Numbers 36:1
New International Version
The family heads of the clan of Gilead son of Makir, the son of Manasseh, who were from the clans of the descendants of Joseph, came and spoke before Moses and the leaders, the heads of the Israelite families.

New Living Translation
Then the heads of the clans of Gilead—descendants of Makir, son of Manasseh, son of Joseph—came to Moses and the family leaders of Israel with a petition.

English Standard Version
The heads of the fathers’ houses of the clan of the people of Gilead the son of Machir, son of Manasseh, from the clans of the people of Joseph, came near and spoke before Moses and before the chiefs, the heads of the fathers’ houses of the people of Israel.

Berean Standard Bible
Now the family heads of the clan of Gilead son of Machir son of Manasseh, one of the clans of Joseph, approached Moses and the leaders who were the heads of the Israelite families and addressed them,

King James Bible
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:

New King James Version
Now 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 spoke before Moses and before the leaders, the chief fathers of the children of Israel.

New American Standard Bible
Now the heads of the fathers’ households of the family of the sons of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, of the families of the sons of Joseph, came forward and spoke before Moses and before the leaders, the heads of the fathers’ households of the sons of Israel,

NASB 1995
And the heads of the fathers’ households of the family of the sons of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, of the families of the sons of Joseph, came near and spoke before Moses and before the leaders, the heads of the fathers’ households of the sons of Israel,

NASB 1977
And the heads of the fathers’ households of the family of the sons of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, of the families of the sons of Joseph, came near and spoke before Moses and before the leaders, the heads of the fathers’ households of the sons of Israel,

Legacy Standard Bible
And the heads of the fathers’ households of the family of the sons of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, of the families of the sons of Joseph, came near and spoke before Moses and before the leaders, the heads of the fathers’ households of the sons of Israel,

Amplified Bible
The leaders of the fathers’ households of the family of the sons of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, of the families of the sons of Joseph, approached and spoke before Moses and before the leaders, the heads of the fathers’ households of the Israelites,

Christian Standard Bible
The family heads from the clan of the descendants of Gilead—the son of Machir, son of Manasseh —who were from the clans of the sons of Joseph, approached and addressed Moses and the leaders who were heads of the Israelite families.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
The family leaders from the clan of the descendants of Gilead—the son of Machir, son of Manasseh—who were from the clans of the sons of Joseph, approached and addressed Moses and the leaders who were over the Israelite families.

American Standard Version
And the heads of the fathers' houses of the family 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 heads of the fathers' houses of the children of Israel:

Contemporary English Version
One day the family leaders from the Gilead clan of the Manasseh tribe went to Moses and the other family leaders of Israel

English Revised Version
And the heads of the fathers' houses of the family 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 heads of the fathers' houses of the children of Israel:

GOD'S WORD® Translation
The heads of the households whose families were descended from Gilead, son of Machir and grandson of Manasseh (families of Joseph's descendants), came and spoke to Moses and the leaders of the other Israelite households.

Good News Translation
The heads of the families in the clan of Gilead, the son of Machir and grandson of Manasseh son of Joseph, went to Moses and the other leaders.

International Standard Version
The leaders of the ancestral families of the descendants of Gilead, who were descendants of Machir, and descendants of Manasseh, from Joseph's tribe, approached and spoke to Moses and the leaders of the ancestral houses of the Israelis.

Majority Standard Bible
Now the family heads of the clan of Gilead son of Machir son of Manasseh, one of the clans of Joseph, approached Moses and the leaders who were the heads of the Israelite families and addressed them,

NET Bible
Then the heads of the family groups of the Gileadites, the descendant of Machir, the descendant of Manasseh, who were from the Josephite families, approached and spoke before Moses and the leaders who were the heads of the Israelite families.

New Heart English Bible
The heads of the ancestral houses of the family of the people of Gilead, the son of Makir, the son of Manasseh, of the families of the sons of Joseph, came near and spoke before Moses and before Eleazar the priest and before the leaders, the heads of the ancestral houses of the children of Israel.

