Numbers 36 Study Notes
General
According to 36:13, where were the commands in the final section of Numbers given?
Answer: On Moab's plains beside the Jordan, facing Jericho
Numbers ends by summing up these commands and rules as what the LORD gave Israel through Moses on Moab's plains beside the Jordan, facing Jericho (36:13). Israel had camped there since 22:1, and it was there that Moses would go on to explain the law again in Deuteronomy (Deuteronomy 1:5). Leviticus ends with a similar summary, but its commands were given at Mount Sinai (Leviticus 27:34). The book closes with Israel poised at the edge of the promised land, with God's instructions for life in it.
- Numbers 36:13 (BSB)“These are the commandments and ordinances that the LORD gave the Israelites through Moses on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho.”Summarizes the commands the LORD gave through Moses on the plains of Moab.
- Numbers 22:1 (BSB)“Then the Israelites traveled on and camped in the plains of Moab near the Jordan, across from Jericho.”Israel had camped on the plains of Moab across from Jericho since this point.
- Deuteronomy 1:5 (BSB)“On the east side of the Jordan in the land of Moab, Moses began to explain this law, saying:”Moses begins explaining the law in the land of Moab east of the Jordan.
- Leviticus 27:34 (BSB)“These are the commandments that the LORD gave to Moses for the Israelites on Mount Sinai.”Leviticus closes with a parallel summary locating its commands at Mount Sinai.
Theological
What setting does the closing summary of Numbers (36:13) give for the preceding commands?
Answer: Moab's plains beside the Jordan, facing Jericho
The book's colophon identifies the commands and ordinances as given by the LORD through Moses on Moab's plains beside the Jordan, facing Jericho (36:13), Israel's camp since 22:1 and the setting of Moses' exposition of the law in Deuteronomy (Deuteronomy 1:5). The formula parallels Leviticus 27:34, which locates the Levitical legislation at Sinai. Numbers thus ends with the new generation on the threshold of the land, equipped with the LORD's word for life within it.
- Numbers 36:13 (BSB)“These are the commandments and ordinances that the LORD gave the Israelites through Moses on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho.”Summarizes the commands the LORD gave through Moses on the plains of Moab.
- Numbers 22:1 (BSB)“Then the Israelites traveled on and camped in the plains of Moab near the Jordan, across from Jericho.”Israel had camped on the plains of Moab across from Jericho since this point.
- Deuteronomy 1:5 (BSB)“On the east side of the Jordan in the land of Moab, Moses began to explain this law, saying:”Moses begins explaining the law in the land of Moab east of the Jordan.
- Leviticus 27:34 (BSB)“These are the commandments that the LORD gave to Moses for the Israelites on Mount Sinai.”Leviticus closes with a parallel summary locating its commands at Mount Sinai.
General
According to 36:10-12, what did Zelophehad's daughters do?
Answer: They married their father's brothers' sons, as commanded
The daughters did just what the LORD had told Moses (36:10). All five sisters married sons of their father's brothers, inside Manasseh's clans, so their inheritance stayed in their father's tribe (36:11-12). Their obedience is a model of doing what God says without turning aside (Deuteronomy 5:32). Later, in Joshua's day, they came forward and received the land God had promised them (Joshua 17:3-4).
- Numbers 36:10-12 (BSB)“So the daughters of Zelophehad did as the LORD had commanded Moses. Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Noah, the daughters of Zelophehad, were married to cousins on their father’s side. They married within the clans of the descendants of Manasseh son of Joseph, and their inheritance remained within the tribe of their father’s clan.”The daughters obey and marry within Manasseh, keeping their inheritance in the tribe.
- Deuteronomy 5:32 (BSB)“So be careful to do as the LORD your God has commanded you; you are not to turn aside to the right or to the left.”Israel is called to do carefully as the LORD commanded, turning neither right nor left.
