Numbers 36

a ch. 27.1; 26.29; 32.39, 40.

b ch. 27.1-7; 26.52-55; 33-45. Jos. 17.3, 4.

1 It must have descended to their children, who were of another tribe by the father's side, which alone was considered in this case, and not the mother's.—I.

2 Heb. unto whom they shall be.

3 The jubilee, though ordained for preserving estates in the families to which they originally pertained, will not, in this case, help us.—I.

c Le. 25.10.

d ch. 27.7.

4 This law extended only to heiresses, for many of their great men and priests married wives of other tribes and countries; and other women, who had brethren to inherit, were free to marry into any other tribe, though it seems they generally confined themselves to their own. If their brethren died after they were married into another tribe, they could not inherit, but the estate went to the male heir. The design of this law was to keep the tribes distinct, and hereby to fulfil the prophecies, particularly those respecting the Messiah. As this law affected only heiresses, there are numerous instances of women marrying out of their own tribes. And by reason of such marriages, as Ainsworth remarks, 'there might be kindred between Elizabeth the mother of John the Baptist, who was of the daughters of Aaron, and Mary the Virgin, the mother of our Lord, who was of the lineage of David and tribe of Judah.'—I.

A.M. 2553. B.C. 1451.

5 Heb. be wives.

e Ge. 24.57,58.

f Heb. cleave to the, &c., ver. 9. 1 Ki. 21.3. 1 Co. 14.33,40. Col. 2.5.

g 1 Ch. 23.22.

6 This law is here made general, although the Talmudists are of opinion that it was designed only for that generation, and that after the first division of the land by Joshua, even heiresses might marry into any tribe. The restriction in the case of heiresses was recognized by the Attic laws. They ordained that an heiress should not marry out of her kindred, but dispose of herself and her estate to one of the nearest of kin to her. Plato made the same provision, suggesting that if there was a want of near kindred, it should descend to her father's brother, or the children of the grandfather, some of whom he ordains should marry her.—J.

7 This restriction was confined to heiresses of land, others possessed merely of movables might marry into any tribe.—C.

A.M. 2553. B.C. 1451.

h Le. 24.12. ch. 15.34; 27.7-11. Ex. 39.42; 40.16.

i ch. 27.1. Jos. 17.3.

8 Heb. to some that were of the families.

k ch. xxvi. xxxvi. Le. 27.34:7.37,38; 11.46; 13.59; 14.54-57; 15.31-33.

9 Moab proper lay to the south of the Arnon, yet Moses is now considerably to the north. How is this geographical difficulty or rather contradiction to be removed? Simply by a common occurrence in the world, conquest or colonization, and as conquerors and colonists carry old names to new countries, so the Moabites had called the plains they had conquered or colonized on the north by the name adopted by their countrymen on the south.—C.