A Son's tribe is determined by the father - Key Passages

The tribe of a son is always established by the tribe of the father. If one is a Jew or not is decided by the mother. Below are a few of the passages that show that the father decides the tribe.

Numbers 1:2 Take the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel, by families following their fathers' houses;

Numbers 1:16 These were the ones summoned by the congregation, the princes of the tribes of their fathers; they are the heads of the thousands of Israel.

Numbers 1:18 and they assembled all the congregation on the first day of the second month, and they declared their pedigrees according to their families according to their fathers' houses; according to the number of names, a head count of every male from twenty years old and upward.

Numbers 1:20 This was [the sum of] the children of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel, their descendants according to their families, according to their fathers' houses; the number of individual names of every male from twenty years old and upward, all who were fit to go out to the army.

Numbers 1:22 Of the tribe of Simeon, their descendants according to their families, according to their fathers' houses; his tally, according to the number of individual names of every male from twenty years old and upward, all who were fit to go out to the army.

Numbers 1:24 Of the tribe of Gad, their descendants according to their families, according to their fathers' houses; the number of individual names of every male from twenty years old and upward, all who were fit to go out to the army.

Numbers 1:26 Of the tribe of Judah, their descendants according to their families, according to their fathers' houses; the number of individual names of every male from twenty years old and upward, all who were fit to go out to the army.

Numbers 1:28 Of the tribe of Issachar, their descendants according to their families, according to their fathers' houses; the number of individual names of every male from twenty years old and upward, all who were fit to go out to the army.

Numbers 1:30 Of the tribe of Zebulun, their descendants according to their families, according to their fathers' houses; the number of individual names of every male from twenty years old and upward, all who were fit to go out to the army.

Numbers 1:32 Of the children of Yosef: of the tribe of Ephraim, their descendants according to their families, according to their fathers' houses; the number of individual names of every male from twenty years old and upward, all who were fit to go out to the army.

Numbers 1:34 Of the tribe of Manasseh, their descendants according to their families, according to their fathers' houses; the number of individual names of every male from twenty years old and upward, all who were fit to go out to the army.

Numbers 1:36 Of the tribe of Benjamin, their descendants according to their families, according to their fathers' houses; the number of individual names of every male from twenty years old and upward, all who were fit to go out to the army.

Numbers 1:38 Of the tribe of Dan, their descendants according to their families, according to their fathers' houses; the number of individual names of every male from twenty years old and upward, all who were fit to go out to the army.

Numbers 1:40 Of the tribe of Asher, their descendants according to their families, according to their fathers' houses; the number of individual names of every male from twenty years old and upward, all who were fit to go out to the army.

Numbers 1:42 Of the tribe of Naphtali, their descendants according to their families, according to their fathers' houses; the number of individual names of every male from twenty years old and upward, all who were fit to go out to the army.

Numbers 1:44 These are the numbered ones, whom Moses and Aaron and the twelve princes of Israel counted each one [representing] his fathers' house. 

Numbers 1:45 All the children of Israel were counted according to their fathers' houses, from twenty years and upward, all who were fit to go out to the army.

Numbers 1:47 But the Levites, according to their father's tribe were not numbered among them.

Numbers 2:2 The children of Israel shall encamp each man by his division with the flag staffs of their fathers' house; some distance from the Tent of Meeting they shall encamp.

Numbers 2:32 These are the numbers of the Israelites according to their fathers' houses. The total number of legions of the camps was six hundred and three thousand, five hundred and fifty.

Numbers 2:34 The Israelites did all that the Lord had commanded Moses; they encamped by their divisions, and so did they journey each man with his family, according to his father's house.

Numbers 3:15 Count the children of Levi according to their fathers' house according to their families. Count all males from the age of one month and upward.

Numbers 4:2 Make a count of the sons of Kohath from among the children of Levi by their families, according to their fathers' houses. 3 From the age of thirty until the age of fifty, all who enter the service, to do work in the Tent of Meeting.

Numbers 4:22 Take a census of the sons of Gershon, of them too, following their fathers' houses, according to their families. 23 From the age of thirty years and upward, until the age of fifty years you shall count them, all who come to join the legion, to perform service in the Tent of Meeting.

Numbers 4:29 [As for] the sons of Merari, you shall count them by their families, according to their fathers' houses. 30 From the age of thirty years and upward until the age of fifty years, you shall count them, all who come to the legion, to perform service in the Tent of Meeting.

Numbers 13:2 "Send out for yourself men who will scout the Land of Canaan, which I am giving to the children of Israel. You shall send one man each for his father's tribe; each one shall be a chieftain in their midst."

Numbers 17:17 Speak to the children of Israel and take from them a staff for each father's house from all the chieftains according to their fathers' houses; [a total of] twelve staffs and inscribe each man's name on his staff. 18 Inscribe Aaron's name on the staff of Levi, for there is [only] one staff for the head of their fathers' house. 21 Moses spoke to the children of Israel, and all their chieftains gave him a staff for each chieftain according to their fathers' houses, [a total of] twelve staffs, and Aaron's staff was amidst their staffs.

Numbers 26:1 It was after the plague, that the Lord spoke to Moses and to Eleazar the son of Aaron the kohen, saying: 2 Take a census of all the congregation of the children of Israel from twenty years old and upwards, following their fathers' houses, all that are fit to go out to war in Israel.

Numbers 27:1 The daughters of Zelophehad the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, of the families of Manasseh the son of Joseph, came forward, and his daughters' names were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. 4 Why should our father's name be eliminated from his family because he had

Numbers 36:6 This is the word that the Lord has commanded regarding Zelophehad's daughters. Let them marry whomever they please, but they shall marry only to the family of their father's tribe. 7 Thus, the inheritance of the children of Israel will not be transferred from tribe to tribe, for each person from the children of Israel will remain attached to the inheritance of his father's tribe. 8 Every daughter from the tribes of the children of Israel who inherits property, shall marry a member of her father's tribe, so each one of the children of Israel shall inherit the property of his forefathers. 9 And no inheritance will be transferred from one tribe to another tribe, for each person of the tribes of the children of Israel shall remain attached to his own inheritance." 10 As the Lord had commanded Moses, so did Zelophehad's daughters do. 11 Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Noah married their cousins.