- Joshua 17:3-4 (BSB)“But Zelophehad son of Hepher (the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh) had no sons but only daughters. These are the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. They approached Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the leaders, and said, “The LORD commanded Moses to give us an inheritance among our brothers.” So Joshua gave them an inheritance among their father’s brothers, in keeping with the command of the LORD.”The daughters later receive their inheritance as the LORD had commanded Moses.
Theological
How do Zelophehad's daughters respond to the ruling in Numbers 36:10-12?
Answer: They marry paternal cousins, in obedience to the command
The daughters comply fully with the LORD's command through Moses (36:10): all five sisters marry sons of their father's brothers inside Manasseh's clans, and their inheritance remains in their father's tribe (36:11-12). Their obedience exemplifies the call to obey the LORD's commands without deviation (Deuteronomy 5:32), and Joshua 17:3-4 records them later receiving the promised inheritance.
- Numbers 36:10-12 (BSB)“So the daughters of Zelophehad did as the LORD had commanded Moses. Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Noah, the daughters of Zelophehad, were married to cousins on their father’s side. They married within the clans of the descendants of Manasseh son of Joseph, and their inheritance remained within the tribe of their father’s clan.”The daughters obey and marry within Manasseh, keeping their inheritance in the tribe.
- Deuteronomy 5:32 (BSB)“So be careful to do as the LORD your God has commanded you; you are not to turn aside to the right or to the left.”Israel is called to do carefully as the LORD commanded, turning neither right nor left.
- Joshua 17:3-4 (BSB)“But Zelophehad son of Hepher (the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh) had no sons but only daughters. These are the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. They approached Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the leaders, and said, “The LORD commanded Moses to give us an inheritance among our brothers.” So Joshua gave them an inheritance among their father’s brothers, in keeping with the command of the LORD.”The daughters later receive their inheritance as the LORD had commanded Moses.
General
According to 36:3, what were the Gileadite leaders afraid would happen?
Answer: The daughters' land would pass to another tribe if they married into it
The leaders reminded Moses that the LORD had told him to give Zelophehad's inheritance to his daughters (36:2). But if the daughters married men from other tribes, the land would go with them into their husbands' tribes, and Manasseh's share would shrink (36:3). God had already ruled that a daughter could inherit when there was no son (27:8). The concern was about keeping each tribe's God-given inheritance intact, because the land ultimately belonged to the LORD (Leviticus 25:23).
- Numbers 36:2-3 (BSB)“saying, “When the LORD commanded my lord to give the land as an inheritance to the Israelites by lot, He also commanded him to give the inheritance of our brother Zelophehad to his daughters. But if they marry any of the men from the other tribes of Israel, their inheritance will be withdrawn from the portion of our fathers and added to the tribe into which they marry. So our allotted inheritance would be taken away.”The leaders explain that the daughters' marriages outside the tribe would move their land to other tribes.
- Numbers 27:8 (BSB)“Furthermore, you shall say to the Israelites, ‘If a man dies and leaves no son, you are to transfer his inheritance to his daughter.”God had ruled that a man's inheritance passes to his daughter when he has no son.
- Leviticus 25:23 (BSB)“The land must not be sold permanently, because it is Mine, and you are but foreigners and residents with Me.”The land belongs to the LORD and may not be sold permanently.
Theological
What problem do the Gileadite leaders foresee in Numbers 36:3?
Answer: Marriage outside the tribe would move the daughters' land to another tribe
Recalling the LORD's command to give Zelophehad's inheritance to his daughters (36:2), the clan leaders note an unintended consequence: if the heiresses marry outside Manasseh, the land will transfer to their husbands' tribes and diminish Manasseh's allotment (36:3). The ruling of 27:8, that a daughter inherits where there is no son, stands; the question concerns preserving tribal allotments, which rested on the principle that the land is the LORD's (Leviticus 25:23).
