 50th year) normally restored sold land to original tribal owners (Leviticus 25:10-28). However, if heiresses married into other tribes, even jubilee couldn't restore land to the origin...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(4) **And when the jubile of the children of Israel shall be.**—Up to the year of jubile it was possible that the inheritance might revert to the tribe of Manasseh, either by purchase, or as the result of the marriages of the daughters proving childless. At the jubile the transfer of the inheritance to the tribe or tribes into which the daughters of Zelophehad might have married would become perma...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**6-19. Moses said unto the children of Gad and to the children of Reuben, Shall your brethren go to war, and shall ye sit here--**Their language was ambiguous; and Moses, suspicious that this proposal was an act of unbelief, a scheme of self-policy and indolence to escape the perils of warfare and live in ease and safety, addressed to them a reproachful and passionate remonstrance. Whether they h...
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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.

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KJV Study Commentary

Moses' command 'according to the word of the LORD' establishes that the solution comes from divine wisdom, not human compromise. The verdict that Zelophehad's daughters may marry whom they wish 'only to the family of the tribe of their father' balances their individual freedom with tribal integrity. They have both rights (to inherit, to choose husbands) and responsibilities (to preserve tribal bou...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(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” (Numbers 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 ...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**6-19. Moses said unto the children of Gad and to the children of Reuben, Shall your brethren go to war, and shall ye sit here--**Their language was ambiguous; and Moses, suspicious that this proposal was an act of unbelief, a scheme of self-policy and indolence to escape the perils of warfare and live in ease and safety, addressed to them a reproachful and passionate remonstrance. Whether they h...
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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. marry: Heb. be wives

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KJV Study Commentary

God addresses the inheritance rights of Zelophehad's daughters, commanding they marry within their father's tribe to preserve tribal inheritance. This supplementary law balances two principles: women's inheritance rights (Num 27:1-11) and tribal land preservation. The phrase 'let them marry to whom they think best' shows God grants freedom within His boundaries - liberty with limits. This case dem...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**6-19. Moses said unto the children of Gad and to the children of Reuben, Shall your brethren go to war, and shall ye sit here--**Their language was ambiguous; and Moses, suspicious that this proposal was an act of unbelief, a scheme of self-policy and indolence to escape the perils of warfare and live in ease and safety, addressed to them a reproachful and passionate remonstrance. Whether they h...
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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. keep: Heb. cleave to the, etc

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KJV Study Commentary

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.' This verse establishes the principle that tribal inheritances should remain within their designated tribe. The Hebrew 'nachalah' (נַחֲלָה, inheritance) refers to the permanent possession God allocated to each ...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**6-19. Moses said unto the children of Gad and to the children of Reuben, Shall your brethren go to war, and shall ye sit here--**Their language was ambiguous; and Moses, suspicious that this proposal was an act of unbelief, a scheme of self-policy and indolence to escape the perils of warfare and live in ease and safety, addressed to them a reproachful and passionate remonstrance. Whether they h...
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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.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>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</strong>—The Hebrew construction emphasizes universality: <em>kol bat yoresheth nachalah</em> (כָּל־בַּת יֹרֶשֶׁת נַחֲלָה, 'every daughter possessing inheritance'). This wasn't merely advice but divine legislation ensuring tribal boundar...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(8, 9) **And every daughter, that possesseth an inheritance . . . —**The particular direction which was given in the case of the daughters of Zelophehad is extended in these verses into a general and permanent law that no heiress in Israel should marry out of her father’s tribe, in order that the inheritance might not be transferred from one tribe to another, and thus, in process of time, the divi...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**6-19. Moses said unto the children of Gad and to the children of Reuben, Shall your brethren go to war, and shall ye sit here--**Their language was ambiguous; and Moses, suspicious that this proposal was an act of unbelief, a scheme of self-policy and indolence to escape the perils of warfare and live in ease and safety, addressed to them a reproachful and passionate remonstrance. Whether they h...
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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.

