Nevertheless the land shall be divided by lot: according to the names of the tribes of their fathers they shall inherit.
All Commentaries on Numbers 26:55 Go To Numbers 26
Procopius of Gaza
AD 528
A lottery takes place to avoid contention and to assure greater certitude and clarity. The source of this rule is the counsel of God. Devout men do not entrust their affairs to blind chance. This is what Paul means when he says, “We have been called to this destiny, predestined according to the mind of him who moves all things and according to the counsel of his will.” Our use of lots bespeaks grace because, by God’s word, it takes place according to faith. The apostles imply the same idea when they say, “Lord, knower of hearts, designate the one we should choose from among these two.” Thus it is clear that the lot does not happen by chance but by the power of God’s will. So what Scripture now says—whatever the lot designates—it says about God’s choice by lot, not about chance. In the same way those among the Greeks who said they exercised power did not escape blame. After the people have been counted, the parts of the holy land are assigned to them at the Jordan. Those who possess their homelands in Israel, as designated by Caleb and Joshua, have been described as free, baptized young men. By sons Scripture means young men and those who have passed puberty. Their souls are ready for war, but their strength is untested; they have never experienced the risks of war. The sons of those who were under the law foreshadow a new people, who are judged worthy to be inscribed in the book of life. They are described one by one according to their virtues, and they inherit the earth, which belongs to the meek (unless perhaps the meek enjoy it in even greater measure). This measure, Scripture says, they will pour into your lap; it will be beautiful, pressed down, shaken and rich. Then, it says, you will increase his portion manyfold, so that each one receives his lot according to the count of the census. Hence it happens that the books handed over to Daniel to be explained were plural in number and their dimensions were described differently. For this reason too, God ordered the people counted by tribe and by name, although he commanded that their family relationships should be recorded too. Catena on the Octateuch, on Numbers :.
