Matthew Poole and continuators on Numbers 36

1 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.

Who had the care and management of the publick affairs of that Tribe committed to them.

2 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.

(i. e.) Our kinsman, one of our Tribe, Ios. 17. 2, 3.

Marginal references: chap. 26. 55.; chap. 27. 1. Josh. 17. 3.

3 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.

For their inheritance will pass to their children, who will be of another Tribe by their fathers side, which alone is considered [illegible: 1+ letters]n this place.

Marginal references: Heb. unto whom they shall be.

4 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.

Which God appointed principally for this end to preserve the inheritances in the hands of the Tribes and Families to which they were first given.

Marginal references: Lev. 2[illegible: 1+ letters]. 10.

5 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 .

Their plea is just and reasonable. God did not take particular care about every occurrence that happened or might happen, but left divers things to be found out by humane prudence, which being his own gift it was meet there should be opportunities left for the exercise of it, and God thought fit to approve and ratifie the prudent and profitable inventions of men by his own law or sanction, as in the case of Iethro, Exod 18. of Zelophehads Daughters, Num. 27. and here of their brethren. But it is observable, that God allowed this onely in civil affairs, but never in the matters of his worship, where he utterly forbids it.

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.

They seem hereby to be confined not only to the same Tribe, but also to the family of their Tribe, as appears from the reason of the Law, for God would have the inheritance of Families as well as Tribes kept intire and unmixed: and this was one reason of that Law of marrying the Brothers wife, Deut. 25. And although the next verse may seem to thwart this interpretation, the reason of this Law being there given that inheritances might not go from Tribe to Tribe, yet ver. 8. confirms it, where the very same phrase is repeated, and that more emphatically, that such shall marry one of the family of the Tribe of her Father; and this further reason and restriction is added, that they may enjoy every man the inheritance (not onely of his Tribe, but) of his Fathers, to wit, belonging to his fathers family.

Marginal references: Heb. [illegible: 1 word]

8 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.

By which clause it seems this Law was not general to forbid every woman to marry into another Tribe (as may be reasonably concluded from the practise of so many Patriarchs, Kings, Priests, and other holy men, who have married women of other Tribes, yea sometimes of other Nations, which it is not likely they would have done, if this had been a transgression of Gods Law) but restrained to heiresses, or such as were likely to be so. See 1 Chron. 23. 22. But if they had brethren, it is probable they were free to marry into any Tribe, yet so that, if their brethren dyed, their punishment was, that the inheritance went from them to the next a kin of their fathers Tribe and Family. And the principal reason why God was solicitous to preserve tribes and families unmixed was that the Tribe and Family too, out of which the Messiah was to come and by which he should be known, might be evident and unquestionable.

11 For Mahlah, Tirzah, and Hoglah, and Milcah, and Noah the daughters of Zelophehad, were married unto their fathers brothers sons .

It is uncertain whether brothers or sons be taken strictly and properly, or more large, as those words are o[illegible: 1+ letters]t used in Scripture.

Marginal references: chap. [illegible: 1 word].