Webster's Bible Translation
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 spoke before Moses, and before the princes, the chief fathers of the children of Israel:

World English Bible
The heads of the fathers’ households of the family of the children of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, of the families of the sons of Joseph, came near and spoke before Moses and before the princes, the heads of the fathers’ households of the children of Israel.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And the heads of the fathers of the families of the sons of Gilead, son of Machir, son of Manasseh, of the families of the sons of Joseph, come near and speak before Moses and before the princes, heads of the fathers of the sons of Israel,

Young's Literal Translation
And the heads of the fathers of the families of the sons of Gilead, son of Machir, son of Manasseh, of the families of the sons of Joseph, come near, and speak before Moses, and before the princes, heads of the fathers of the sons of Israel,

Smith's Literal Translation
And there will come near the heads of the fathers to the families of the sons of Gilead, son of Machir, son of Manasseh, from the families of the sons of Joseph; and they will speak before Moses and before the chiefs of the heads of the fathers to the sons of Israel.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And the princes of the families of Galaad, the son of Machir, the son of Manasses, of the stock Of the children of Joseph, came and spoke to Moses before the princes of Israel, and said:

Catholic Public Domain Version
Then the leaders of the families of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, from the stock of the sons of Joseph, approached and spoke to Moses before the leaders of Israel, and they said:

New American Bible
The heads of the ancestral houses in a clan of the descendants of Gilead, son of Machir, son of Manasseh—one of the Josephite clans—came up and spoke before Moses and Eleazar the priest and before the leaders who were the heads of the ancestral houses of the Israelites.

New Revised Standard Version
The heads of the ancestral houses of the clans of the descendants of Gilead son of Machir son of Manasseh, of the Josephite clans, came forward and spoke in the presence of Moses and the leaders, the heads of the ancestral houses of the Israelites;
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
THEN the chief fathers of the families of the children of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, the son of Joseph, came near, and spoke before Moses and before Eleazar the priest and before the princes of the congregation, the chief fathers of the children of Israel;

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And the head fathers of the family of the children of Gelad, son of Makir, son of Manasheh, from the family of Menasheh, son of Yoseph, approached and they spoke before Moshe and before Eliazer the Priest and before the Princes of the assembly, the Heads of the fathers of the children of Israel:
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And the heads of the fathers' houses of the family of the children of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, of the families of the sons of Joseph, came near, and spoke before Moses, and before the princes, the heads of the fathers' houses of the children of Israel;

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And the heads of the tribe of the sons of Galaad the son of Machir the son of Manasse, of the tribe of the sons of Joseph, drew near, and spoke before Moses, and before Eleazar the priest, and before the heads of the houses of the families of the children of Israel:

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Zelophehad's Daughters Marry
1Now the family heads of the clan of Gilead son of Machir son of Manasseh, one of the clans of Joseph, approached Moses and the leaders who were the heads of the Israelite families and addressed them, 2saying, “When the LORD commanded my lord to give the land as an inheritance to the Israelites by lot, He also commanded him to give the inheritance of our brother Zelophehad to his daughters.…

Cross References
Numbers 27:1-11
Now the daughters of Zelophehad son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, belonged to the clans of Manasseh son of Joseph. These were the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. They approached / the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, stood before Moses, Eleazar the priest, the leaders, and the whole congregation, and said, / “Our father died in the wilderness, but he was not among the followers of Korah who gathered together against the LORD. Instead, he died because of his own sin, and he had no sons. ...

Joshua 17:3-6
But Zelophehad son of Hepher (the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh) had no sons but only daughters. These are the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. / They approached Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the leaders, and said, “The LORD commanded Moses to give us an inheritance among our brothers.” So Joshua gave them an inheritance among their father’s brothers, in keeping with the command of the LORD. / Thus ten shares fell to Manasseh, in addition to the land of Gilead and Bashan beyond the Jordan, ...

Deuteronomy 25:5-10
When brothers dwell together and one of them dies without a son, the widow must not marry outside the family. Her husband’s brother is to take her as his wife and fulfill the duty of a brother-in-law for her. / The first son she bears will carry on the name of the dead brother, so that his name will not be blotted out from Israel. / But if the man does not want to marry his brother’s widow, she is to go to the elders at the city gate and say, “My husband’s brother refuses to preserve his brother’s name in Israel. He is not willing to perform the duty of a brother-in-law for me.” ...

Ruth 4:1-10
Meanwhile, Boaz went to the gate and sat down there. Soon the kinsman-redeemer of whom he had spoken came along, and Boaz said, “Come over here, my friend, and sit down.” So he went over and sat down. / Then Boaz took ten of the elders of the city and said, “Sit here,” and they did so. / And he said to the kinsman-redeemer, “Naomi, who has returned from the land of Moab, is selling the piece of land that belonged to our brother Elimelech. ...

Leviticus 25:23-28
The land must not be sold permanently, because it is Mine, and you are but foreigners and residents with Me. / Thus for every piece of property you possess, you must provide for the redemption of the land. / If your brother becomes impoverished and sells some of his property, his nearest of kin may come and redeem what his brother has sold. ...

