Commentaria in Numeros
You will say: Why then does our Interpreter not express this, but renders generally: “All men shall take wives of their own tribe;” and conversely: “All women shall take husbands of the same tribe”?
I answer: Because he presupposed from the question proposed, and from the answer in verse 6, that it is treated here only of women who come to the inheritance, and of men who take such to wives. Hence what our version renders: “All men shall take wives of their own tribe,” render thus from the Hebrew with the Chaldee and the Septuagint: each shall cleave to the possession of the tribe of his fathers, namely male sons shall succeed their fathers; but women, if they be heiresses, shall marry someone of their own tribe, so that no occasion may be given of passing inheritance from one tribe to another. So Burgensis, Cajetan, Oleaster, Vatablus here, and Andreas Masius on Josue chapter xvi, verse 4.
Note: From the Hebrew it is gathered that the daughters, male offspring failing, being heiresses, had to marry not only in the same tribe, but also in the same nearest family, lest their inheritance should pass to strange families, but remain in their father’s family with the kinsmen, who had a right to it. For so the Hebrew has in verse 6: “The families of the tribe of their father shall be for wives.” And verse 8: “Every daughter inheriting an inheritance, etc., shall be a wife to one of the family of the tribe of her father, that the children of Israel may receive every one the inheritance of their fathers.” Wherefore the daughters of Salphaad married in the same family, namely to the sons of their father’s brothers, that is cousins, as is said in verse 11. And so we reconcile the genealogy of Christ in Matthew and Luke, saying that each truly describes the genealogy of Christ, because the Blessed Virgin, an heiress, married her cousin, namely Joseph: for Joseph was the son of Jacob, the Blessed Virgin was the daughter of Heli or Joachim: but Jacob and Heli were full brothers, namely sons of Nathan. The genealogy of Christ in Matthew, therefore, is true from Adam to Nathan by the paternal line, namely through the parents of Joachim, who was the grandfather of Christ: but Luke describes the same, but by the maternal line, namely through the parents of St. Anne, the mother of the Blessed Virgin. For since the series of all the generations by the paternal line had already been described by Matthew, Luke would not repeat it, but wished to show further that Christ and the Blessed Virgin also by the maternal line were of the house and family of David. Whence when Luke says of Joseph, “who was of Heli,” he names the grandfather of Christ, and the first male progenitor of Christ, St. Anne and the Blessed Virgin being omitted, because women were not wont to enter the series of genealogies. Again, when Luke says of Heli, “who was of Matthat,” understand not son but son-in-law: for Matthat was the father not of Heli or Joachim, but of St. Anne, the wife of Joachim; but when he says further of Matthat, “who was of Levi, who was of Melchi,” etc., understand always son. For these are the true progenitors of Matthat, whose daughter was St. Anne. So nearly Franciscus Lucas in the same place.
From this place thus explained it is again plain how the Blessed Virgin, being of the tribe of Juda, could have a kinswoman Elisabeth, who was of the tribe of Aaron and Levi. For the cause and foundation of this was not that the Levites alone could take a wife from another tribe, as many will have it; but that all women could marry husbands who were of another tribe, if they had brothers, so that they were not heiresses of their parents. For if they were heiresses, they could not marry into another tribe, much less could they marry Levites. For the Levites were capable of no inheritance, because their inheritance was the Lord; and consequently the sons of the Levites could come to neither father’s nor mother’s inheritance.
One of two things, therefore, must be said here: either that the mother or grandmother of the Blessed Virgin was of the tribe of Levi (and was an aunt or cousin of Elisabeth), whom, because she was not an heiress, the father or grandfather of the Blessed Virgin, who was of the tribe of Juda, took to wife, so that the Blessed Virgin by her paternal stock was of Juda, by her maternal of Levi. Or rather, conversely, it must be said that the mother or grandmother of St. Elisabeth was of the tribe of Juda (and was an aunt or kinswoman of the Blessed Virgin), whom, because she was not an heiress, the father or grandfather of St. Elisabeth, who was of the tribe of Levi, took to wife, so that Elisabeth as to her father was of Levi, as to her mother of Juda: for so it came about that the Blessed Virgin and Elisabeth were the daughters of two sisters, or of cousins, and therefore were kinswomen, even though their fathers were of different tribes, and consequently they themselves were of different tribes: for each took family, tribe and name not from the mother but from the father. Hence, the distinction of tribes being preserved, kings took as wives the daughters of pontiffs, and pontiffs the daughters of kings, as Josephus attests: and so Christ, descending from the kings of Juda, by His grandmothers descended also from Levi.
7. AND KINDRED.—This kindred is general, namely that which is among tribesmen. In fact, therefore, kindred, tribe and family are here the same. For it is commanded here only that they take wives or husbands of the same tribe; not of the same particular and nearest family.
12. THAT HAD BEEN ALLOTTED TO THEM.—This is not in the Hebrew, but is understood: namely, the possession of their father Salphaad, which had been allotted to his daughters by Moses, in this way, by marriage with their tribesmen, remained in their tribe, namely in Manasses, that is, ought to remain in it, and could not be transferred to another tribe.
Mystically, our possession, constant and perpetual, not to be alienated, is heaven and the eternal glory of God. While thou livest, therefore, while thou art in health, O man, a wayfarer, think that all things have their time, and that all things under heaven pass in their own spaces. Alas, alas, the fleeting years glide by, Postumus, Postumus. Think that all things under the sun are vanity, vanity of vanities, and all is vanity. Think that for all things thought, said and done God will bring thee into judgment. “Remember then thy Creator in the days of thy youth, before the dust return into its earth, from whence it was, and the spirit return to God, who gave it: for man shall go into the house of his ETERNITY.” Think that this life is the training-ground of ETERNITY. O sons of Adam, why do you covet things that fall? O souls bent toward earth, and void of heavenly things, why do you pursue things momentary and soon to perish? Would that men were wise, would that they understood, would that they provided for themselves a blessed ETERNITY!