Numbers 33 · Verse 54

Numbers 33:54

And ye shall divide the land by lot for an inheritance among your families: and to the more ye shall give the more inheritance, and to the fewer ye shall give the less inheritance: every man’s inheritance shall be in the place where his lot falleth; according to the tribes of your fathers ye shall inherit.
Numbers 33:54, King James Version

Numbers 33:54 in other translations

BSBAnd 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.
WEBYou shall inherit the land by lot according to your families; to the larger groups you shall give a larger inheritance, and to the smaller you shall give a smaller inheritance. Wherever the lot falls to any man, that shall be his. You shall inherit according to the tribes of your fathers.
ASVAnd ye shall inherit the land by lot according to your families; to the more ye shall give the more inheritance, and to the fewer thou shalt give the less inheritance: wheresoever the lot falleth to any man, that shall be his; according to the tribes of your fathers shall ye inherit.
YLT‘And ye have inherited the land by lot, by your families; to the many ye increase their inheritance, and to the few ye diminish their inheritance; whither the lot goeth out to him, it is his; by the tribes of your fathers ye inherit.
DARBYAnd ye shall take for yourselves the land as an inheritance by lot according to your families: to the many ye shall increase their inheritance, and to the few thou shalt diminish their inheritance: where the lot falleth to him, there shall be each man's inheritance; according to the tribes of your fathers shall ye take for yourselves the inheritance.
BBEAnd you will take up your heritage in the land by the decision of the Lord, to every family its part; the greater the family the greater its heritage, and the smaller the family the smaller will be its heritage; wherever the decision of the Lord gives to any man his part, that will be his; distribution will be made to you by your fathers' tribes.
WebsterAnd ye shall divide the land by lot for an inheritance among your families: to the more ye shall give the more inheritance, and to the fewer ye shall give the less inheritance: every man's inheritance shall be in the place where his lot falleth; according to the tribes of your fathers ye shall inherit.

What does Numbers 33:54 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
54. ye shall divide the land by lot--The particular locality of each tribe was to be determined in this manner while a line was to be used in measuring the proportion (Jos 18:10; Psa 16:5, 6).

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Numbers 33:50-56

Now that they were to pass over Jordan, they were entering again into temptation to follow idols; and they are threatened that, if they spared either the idols or the idolaters, their sin would certainly be their punishment. They would foster vipers in their own bosoms. The remnant of the Canaanites, if they made any peace with them, though but for a time, would be pricks in their eyes, and thorns in their sides. We…

Read the full comment on Numbers 33:50-56 →

Numbers 33:54 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וְהִתְנַחַלְתֶּם֩ve.hit.na.chal.Temand you will inheritH5157
אֶת\־'et-<obj.>H853
הָאָ֨רֶץha.'A.retzthe landH776
בְּגוֹרָ֜לbe.go.Ralby lotH1486
לְמִשְׁפְּחֹֽתֵיכֶ֗םle.mish.pe.cho.tei.Khemto clans yourH4940
לָרַ֞בla.Ravfor the manyH7227
תַּרְבּ֤וּtar.Buyou will make greatH7235
אֶת\־'et-<obj.>H853
נַחֲלָתוֹ֙na.cha.la.Toinheritance itsH5159
וְלַמְעַט֙ve.lam.'Atand for the fewH4592
תַּמְעִ֣יטtam.'Ityou will make smallH4591
אֶת\־'et-<obj.>H853
נַחֲלָת֔וֹna.cha.la.Toinheritance itsH5159
אֶל֩'el<to>H413
אֲשֶׁר\־'a.Sher-whereH834
יֵ֨צֵאYe.tze'it will come outH3318
ל֥וֹlofor <the> him
שָׁ֛מָּהSha.mahthere <towards>H8033
הַגּוֹרָ֖לha.go.Ralthe lotH1486
ל֣וֹloto <the> him
יִהְיֶ֑הyih.Yehit will belongH1961
לְמַטּ֥וֹתle.ma.Totto [the] tribes ofH4294
אֲבֹתֵיכֶ֖ם'a.vo.tei.Khemfathers yourH1
תִּתְנֶחָֽלוּ\׃tit.ne.Cha.luyou will inheritH5157

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Numbers 33:54

  • Numbers 26:53-56

    Unto these the land shall be divided for an inheritance according to the number of names. To many thou shalt give the more inheritance, and to few thou shalt give the less inheritance: to every one shall his inheritance be given according to those that were numbered of him. Notwithstanding the land shall be divided by lot: according to the names of the tribes of their fathers they shall inherit. According to the lot shall the possession thereof be divided between many and few.

