The Land: Necessary for a Family's 'Shalom'

Probably some of the land was held in common for pasturage and a portion of land suitable for growing crops was assigned to each family. For many generations the ideal in Israel was each man taking his rest under his own vine and fig tree with no one to trouble him [1 Kgs 5:5; Mic 4:4; Zech 3:10]. This plot of land was probably passed on to the eldest son and preserved in the family. If a property owner died without any sons to succeed him the land passed on to his daughters if they married within the tribe [Num 27:7-8]. The law which bound a man to marry his widowed and childless sister-in-law, the Law of Levirate, had the purpose of providing heirs and the continued possession of the land by the family [Deut 25:5-10]. If an Israelite fell into poverty and had to sell his inheritance, his nearest male relative [go'el] had the right to acquire it [Lev 25:25, 47-49]. All these laws had the purpose of preserving intact the family inheritance which was necessary for the family's 'shalom'.

The story of Naboth's vineyard is an indication of how highly the landowner valued his property. "Naboth of Jesreel had a vineyard close by the palace of Ahab, king of Samaria. Ahab said to Naboth, 'Give me your vineyard garden, since it adjoins my palace; I will give you a better vineyard for it, or if you prefer, I will give you its value in money.' Naboth, however, said to Ahab, 'Yahweh forbid that I should give you my ancestral heritage'" [I Kings 21:1-3]. Naboth paid for his stubbornness with his life.

In Psalm 16 the faithful man says that it is Yahweh who is his in-heritance. This also shows the place that the inheritance had in the hearts of the people [Ps 16:5-6], for a man's inheritance was his most prized possession.