Numbers 36:6

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.

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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
thing	הַדָּבָ֞ר ha.da.Var	H1697	a word · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
LORD	יְהוָ֗ה Yah.weh	H3068	Jehovah · proper noun, a title
command	צִוָּ֣ה tzi.Vah	H6680	(intensively) to constitute · verb, piel perfect, 3rd person masculine singular
daughters	לִבְנ֤וֹת liv.Not	H1323	a daughter (used in the same wide sense as other terms… · preposition + noun, common feminine plural construct
Zelophehad	צְלָפְחָד֙ tze.la.fe.Chad	H6765	Tselophchad · proper noun, a man's name
saying	לֵאמֹ֔ר le.Mor	H559	to say (used with great latitude) · preposition + verb, qal infinitive construct
marry	לְנָשִׁ֑ים le.na.Shim	H802	a woman · preposition + noun, common masculine plural absolute
think	בְּעֵינֵיהֶ֖ם be.'ei.nei.Hem	H5869	an eye (literally or figuratively) · preposition + noun, common feminine dual construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine plural
best	לַטּ֥וֹב la.Tov	H2896	good (as an adjective) in the widest sense · preposition with the article + adjective, masculine singular absolute
family	לְמִשְׁפַּ֛חַת le.mish.Pa.chat	H4940	a family · preposition + noun, common feminine singular construct
tribe	מַטֵּ֥ה ma.Teh	H4294	a branch (as extending) · noun, common masculine singular construct
father	אֲבִיהֶ֖ם 'a.vi.Hem	H1	father · noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine plural
marry	לְנָשִֽׁים le.na.Shim	H802	a woman · preposition + noun, common masculine plural absolute

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Numbers 36:12 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…
2 Corinthians 6:14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath li…
Genesis 24:3 And I will make thee swear by the LORD, the God of heaven, and the God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daug…
Genesis 24:57-58 And they said, We will call the damsel, and enquire at her mouth.

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Numbers 36:5–end

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, Num 36:5. 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 particu…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Numbers 36:5

Moses commanded the children of Israel according to the word of the Lord--The plea appeared just and reasonable; and, accordingly an enactment was made by which the daughters of Zelophehad, while left to the free choice of their husbands, were restricted to marry not only within their own tribe, but within the family of their father's tribe--that is, one of their cousins. This restriction, however, was imposed only on those who were heiresses. The law was not applicable to daughters in different circumstances (Ch1 23:22) --for they might marry into another tribe; but if they did so, they were liable to forfeit their patrimonial inheritance, which, on the death of their father or brothers, we…

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Adam Clarke on Numbers 36:6

Let them marry to whom they think best - Here was latitude sufficient, and yet a salutary and reasonable restraint, which prevented a vexatious mixture of property and possession.

John Gill on Numbers 36:6

This is the thing which the Lord doth command concerning the daughters of Zelophehad,.... Concerning this affair relative to them; the Targum of Jonathan paraphrases the words,"not for the generations that rise up after the division of the land, but for the daughters of Zelophehad;''as if this order only respected them, or what might happen before the land was divided, but not after; and this is the general opinion of the Jewish writers; but it seems, that as the following law not only concerns them, but all heiresses, so all such after as well as before the division of the land, since the reason of it holds good after as before: saying, let them marry to whom they think best; whom they lik…

The Church Fathers

Now, since the genealogy of Joseph is so traced, Mary also appears virtually to have been of the same tribe as he, since, according to the law of Moses, intermarriages between different tribes were not permitted. For it was commanded to join in marriage with one of the same family and of the same people, so that the inheritance of the race might not be changed from tribe to tribe.
— Eusebius of Caesarea, ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY 1.7

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Heir — Under the patriarchs the property of a father was divided among the sons of his legitimate wives (Gen. 21:10; 24:36; 25:5), the eldest son getting a larger portion than the rest. The Mosaic law made…
Sea — The sea, yam, is used in Scripture to denote—
Zelophehad — First-born, of the tribe of Manasseh, and of the family of Gilead; died in the wilderness. Having left no sons, his daughters, concerned lest their father’s name should be “done away from among his…
Desert, Journey Of Israel Through The · The law of female inheritance settled — The law of female inheritance settled
Heir · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Inheritance · Provisions for inheritance un — Provisions for inheritance un
Land · Unmarried woman’s rights in — Unmarried woman’s rights in
Marriage · The Jews: Often contracted, in their own tribe — The Jews: Often contracted, in their own tribe
Milcah · .Special legislation in regard to the inheritance of — .Special legislation in regard to the inheritance of
Property · .Entail of — .Entail of
Tribes Of Israel, The · All inheritance to remain in the tribe and family to which allotted — All inheritance to remain in the tribe and family to which allotted

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

Numbers 36:6

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Numbers 36:5–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Numbers 36:5

Adam Clarke on Numbers 36:6

John Gill on Numbers 36:6

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Numbers 36:6

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Numbers 36:5–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Numbers 36:5

Adam Clarke on Numbers 36:6

John Gill on Numbers 36:6

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

John Calvin on Numbers 36:5–end

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Numbers 36:6-9