Apportioning the Land: By Lot and By Population?!

[1] For a modern harmonistic reading, see R.R. Knierim and G.W. Coats, Numbers (FOTL; Grand Rapids, Michigan 2005), 312.

לרב תרבה נחלתו – לשבט שהיה מרובה באכלוסין נתנו חלק רב, ואף על פי שלא היו החלקים שוים שהרי הכל לפי ריבוי השבט חלקו החלקים לא עשו אלא על ידי גורל, והגורל היה על פי רוח הקודש.

“With larger groups increase the share” – for a tribe with a large population, they give a large share. Nevertheless, even though the portions (of the tribes) were not equal, since the portions were determined based on population, they were only divided out by lot, and the lot was based on the holy spirit.

R. Ovadiah Seforno (1475-1550) agrees with Rashi (v. 55).

אַךְ בְּגוֹרָל – אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁעָשׁוּ חֲלָקִים גְּדוֹלִים וּקְטַנִּים כְּפִי צֹרֶךְ הַשְּׁבָטִים וְכַמּוּתָם, לֹא נָתְנוּ לְכָל שֵׁבֶט חֶלְקוֹ אֶלָּא “עַל פִּי הַגּוֹרָל”, וּבָזֶה הָאֹפֶן קִבֵּל כָּל שֵׁבֶט חֶלְקוֹ “עַל פִּי ה'”.

“But by lot” – even though they made larger and smaller portions according to the need of each tribe and its population, they only gave each tribe its land with the lottery, and that way each tribe received its inheritance directly from the mouth of God.

Nevertheless, to make this suggestion more palatable, Seforno suggests that each portion of land was of equal value; the smaller plots given to the less populous tribes were better land.

לָרַב תַּרְבֶּה נַחֲלָתוֹ – בְּכַמּוּת הַקַרְקַע. כִּי אָמְנָם נִתְחַלְּקָה הָאָרֶץ לִשְׁנֵים עָשָר חֲלָקִים שָׁוִים בְּעֵרֶךְ הַדָּמִים, בִּלְתִּי שָׁווֹת בְּכַמּוּת, אֶלָא כּו̇ר רַע כְּנֶגֶד בֵּית סְאָה טוֹב. וְנָטַל הַשֵּׁבֶט הַמְרֻבֶּה בְּאֻכְלוּסִין הַחֵלֶק רַב הַכַּמּוּת, וְהַשֵּׁבֶט שֶׁהָיָה מֻעָט נָטַל הַחֵלֶק הַקָּטָן בְּכַמּוּת, שָׁוֶה בְּעֵרֶךְ הַדָּמִים אֶל הַחֵלֶק רַב הַכַּמּוּת,

“With larger groups increase the share” – the amount of land. For indeed the land was divided into twelve equal parts in financial value, but not equal in physical size, for a bad kor is worth the same as a good seah. Thus, the most populous tribe received the largest plot and the smallest tribe received the smallest plot, but all the plots were equal in value to the largest of the plots.

[3]

שנים עשר חלקים שווים עשו ממנה ונטל כל השבט החלק שיצא לו הגורל עליו … והנה פירוש הפרשה לאלה הנזכרים למשפחות תחלק הארץ במספר שמות שיתנו לכל זכר לגולגלותם חלקו לרב תרבו נחלתו שיחלקו ארץ ראובן לארבעת חלקים למשפחת החנוכי המרובה על דרך משל נרבה נחלתו ולמשפחת הפלואי המועטת נמעיט…

They made twelve equal portions out of it, and each tribe received whichever portion came out for it from the lot… This passage explains that to those who were mentioned (in the census), the land will be divided up by families, according to the amount of names, i.t., to each male who was counted. That they should divide the land of Reuven into four parts. For instance, the large Chanoch clan should get a large piece, and the small Palu clan should get a small piece…

Building on Ramban’s interpretation, Shadal (Samuel David Luzzatto, 1800-1865) adds that the lot applies even to these households, but only to location (east, west, etc.), not size, which is determined by the number of households:

אך בגורל – הגורל היה קובע הצד שבו ינחל כל בית אב, אך השיעור היה לפי המספר.

But by lot – the lot would determine on which part of the land [of Canaan] each household would get, but the size of the plot would be determined based on the number of households [in the tribe].

[4] See discussion in, G.B. Gray, Numbers (ICC; Edinburgh, 1903), 395.

E.A. Speiser, ‘Leviticus and the Critics’, in: M. Haran (ed.), Yehezkel Kaufmann Jubilee Volume, Jerusalem 1960, pp. 39-41.

And see also e.g. Gen 9:4; Deut 14:7.

Cf. Ezek 11:15; 33:24.