We now have the final chapter of Numbers, in which another legal question arises – marriages between different tribes. The problem was simple: if a woman married outside her own tribe, any inheritance would be dissipated and lost to the tribe. If allowed, the inheritances in each tribe would be spread out, making no differentiation between tribes and eventually mixing all tribes to their detriment.
It might seem odd that the book of Numbers ends like this, and does not mention the death of Moses. Numbers is mainly about various counts of the people, and these have been mentioned. So, Moses’ death is related elsewhere (e.g. Deuteronomy 34).
Verses 1-4
- “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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.”
Gilead was a clan or family associated with the tribe of Manasseh, descended from Joseph. The chiefs came to Moses for him to discuss a potential problem to do with inheritance – vital for Israelites, who valued their ancestry highly. Social order depended on it, which is why God divided up the camp with tribal boundaries.
The family chiefs of Gilead, great-grandsons of Joseph, and so of the Manasseh tribe, spoke to Moses, witnessed by all the tribal princes and elders of the Hebrews. They had a big question to ask concerning inheritance rights. They said that God had given Moses the task of dividing up Canaan (and the land east of the Jordan – which is why the tribe of Manasseh was concerned). They added that Moses had been told by God to give the inheritance of their ‘brother’ (same clan) Zelophehad to his daughters.
ṣᵊlāp̄ḥāḏ (Zelophehad: ‘first born’) was the grandson of Gilead, and had died in the wilderness. He had no sons and so the usual practice was to pass inheritance on to close male relatives – brothers, etc. The problem was presented to Moses – if the daughters married outside their own tribe, what would happen? Yes, each tribe was ultimately related back to Jacob’s family, and all the tribes together formed Israel. But, marrying outside the tribe would mean the portion of inheritance owed to each daughter would then pass on to the tribe she married into. This presented a problem, because the arrangement could potentially destabilise the whole tribal network, enriching one tribe to the detriment of the female’s own tribe. There was also the possibility that a man might eye the inheritance of another for himself, thus making any marriage a mere convenience.
Mention is made of the ‘jubile’ (jubilee), when ram’s horns or silver trumpets (yôḇēl) were blown. The reason... with each jubilee matters were put right and lands returned to their original owners. But, even a jubilee could not foresee the problems arising from inter-tribal marriages. The jubilee year happens every 50 years, and by that time any transfer of riches from one tribe to another, could be hidden or forgotten. But, in the meantime, many exchanges of land and ownership could have occurred, making any rectification very difficult.
Verses 5-9
- “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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.”
Moses commended the ‘sons of Joseph’ for their thoughtful objections, before giving them God’s answer (implying that he had entered the Tabernacle to ask for divine guidance, after the question was asked). The instruction was for the daughters to marry whom they will, but within their own tribe. This will prevent the movement of wealth and ownership moving from one tribe to another. Each tribe must concern itself with its own internal inheritance, and each daughter must keep inheritance within her own tribe. And so marriages were sought within one’s own tribe.
Verses 10-13
- “Even as the LORD commanded Moses, so did the daughters of Zelophehad:
- For Mahlah, Tirzah, and Hoglah, and Milcah, and Noah, the daughters of Zelophehad, were married unto their father's brothers' sons:
- 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.
- 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 daughters of Zelophehad agreed and married within the wider family. This was the final legal order given in the Book of Numbers. The daughters of Zelophehad were Mahiah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milcha and Noah. Oddly, the name of the eldest daughter, Mahiah, maḥlâ, means ‘disease’ or ‘sickness’. Tirzah, tirṣâ, means ‘favourable’. Hoglah, ḥāḡlâ, means ‘partridge’, possibly after the birds given by God to the Hebrews in the wilderness. Milcah, milkâ, means ‘queen’. Noah, nōʿâ, means ‘motion’; it is a proper feminine noun, so should not be confused with the Noah of the Flood... nōaḥ, a proper masculine noun meaning ‘rest’.
© 26 January 2025
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Published on www.christiandoctrine.com
Bible Theology Ministries
Swansea
Wales
United Kingdom