- Numbers 36:2-3 (BSB)“saying, “When the LORD commanded my lord to give the land as an inheritance to the Israelites by lot, He also commanded him to give the inheritance of our brother Zelophehad to his daughters. But if they marry any of the men from the other tribes of Israel, their inheritance will be withdrawn from the portion of our fathers and added to the tribe into which they marry. So our allotted inheritance would be taken away.”The leaders explain that the daughters' marriages outside the tribe would move their land to other tribes.
- Numbers 27:8 (BSB)“Furthermore, you shall say to the Israelites, ‘If a man dies and leaves no son, you are to transfer his inheritance to his daughter.”God had ruled that a man's inheritance passes to his daughter when he has no son.
- Leviticus 25:23 (BSB)“The land must not be sold permanently, because it is Mine, and you are but foreigners and residents with Me.”The land belongs to the LORD and may not be sold permanently.
General
According to 36:1, who came to Moses and Israel's leaders with a concern about Zelophehad's daughters?
Answer: Heads of families from Gilead's clan in Manasseh
This time the heads of families in Gilead's clan, which belonged to Manasseh, a tribe descended from Joseph, came to Moses and Israel's leaders (36:1). Zelophehad belonged to this same clan, being descended from Gilead, Machir, and Manasseh (27:1; 26:29). In chapter 27 the daughters themselves had asked for their father's land and God had granted it (27:1-7). Now their relatives raised a follow-up question about what would happen to that land.
- Numbers 36:1 (BSB)“Now the family heads of the clan of Gilead son of Machir son of Manasseh, one of the clans of Joseph, approached Moses and the leaders who were the heads of the Israelite families and addressed them,”The family heads of Gilead's clan in Manasseh approach Moses and the leaders.
- Numbers 26:29 (BSB)“These were the descendants of Manasseh: The Machirite clan from Machir, the father of Gilead, and the Gileadite clan from Gilead.”Identifies the Gileadite clan as descended from Machir son of Manasseh.
- Numbers 27:1-7 (BSB)“Now the daughters of Zelophehad son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, belonged to the clans of Manasseh son of Joseph. These were the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. They approached the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, stood before Moses, Eleazar the priest, the leaders, and the whole congregation, and said, “Our father died in the wilderness, but he was not among the followers of Korah who gathered together against the LORD. Instead, he died because of his own sin, and he had no sons. Why should the name of our father disappear from his clan because he had no sons? Give us property among our father’s brothers.” So Moses brought their case before the LORD, and the LORD answered him, “The daughters of Zelophehad speak correctly. You certainly must give them property as an inheritance among their father’s brothers and transfer their father’s inheritance to them.”Records the daughters' earlier petition and the LORD's ruling in their favor.
Theological
Who raises the question addressed in Numbers 36:1-4?
Answer: Heads of families in Manasseh's Gileadite clan
The petitioners are heads of families in the Gileadite clan, descended through Machir from Joseph's son Manasseh (36:1), the clan to which Zelophehad belonged (27:1; 26:29). Whereas chapter 27 recorded the daughters' own successful petition, chapter 36 records their kinsmen's follow-up concern about the long-term effect of that ruling on the clan's territory.
- Numbers 36:1 (BSB)“Now the family heads of the clan of Gilead son of Machir son of Manasseh, one of the clans of Joseph, approached Moses and the leaders who were the heads of the Israelite families and addressed them,”The family heads of Gilead's clan in Manasseh approach Moses and the leaders.
- Numbers 26:29 (BSB)“These were the descendants of Manasseh: The Machirite clan from Machir, the father of Gilead, and the Gileadite clan from Gilead.”Identifies the Gileadite clan as descended from Machir son of Manasseh.
- Numbers 27:1-7 (BSB)“Now the daughters of Zelophehad son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, belonged to the clans of Manasseh son of Joseph. These were the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. They approached the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, stood before Moses, Eleazar the priest, the leaders, and the whole congregation, and said, “Our father died in the wilderness, but he was not among the followers of Korah who gathered together against the LORD. Instead, he died because of his own sin, and he had no sons. Why should the name of our father disappear from his clan because he had no sons? Give us property among our father’s brothers.” So Moses brought their case before the LORD, and the LORD answered him, “The daughters of Zelophehad speak correctly. You certainly must give them property as an inheritance among their father’s brothers and transfer their father’s inheritance to them.”Records the daughters' earlier petition and the LORD's ruling in their favor.