Ezekiel 46:16-18
This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘If the prince gives a gift to any of his sons as an inheritance, it will belong to his descendants. It will become their property by inheritance. / But if he gives a gift from his inheritance to one of his servants, it will belong to that servant until the year of freedom; then it will revert to the prince. His inheritance belongs only to his sons; it shall be theirs. / The prince must not take any of the inheritance of the people by evicting them from their property. He is to provide an inheritance for his sons from his own property, so that none of My people will be displaced from his property.’”

1 Chronicles 23:1-2
When David was old and full of years, he installed his son Solomon as king over Israel. / Then he gathered all the leaders of Israel, as well as the priests and Levites.

Genesis 48:5-6
And now your two sons born to you in Egypt before I came to you here shall be reckoned as mine; Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine, just as Reuben and Simeon are mine. / Any children born to you after them shall be yours, and they shall be called by the names of their brothers in the territory they inherit.

1 Kings 21:1-3
Some time after these events, Naboth the Jezreelite owned a vineyard in Jezreel next to the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. / So Ahab said to Naboth, “Give me your vineyard to use as a vegetable garden, since it is next to my palace. I will give you a better vineyard in its place—or if you prefer, I will give you its value in silver.” / But Naboth replied, “The LORD forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers.”

1 Chronicles 5:1-2
These were the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel. Though he was the firstborn, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph son of Israel, because Reuben defiled his father’s bed. So he is not reckoned according to birthright. / And though Judah prevailed over his brothers and a ruler came from him, the birthright belonged to Joseph.

Matthew 22:23-33
That same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Jesus and questioned Him. / “Teacher,” they said, “Moses declared that if a man dies without having children, his brother is to marry the widow and raise up offspring for him. / Now there were seven brothers among us. The first one married and died without having children. So he left his wife to his brother. ...

Mark 12:18-27
Then the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Jesus and questioned Him: / “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man is to marry his brother’s widow and raise up offspring for him. / Now there were seven brothers. The first one married and died, leaving no children. ...

Luke 20:27-40
Then some of the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to question Him. / “Teacher,” they said, “Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man is to marry his brother’s widow and raise up offspring for him. / Now there were seven brothers. The first one married a wife but died childless. ...

Acts 7:5
He gave him no inheritance here, not even a foot of ground. But God promised to give possession of the land to Abraham and his descendants, even though he did not yet have a child.

Romans 4:13-16
For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world was not given through the law, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. / For if those who live by the law are heirs, faith is useless and the promise is worthless, / because the law brings wrath. And where there is no law, there is no transgression. ...


Treasury of Scripture

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 spoke before Moses, and before the princes, the chief fathers of the children of Israel:

Gilead

Numbers 26:29-33
Of the sons of Manasseh: of Machir, the family of the Machirites: and Machir begat Gilead: of Gilead come the family of the Gileadites…

Numbers 27:1
Then came the daughters of Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, of the families of Manasseh the son of Joseph: and these are the names of his daughters; Mahlah, Noah, and Hoglah, and Milcah, and Tirzah.

Joshua 17:2,3
There was also a lot for the rest of the children of Manasseh by their families; for the children of Abiezer, and for the children of Helek, and for the children of Asriel, and for the children of Shechem, and for the children of Hepher, and for the children of Shemida: these were the male children of Manasseh the son of Joseph by their families…

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Chief Children Heads Households Houses Israel Joseph Leaders Machir Manasseh Moses Princes
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Chief Children Heads Households Houses Israel Joseph Leaders Machir Manasseh Moses Princes
Numbers 36
1. The inheritance of daughters is remedied by marrying in their own tribes
7. Lest the inheritance should be removed from the tribe
10. The daughters of Zelophehad marry their father's brothers' sons














Now the heads of the families
This phrase introduces the leaders or patriarchs of the family units within the tribe. In ancient Israel, family heads held significant authority and responsibility, often acting as representatives in legal and communal matters. The Hebrew word for "heads" is "רָאשִׁים" (roshim), which implies leadership and prominence. This reflects the structured and hierarchical nature of Israelite society, where family lineage and tribal affiliation were crucial.

of the sons of Gilead son of Machir, the son of Manasseh
This lineage traces back to Manasseh, one of Joseph's sons, highlighting the importance of tribal identity and inheritance. Gilead and Machir are significant figures within the tribe of Manasseh, with Gilead often associated with a region east of the Jordan River. The mention of these ancestors underscores the continuity of God's promises to the patriarchs and the fulfillment of His covenant through successive generations.

