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Numbers 36

KJ3 Literal Translation — Chapter 36 of 36

1 And the heads of the fathers of the families of the sons of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, of the families of the sons of Joseph, came near. And they spoke before Moses, and before the rulers, the heads of the fathers' houses of the sons of Israel.

2 And they said: Jehovah commanded my lord to give the land for inheritance by lot to the sons of Israel. And my lord was commanded by Jehovah to give the inheritance of our brother Zelophehad to his daughters.

3 And if they shall be for wives to one of the sons of the other tribes of the sons of Israel, then their inheritance will be taken away from the inheritance of our fathers and will be added to the inheritance of the tribe to which they shall belong. So it shall be taken away from the lot of our inheritance.

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Chapter Summary

The tribe of Manasseh raises a concern about the daughters of Zelophehad: if they marry outside their tribe, their inheritance will be transferred to another tribe. God commands that they must marry within their father's tribe to preserve tribal inheritances. The daughters comply with this ruling.

Key Hebrew Words

נַחֲלָה inheritance H5159 · TWOT 1342a
מַטֶּה tribe H4294 · TWOT 1352b
גּוֹרָל lot (land allotment) H1486 · TWOT 381a
יוֹבֵל Jubilee H3104 · TWOT 835e
דָּבַק cling / hold fast H1692 · TWOT 398
בַּת daughter H1323 · TWOT 254b

People & Context

Moses

Conveys Jehovah's ruling that Zelophehad's daughters marry within their father's tribe

Mahlah

Daughter of Zelophehad who marries her father's brothers' sons, keeping the inheritance in Manasseh

Tirzah

Daughter of Zelophehad who marries within her tribe to preserve the family land

Hoglah

Daughter of Zelophehad who complies by marrying a kinsman of her father's tribe

Milcah

Daughter of Zelophehad who marries within Manasseh to retain her inheritance

Noah

Daughter of Zelophehad who marries her cousin, keeping her portion within the tribe

Timeline

Zelophehad's Daughters Must Marry Within Tribe

To prevent inherited land from passing from one tribe to another, a final inheritance rule is established requiring female heirs to marry within the family of their father's tribe. Zelophehad's five daughters comply by marrying their cousins within the tribe of Manasseh.

Numbers 36:1-13

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