CAME NEAR. This chapter¹ also is connected to the one that comes before it. When Moses commanded the Israelites to give the Levites cities from the inheritance of Israel [the heads of the fathers’ houses drew near].

footnotes: ¹ Like other chapters.

THE HEADS OF THE FATHERS’ HOUSES. The reference is to the princes.² (v. 1).

footnotes: ² Of the tribes. Hence Scripture reads, before the princes, the heads of the fathers’ houses of the children of Israel

AND WHEN THE JUBILEE…SHALL BE. Even if the jubilee shall be,³ (and when the jubilee shall be), and even if the jubilee shall be. we have no hope of the inheritance returning to us, for it shall be added to the inheritance of the tribe.⁴

footnotes: ³ I.E. renders ve-im yiheyah ha-yovel ⁴ Into which they married.

THE TRIBE OF THE SONS OF JOSEPH SPEAKETH RIGHT. For the heads of the fathers’ houses spoke on behalf of the entire tribe.

[SO SHALL NO INHERITANCE OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL REMOVE FROM TRIBE TO TRIBE.] The meaning of tissov (remove) is, shall not turn⁵ comes from the root samekh, bet, bet, meaning to turn. from here to there,⁶ (from here and from here) to mi-po le-po (from here to there) (Filwarg). be it from them⁷ or from others.⁸

footnotes: ⁵ Shall not move around. Tissov ⁶ Emending mi-po u-mi-po ⁷ The tribe of Joseph, who argued their case before Moses. ⁸ Any other tribe.

The meaning of so shall no inheritance be removed is, no inheritance shall be removed from this day and onward even though they had not as yet inherited the land.

AND EVERY DAUGHTER, THAT POSSESSETH AN INHERITANCE. After the inheritance of the land. Scripture therefore states a second time, So shall no inheritance remove [from one tribe to another tribe] (v. 9).⁹

footnotes: ⁹ In other words, verse 7 speaks of the present. Verse 8 speaks of the future.

MAHLAH, TIRZAH. Scripture first mentioned them¹⁰ in the order of their birth. It now mentions them in the order in which they were first taken by men in marriage.

footnotes: ¹⁰ In Num. 27:1.

THEY WERE MARRIED INTO THE FAMILIES. This¹¹ is a sign that their cousins¹² were not all brothers.¹³

footnotes: ¹¹ The word families. ¹² The cousins who married the daughters of Zelophehad. ¹³ If they were, then Scripture would have read, they were married into the “family” rather than they married into the “families.”

THESE ARE THE COMMANDMENTS. Relating to inheritance,¹⁴ vows,¹⁵ and every daughter that possesseth an inheritance,¹⁶ and the laws regarding bloodshed.¹⁷

footnotes: ¹⁴ Num. 33:50-56; 34; 35:1-8. ¹⁵ Num. 30:2-17. ¹⁶ Num. 36:8,9. ¹⁷ Num. 35:9-34.

BY THE JORDAN AT JERICHO. On the eastern bank.