General
True or False: The Gileadite leaders said the Year of Jubilee would return the daughters' land to Manasseh.
Answer: False
This is false. The Jubilee, every fiftieth year, normally returned sold land to its original family (Leviticus 25:10, 13). But the leaders pointed out that in this case the Jubilee would not bring the land back; instead it would fix the land in the husband's tribe, permanently lost to theirs (36:4). The Jubilee could not solve this problem, so they needed a ruling from the LORD.
- Numbers 36:4 (BSB)“And when the Jubilee for the Israelites comes, their inheritance will be added to the tribe into which they marry and taken away from the tribe of our fathers.””The leaders note that at the Jubilee the land would be added permanently to the other tribe.
- Leviticus 25:10 (BSB)“So you are to consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty in the land for all its inhabitants. It shall be your Jubilee, when each of you is to return to his property and to his clan.”The Jubilee returns each person to his property and his clan.
- Leviticus 25:13 (BSB)“In this Year of Jubilee, each of you shall return to his own property.”In the Jubilee year each one returns to his own property.
Theological
True or False: According to Numbers 36:4, the Jubilee would have restored the daughters' land to Manasseh.
Answer: False
This is false. The Jubilee restored alienated property to its ancestral family (Leviticus 25:10, 13), but the leaders observe that in this case the Jubilee would instead fix the inheritance permanently in the husband's tribe, lost to Manasseh (36:4). The Jubilee mechanism could not remedy the problem, which is why a new ruling was required.
- Numbers 36:4 (BSB)“And when the Jubilee for the Israelites comes, their inheritance will be added to the tribe into which they marry and taken away from the tribe of our fathers.””The leaders note that at the Jubilee the land would be added permanently to the other tribe.
- Leviticus 25:10 (BSB)“So you are to consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty in the land for all its inhabitants. It shall be your Jubilee, when each of you is to return to his property and to his clan.”The Jubilee returns each person to his property and his clan.
- Leviticus 25:13 (BSB)“In this Year of Jubilee, each of you shall return to his own property.”In the Jubilee year each one returns to his own property.
General
According to 36:6-9, what did the LORD rule about whom the daughters could marry?
Answer: Anyone they liked, as long as he was from a clan of their father's tribe
The LORD allowed the daughters to marry whomever they chose, with one limit: the husband had to come from a clan within their father's tribe (36:6). The same rule applied to every daughter who inherited land, so that no inheritance would shift between tribes and each Israelite would keep his ancestors' portion (36:7-9). This matched God's command that each tribe receive its land by the names of its ancestral tribes (26:55). Keeping one's family land mattered deeply, as Naboth later showed when he refused to give up his ancestral inheritance (1 Kings 21:3).
- Numbers 36:6-9 (BSB)“This is what the LORD has commanded concerning the daughters of Zelophehad: They may marry anyone they please, provided they marry within a clan of the tribe of their father. No inheritance in Israel may be transferred from tribe to tribe, because each of the Israelites is to retain the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers. Every daughter who possesses an inheritance from any Israelite tribe must marry within a clan of the tribe of her father, so that every Israelite will possess the inheritance of his fathers. No inheritance may be transferred from one tribe to another, for each tribe of Israel must retain its inheritance.””The LORD rules that heiresses marry within their father's tribe so that no inheritance passes between tribes.
- Numbers 26:55 (BSB)“Indeed, the land must be divided by lot; they shall receive their inheritance according to the names of the tribes of their fathers.”The land was to be inherited according to the names of the tribes of the fathers.
- 1 Kings 21:3 (BSB)“But Naboth replied, “The LORD forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers.””Naboth refuses to give up the inheritance of his fathers.
