John Calvin Commentary Joshua 17:5

"And there fell ten parts to Manasseh, besides the land of Gilead and Bashan, which is beyond the Jordan;" — Joshua 17:5 (ASV)

The historian returns to the tribe of Manasseh to confirm what we previously saw regarding the daughters of Zelophehad. For although it was a novelty for females to inherit alongside males, yet as five of them had survived their father, they established that it was equitable for them to receive a share, so that their innocent father would not suffer the reproach of having died childless.

God had replied to Moses through His oracle that, regarding succession, they should be counted as one head. They now demand that the decision given by the mouth of the Lord be put into effect. As for the title of firstborn, still given to Manasseh, it must be understood in such a way that it does not conflict with the prophecy of Jacob; or rather, his primogeniture is here, in a way, set aside, and his dignity restricted to the past.

Here, however, it must be noted that people are so tenacious and so devoted to their own interests that they seldom think to give others their due. The daughters of Zelophehad had obtained a portion by a heavenly decree, and no one had dared to speak against it; yet if they had remained silent, no attention would have been paid to them.

Therefore, so that the delay would not harm them, they approached Joshua and Eleazar and insisted that they not be deprived of their legitimate succession. Joshua caused no delay in their immediately obtaining what was just, nor was there any complaining from the people.

From this we infer that all were inclined to act equitably; but everyone is preoccupied with their own interests and too inclined to carelessly overlook the interests of others.

And there fell ten portions to Manasseh, etc. In this passage, the descendants of Manasseh are classified under seven branches. Machir, the firstborn, is set apart; the other six follow. Here the question arises: How was the inheritance divided into ten parts? Some expositors cunningly disguise the difficulty; others, because they are unable to solve it, engage in utter trivialities.

It is certainly very absurd that four portions would be given to five daughters; and it is no more fitting that their share would be doubled because their father was the firstborn. It is beyond all dispute that Gilead, son of Machir, and great-grandfather of the women we are now discussing, chose his settlement in Mount Gilead and Bashan.

Therefore, since he had already obtained an inheritance by special privilege, without drawing lots, he should not have obtained one by lot in the land of Canaan, unless perhaps he settled only a part of his family beyond the Jordan. For Hepher was one of his sons, but not the only one; and similarly, the offspring of five other brothers might be divided into several heads, according to whose number the allocation by lot could be made.

For it is not known on what basis families whose portion fell in the land of Canaan were counted. And all we read here is that ten lots were cast among the sons of Manasseh, in addition to the land they had previously acquired for themselves beyond the Jordan.

It is therefore futile to dispute the number, which cannot be determined with certainty from the present narrative, because the first thing that needs to be known is the exact number of families who shared in the division. Indeed, it is not impossible that the daughters of Zelophehad obtained their inheritance there.

They are said, indeed, to have lived among their father’s relatives, but the location is not specified. Be that as it may, I have no doubt that mutual fairness was observed, and that after provision was made for others, the land which had been subject to the lot was distributed among ten families whose names are omitted here.