Bible Strands
Numbers 26:55
Indeed, the land must be divided by lot; they shall receive their inheritance according to the names of the tribes of their fathers.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Moses addresses the second generation of Israelites in the plains of Moab, instructing them on how to distribute the promised land before entry.
The words — The Hebrew terms גּוֹרָל (goral, "lot") and יֵחָלֵק (yechaleq, "it will be divided") establish that the allocation is not arbitrary but determined by a divinely guided casting process.
The thread — This directive recurs in Numbers 33:54, Numbers 34:13, and Joshua 14:2, where the same lot-based distribution is repeatedly enacted for the tribes.
Why it lands — The text commands that territorial inheritance follow both divine casting and tribal registration, requiring obedience to a structured allocation rather than personal claim.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Notwithstanding the land shall be divided by lot: according to the names of the tribes of their fathers they shall inherit.
Cross-references
- Numbers 33:54 And you are to divide the land by lot according to your clans. Give a larger inheritance to a larger clan and a smaller inheritance to a smaller one. Whatever falls to each one by lot will be his. You will receive an inheritance according to the tribes of your fathers.
- Numbers 34:13 So Moses commanded the Israelites, “Apportion this land by lot as an inheritance. The LORD has commanded that it be given to the nine and a half tribes.
- Joshua 14:2 Their inheritance was assigned by lot for the nine and a half tribes, as the LORD had commanded through Moses.
- Joshua 11:23 So Joshua took the entire land, in keeping with all that the LORD had spoken to Moses. And Joshua gave it as an inheritance to Israel according to the allotments to their tribes. Then the land had rest from war.
- Numbers 26:56 Each inheritance is to be divided by lot among the larger and smaller tribes.”
- Joshua 17:14 Then the sons of Joseph said to Joshua, “Why have you given us only one portion as an inheritance? We have many people, because the LORD has blessed us abundantly.”
- Joshua 18:6 When you have mapped out the seven portions of land and brought it to me, I will cast lots for you here in the presence of the LORD our God.
- Joshua 18:10 And Joshua cast lots for them in the presence of the LORD at Shiloh, where he distributed the land to the Israelites according to their divisions.
- Joshua 19:1 The second lot came out for the clans of the tribe of Simeon: Their inheritance lay within the territory of Judah
- Joshua 19:10 The third lot came up for the clans of the tribe of Zebulun: The border of their inheritance stretched as far as Sarid.