Theological
What does the LORD's ruling in Numbers 36:6-9 permit and require regarding the daughters' marriages?
Answer: Free choice of husband, from a clan in their father's tribe
The daughters may marry whom they please, provided the husband belongs to a clan of their father's tribe (36:6). The principle is then generalized to every heiress, so that no inheritance passes between tribes and each tribe keeps its ancestral portion (36:7-9). This safeguards allotment by ancestral tribe (26:55), a commitment to family land illustrated in Naboth's refusal to surrender his ancestral inheritance (1 Kings 21:3).
- Numbers 36:6-9 (BSB)“This is what the LORD has commanded concerning the daughters of Zelophehad: They may marry anyone they please, provided they marry within a clan of the tribe of their father. No inheritance in Israel may be transferred from tribe to tribe, because each of the Israelites is to retain the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers. Every daughter who possesses an inheritance from any Israelite tribe must marry within a clan of the tribe of her father, so that every Israelite will possess the inheritance of his fathers. No inheritance may be transferred from one tribe to another, for each tribe of Israel must retain its inheritance.””The LORD rules that heiresses marry within their father's tribe so that no inheritance passes between tribes.
- Numbers 26:55 (BSB)“Indeed, the land must be divided by lot; they shall receive their inheritance according to the names of the tribes of their fathers.”The land was to be inherited according to the names of the tribes of the fathers.
- 1 Kings 21:3 (BSB)“But Naboth replied, “The LORD forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers.””Naboth refuses to give up the inheritance of his fathers.
General
According to 36:5, how did Moses respond to the Gileadite leaders?
Answer: At the LORD's word, he said their concern was right
Moses answered by the LORD's instruction, declaring that the tribe of Joseph was right (36:5). He did not settle the matter by his own opinion. In the same way, when the daughters first came, Moses took their request to the LORD, who said they were right (27:5-7), and on an earlier occasion Moses told people to wait while he learned what the LORD commanded (9:8). God's earlier ruling for the daughters was not reversed; He added guidance to protect both the daughters and their tribe.
- Numbers 36:5 (BSB)“So at the word of the LORD, Moses commanded the Israelites: “The tribe of the sons of Joseph speaks correctly.”Moses, at the LORD's word, says the tribe of Joseph speaks correctly.
- Numbers 27:5-7 (BSB)“So Moses brought their case before the LORD, and the LORD answered him, “The daughters of Zelophehad speak correctly. You certainly must give them property as an inheritance among their father’s brothers and transfer their father’s inheritance to them.”Moses brought the daughters' earlier case to the LORD, who affirmed them.
- Numbers 9:8 (BSB)““Wait here until I find out what the LORD commands concerning you,” Moses replied.”Moses waits to learn the LORD's command before deciding a case.
Theological
On what authority does Moses answer the Gileadites in Numbers 36:5?
Answer: The LORD's word, affirming their concern as right
Moses answers on the LORD's instruction, pronouncing that Joseph's tribe has spoken rightly (36:5). The pattern matches 27:5-7, where Moses laid the daughters' petition before the LORD, receiving the verdict that they spoke rightly, and 9:8, where Moses defers judgment until he hears the LORD's command. The new ruling supplements rather than revokes the earlier one.
- Numbers 36:5 (BSB)“So at the word of the LORD, Moses commanded the Israelites: “The tribe of the sons of Joseph speaks correctly.”Moses, at the LORD's word, says the tribe of Joseph speaks correctly.
- Numbers 27:5-7 (BSB)“So Moses brought their case before the LORD, and the LORD answered him, “The daughters of Zelophehad speak correctly. You certainly must give them property as an inheritance among their father’s brothers and transfer their father’s inheritance to them.”Moses brought the daughters' earlier case to the LORD, who affirmed them.
- Numbers 9:8 (BSB)““Wait here until I find out what the LORD commands concerning you,” Moses replied.”Moses waits to learn the LORD's command before deciding a case.