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KJV Study Commentary

God commands: '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.' This reiteration emphasizes the importance of maintaining tribal inheritances. The repetition (cf. v.7) stresses that this isn't suggestion but divine command. Each tribe's inheritance was God's specific gift, not to ...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**6-19. Moses said unto the children of Gad and to the children of Reuben, Shall your brethren go to war, and shall ye sit here--**Their language was ambiguous; and Moses, suspicious that this proposal was an act of unbelief, a scheme of self-policy and indolence to escape the perils of warfare and live in ease and safety, addressed to them a reproachful and passionate remonstrance. Whether they h...
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Even as the LORD commanded Moses, so did the daughters of Zelophehad:

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Even as the LORD commanded Moses, so did the daughters of Zelophehad</strong>—The Hebrew phrase <em>ka'asher tzivah YHWH et-Moshe</em> (כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוָּה יְהוָה אֶת־מֹשֶׁה, 'just as Yahweh commanded Moses') emphasizes complete obedience. These women who boldly approached Moses requesting inheritance rights (Numbers 27:1-4) now humbly submitted to marriage restrictions for the greater good. ...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**6-19. Moses said unto the children of Gad and to the children of Reuben, Shall your brethren go to war, and shall ye sit here--**Their language was ambiguous; and Moses, suspicious that this proposal was an act of unbelief, a scheme of self-policy and indolence to escape the perils of warfare and live in ease and safety, addressed to them a reproachful and passionate remonstrance. Whether they h...
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For Mahlah, Tirzah, and Hoglah, and Milcah, and Noah, the daughters of Zelophehad, were married unto their father's brothers' sons:

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>For Mahlah, Tirzah, and Hoglah, and Milcah, and Noah, the daughters of Zelophehad, were married unto their father's brothers' sons</strong>—The specific naming of all five daughters and their marriages to paternal cousins (Hebrew <em>benei dodeihem</em>, בְּנֵי דֹדֵיהֶם, 'sons of their uncles') provides concrete historical closure to their case. Cousin marriage, common in ancient Near East...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(11) **Were married unto their father’s brothers’ sons.**—Better, *unto the sons of their near kinsmen. *The word *dod *generally denotes *an uncle *on the father’s side, and probably does so in the present case; but in Jeremiah 32:12 it seems to denote *a cousin.* #define description=DESC #define abbreviation=ABBR #define comments=CMTS #define version=3 Ellicott's Commentary for English Reade...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**6-19. Moses said unto the children of Gad and to the children of Reuben, Shall your brethren go to war, and shall ye sit here--**Their language was ambiguous; and Moses, suspicious that this proposal was an act of unbelief, a scheme of self-policy and indolence to escape the perils of warfare and live in ease and safety, addressed to them a reproachful and passionate remonstrance. Whether they h...
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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. into: Heb. to some that were of the families

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KJV Study Commentary

Zelophehad's daughters 'were married into the families of the sons of Manasseh... and their inheritance remained in the tribe of the family of their father.' Their obedient compliance with God's law preserved both their inheritance rights and tribal integrity. The Hebrew 'hayah' (remained/continued) indicates successful preservation of the intent. Their willing obedience, though potentially limiti...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**6-19. Moses said unto the children of Gad and to the children of Reuben, Shall your brethren go to war, and shall ye sit here--**Their language was ambiguous; and Moses, suspicious that this proposal was an act of unbelief, a scheme of self-policy and indolence to escape the perils of warfare and live in ease and safety, addressed to them a reproachful and passionate remonstrance. Whether they h...
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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.

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KJV Study Commentary

This verse concludes Numbers: '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.' The phrase emphasizes divine origin ('the LORD commanded') and human mediation ('by the hand of Moses'). The specific location - Moab's plains, poised to enter Canaan - marks a transitional moment. Fort...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**6-19. Moses said unto the children of Gad and to the children of Reuben, Shall your brethren go to war, and shall ye sit here--**Their language was ambiguous; and Moses, suspicious that this proposal was an act of unbelief, a scheme of self-policy and indolence to escape the perils of warfare and live in ease and safety, addressed to them a reproachful and passionate remonstrance. Whether they h...
Read full commentary →

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