who were from the clans of the descendants of Joseph
Joseph, one of Jacob's twelve sons, received a double portion of inheritance through his sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. This phrase emphasizes the connection to Joseph, a key figure in Israel's history, known for his faithfulness and God's providential care in his life. The "clans" (Hebrew: "מִשְׁפָּחוֹת" mishpachot) indicate sub-divisions within the tribe, each with its own leadership and responsibilities.

approached and addressed Moses and the leaders
The act of approaching Moses and the leaders signifies a formal request or concern being brought before the highest authority. Moses, as the mediator between God and Israel, and the leaders, as representatives of the people, were responsible for interpreting and applying God's law. This reflects the theocratic nature of Israel's governance, where divine guidance was sought in communal decisions.

the heads of the Israelite families
This reiteration of leadership underscores the collective responsibility and unity among the tribes. The "Israelite families" (Hebrew: "בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל" b'nei Yisrael) refers to the entire nation, bound by covenant to God and each other. This phrase highlights the communal aspect of Israel's identity, where individual tribes and families contribute to the nation's overall well-being and adherence to God's commands.

Verse 1. - The chief fathers. The same phrase is more correctly translated in Exodus 6:25 "heads of the fathers." It is, however, probable that הָאָבור (fathers) is a contraction for בֵּית־הַאָבות (fathers' houses). The fathers' house was the next recognized and familiar division below the mishpachah (family). Probably the fathers' house included originally all the descendants of a living ancestor, who formed the bond of union between them; but this union no doubt survived in many cases the death of the common ancestor, whose authority would then devolve upon the oldest efficient member of the house. The families of the children of Gilead. "The mishpachoth of the Beni-Gilead" certainly did not include the Machirites, who were somewhat sharply distinguished from the other Manassites (see above on Numbers 26:29; 32:39 ff.); it is even doubtful whether they included the Gileadites proper, who took their name (and perhaps traced their descent) from Gilead, but not from his sons. It may be confidently assumed that the Machirites, who had received an extensive and remote territory beyond Jordan, had nothing whatever to do with this application. It was the other section of the tribe, the mishpachoth of the six sons of Gilead, who were yet to receive inheritance by lot in Canaan proper, to whom the matter appeared so serious that they came to Moses about it.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Now the family
הָֽאָב֗וֹת (hā·’ā·ḇō·wṯ)
Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 1: Father

heads
רָאשֵׁ֣י (rā·šê)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 7218: The head

of the clan
לְמִשְׁפַּ֤חַת (lə·miš·pa·ḥaṯ)
Preposition-l | Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 4940: A family, circle of relatives, a class, a species, sort, a tribe, people

of Gilead
גִלְעָד֙ (ḡil·‘āḏ)
Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 1568: Gilead -- a region in Palestine, also the name of several Israelites

son
בֶּן־ (ben-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 1121: A son

of Machir
מָכִ֣יר (mā·ḵîr)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 4353: Machir -- two Israelites

son
בֶּן־ (ben-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 1121: A son

of Manasseh,
מְנַשֶּׁ֔ה (mə·naš·šeh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 4519: Manasseh -- 'causing to forget', a son of Joseph, also a king of Judah, also two Israelites

one of the clans
מִֽמִּשְׁפְּחֹ֖ת (mim·miš·pə·ḥōṯ)
Preposition-m | Noun - feminine plural construct
Strong's 4940: A family, circle of relatives, a class, a species, sort, a tribe, people

of Joseph,
יוֹסֵ֑ף (yō·w·sêp̄)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3130: Joseph -- 'he increases', a son of Jacob, also the name of several Israelites

approached
וַֽיִּקְרְב֞וּ (way·yiq·rə·ḇū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 7126: To come near, approach

and addressed
וַֽיְדַבְּר֞וּ (way·ḏab·bə·rū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 1696: To arrange, to speak, to subdue

Moses
מֹשֶׁה֙ (mō·šeh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 4872: Moses -- a great Israelite leader, prophet and lawgiver

and the leaders
הַנְּשִׂאִ֔ים (han·nə·śi·’îm)
Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 5387: An exalted one, a king, sheik, a rising mist

who were the heads
רָאשֵׁ֥י (rā·šê)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 7218: The head

of the Israelite
לִבְנֵ֥י (liḇ·nê)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 1121: A son

families,
יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ (yiś·rā·’êl)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3478: Israel -- 'God strives', another name of Jacob and his desc


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OT Law: Numbers 36:1 The heads of the fathers' houses (Nu Num.)
Numbers 35:34
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