  • Joshua 15:1-12

    This then was the lot of the tribe of the children of Judah by their families; even to the border of Edom the wilderness of Zin southward was the uttermost part of the south coast. And their south border was from the shore of the salt sea, from the bay that looketh southward: And it went out to the south side to Maaleh–acrabbim, and passed along to Zin, and ascended up on the south side unto Kadesh–barnea, and passed along to Hezron, and went up to Adar, and fetched a compass to Karkaa: From thence it passed toward Azmon, and went out unto the river of Egypt; and the goings out of that coast were at the sea: this shall be your south coast. …

  • Joshua 16:1-4

    And the lot of the children of Joseph fell from Jordan by Jericho, unto the water of Jericho on the east, to the wilderness that goeth up from Jericho throughout mount Beth–el, And goeth out from Beth–el to Luz, and passeth along unto the borders of Archi to Ataroth, And goeth down westward to the coast of Japhleti, unto the coast of Beth–horon the nether, and to Gezer: and the goings out thereof are at the sea. So the children of Joseph, Manasseh and Ephraim, took their inheritance.

  • Joshua 18:11-19:48

    And the lot of the tribe of the children of Benjamin came up according to their families: and the coast of their lot came forth between the children of Judah and the children of Joseph. And their border on the north side was from Jordan; and the border went up to the side of Jericho on the north side, and went up through the mountains westward; and the goings out thereof were at the wilderness of Beth–aven. And the border went over from thence toward Luz, to the side of Luz, which is Beth–el, southward; and the border descended to Ataroth–adar, near the hill that lieth on the south side of the nether Beth–horon. And the border was drawn thence, and compassed the corner of the sea southward, from the hill that lieth before Beth–horon southward; and the goings out thereof were at Kirjath–baal, which is Kirjath–jearim, a city of the children of Judah: this was the west quarter. …

  • Joshua 17:1-13

    There was also a lot for the tribe of Manasseh; for he was the firstborn of Joseph; to wit, for Machir the firstborn of Manasseh, the father of Gilead: because he was a man of war, therefore he had Gilead and Bashan. 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. But Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, had no sons, but daughters: and these are the names of his daughters, Mahlah, and Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. And they came near before Eleazar the priest, and before Joshua the son of Nun, and before the princes, saying, The Lord commanded Moses to give us an inheritance among our brethren. Therefore according to the commandment of the Lord he gave them an inheritance among the brethren of their father. …

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
ye shall divide.
26:53-56
give the more inheritance. Heb. multiply his inheritance.
26:54
give the less inheritance. Heb. diminish his inheritance inthe place.
Jos 15:1-12; 16:1-4; 17:1-13; 18:11-28; 19:1-48

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Numbers 33:53

    And ye shall dispossess the inhabitants of the land, and dwell therein: for I have given you the land to possess it.

  • Numbers 33:54

    And ye shall divide the land by lot for an inheritance among your families: and to the more ye shall give the more inheritance, and to the fewer ye shall give the less inheritance: every man’s inheritance shall be in the place where his lot falleth; according to the tribes of your fathers ye shall inherit.

  • Numbers 33:55

    But if ye will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you; then it shall come to pass, that those which ye let remain of them shall be pricks in your eyes, and thorns in your sides, and shall vex you in the land wherein ye dwell.

Read all of Numbers 33

Numbers 33:54 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909
Y heredaréis la tierra por suertes por vuestras familias: á los muchos daréis mucho por su heredad, y á los pocos daréis menos por heredad suya: donde le saliere la suerte, allí la tendrá cada uno: por las tribus de vuestros padres heredaréis.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885
Et vous recevrez le pays en héritage par le sort, selon vos familles: à ceux qui sont nombreux, vous augmenterez l’héritage, et à ceux qui sont peu nombreux, vous diminuerez l’héritage; là où le sort lui sera échu, là sera l’héritage de chacun: vous hériterez selon les tribus de vos pères.
German
Elberfelder 1871
Und ihr sollt das Land durchs Los als Erbteil empfangen, nach euren Geschlechtern: Den Vielen sollt ihr ihr Erbteil mehren, und den Wenigen sollt ihr ihr Erbteil mindern; wohin das Los einem fällt, das soll ihm gehören; nach den Stämmen eurer Väter sollt ihr erben.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate
quam dividetis vobis sorte. Pluribus dabitis latiorem, et paucis angustiorem. Singulis ut sors ceciderit, ita tribuetur hæreditas. Per tribus et familias possessio dividetur.