Numbers 36:4

Verse

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.”

American Standard Version (1901)

And when the jubilee of the children of Israel shall be, then will their inheritance be added unto the inheritance of the tribe whereunto they shall belong: so will their inheritance be taken away from the inheritance of the tribe of our fathers.

Bible in Basic English

And at the time of the Jubilee of the children of Israel, their property will be joined to the heritage of the tribe of which they are part and will be taken away from the heritage of the tribe of our fathers.

Free Bible Version

So when the Jubilee for the Israelites comes around, their allocation would be added to the tribe into which they marry, and taken away from our fathers' tribe.”

King James (Authorized) Version

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.

One Unity Resource Bible

When the Jubilee of the children of Israel [God prevails] shall be, then will their inheritance be added to the inheritance of the tribe to which they shall belong. So their inheritance will be taken away from the inheritance of the tribe of our fathers.”

Translation for Translators

When the Year of Celebration comes, when all the land that has been bought by someone is returned to its original owners, the land that belonged to Zelophehad will belong to the tribes of the men that his daughters marry. So some of our land, the land that we received from our fathers, will be taken from us, and we will never own it again.”

Unlocked Literal Bible

In that case, when the year of Jubilee of the people of Israel comes, then their share will be joined to the share of the tribe that they have joined. In this way, their share will be taken away from the share of our ancestors' tribe.”

Noah Webster Bible

And when the jubilee of the children of Israel shall be, then will their inheritance be put to the inheritance of the tribe into which they are received: so shall their inheritance be taken away from the inheritance of the tribe of our fathers.

World English Bible

When the jubilee of the children of Israel comes, then their inheritance will be added to the inheritance of the tribe to which they shall belong. So their inheritance will be taken away from the inheritance of the tribe of our fathers.”

Young's Literal Translation

and if it is the jubilee of the sons of Israel, then hath their inheritance been added to the inheritance of the tribe which is theirs, and from the inheritance of the tribe of our fathers is their inheritance withdrawn.'

Context

Zelophehad’s Daughters Marry

³But 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.⁴And 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.”

Summary

In Numbers 36:4, the daughters of Zelophehad raise a concern about inheriting land if they marry outside their tribe. This verse highlights the importance of preserving tribal inheritance within the Israelite community. It demonstrates the Israelites' commitment to maintaining the integrity of family heritage and ancestral land rights. The passage reveals the meticulous care with which God's chosen people were to handle matters of inheritance and property, ensuring that each tribe's portion of land remained within the designated tribal boundaries. Ultimately, this verse underscores the significance of honoring God's laws and respecting the inheritance rights established for the Israelites.

Commentary

Keil-Delitzsch
John Gill

Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch Old Testament Commentary

And when the year of jubilee came round (see Lev 25:10), their inheritance would be entirely withdrawn from the tribe of Manasseh. Strictly speaking, the hereditary property would pass at once, when the marriage took place, to the tribe into which an heiress married, and not merely at the year of jubilee. But up to the year of jubilee it was always possible that the hereditary property might revert to the tribe of Manasseh, either through the marriage being childless, or through the purchase of the inheritance. But in the year of jubilee all landed property that had been alienated was to return to its original proprietor or his heir (Lev 25:33.). In this way the transfer of an inheritance from one tribe to another, which took place in consequence of a marriage, would be established in perpetuity. And it was in this sense that the elders of the tribe of Manasseh meant that a portion of the inheritance which had fallen to them by lot would be taken away from their tribe at the year of jubilee.