Now the children of Reuben and the children of Gad had a very great multitude of cattle; and when they saw the land of Jazer, and the land of Gilead, that, behold, the place was a place for cattle,
verse value 3775
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 74 letters. The shortest word is "much" (רַ֗ב, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·to·the·sons·of·Gad" (וְלִבְנֵי־גָ֖ד, 7 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "and·cattle" (וּמִקְנֶ֣ה), "was" (הָיָ֞ה), "and·to·the·sons·of·Gad" (וְלִבְנֵי־גָ֖ד). The root מקנה appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·the·sons·of" (root בן, 499x in Numbers); "was" (root היה, 180x in Numbers); "the·land·of" (root ארץ, 119x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'very', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 9 words.
Onkelos
Now the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad had very great livestock — exceedingly so. They saw the land of Jazer and the land of Gilead, and behold, the place was a fit place for livestock.
Ibn Ezra
"For the sons of Reuben" — because he is the son of the mistress [the primary wife]. "A place for livestock" — for there was good pasture there.
Or HaChaim
ומקנה רב היה לבני ראובן, And the members of the tribe of Reuven had a great amount of cattle, etc. The Torah had to give us this information in order to justify their request to settle in the lands which used to belong to Sichon and Og. The Torah simply testifies that their claim was based on solid facts. The reason that these two tribes had so much more cattle than the other tribes was that the soldiers of these tribes were exceedingly brave and captured more loot than the soldiers of the other tribes.
Rabbeinu Bahya
ומקנה רב היה לבני ראובן ולבני גד, “and the tribes of Reuven and Gad possessed large amounts of livestock.” The tribe who was a descendant of Leah is mentioned first although the tribe of Gad was the instigator of this request (Ibn Ezra).
Kli Yakar
And the children of Reuben had a multitude of cattle and the children of Gad had exceedingly mighty ones. Since the text did not combine them to say “And they had a great and mighty multitude of cattle, etc.,” we can infer that each description stands on its own: the children of Reuben had a multitude of cattle in number, and the children of Gad had cattle that were mighty in strength, similar to what is said and his livestock have increased in the land (Job 1:10): His goats would kill wolves, as mentioned in Taanit (25a) “let the goats bring the bears by their horns.” Similarly, Gad had cattle that were very mighty in strength and power, and therefore they chose to dwell at the border and had no fear of enemies before their eyes, nor were they concerned that wolves might take their cattle, because they trusted in their strength. From this, we can learn some defense for them regarding why they prioritized the cattle before the children in their statement, We will build sheepfolds for our cattle and cities for our children. For they were saying that near the border we will first build sheepfolds for our cattle, and afterward, inside the land, we will build cities for our children. This way, the children will dwell securely, because if enemies come, they will first encounter the sheepfolds, and in the meantime, the children will escape. And the cattle at the border are not afraid of wolves. Nevertheless, Moses rebuked them and said, “If so, you are not trusting in God’s salvation. Instead, do this: build cities for your children first near the border, and sheepfolds for your flocks inside the land, and your brothers, all the house of Israel, will see that you trust in God’s salvation, and by this, you will give courage to your brothers’ hearts that they will all trust in God’s salvation.” And what goes forth from your mouths, you shall do: Initially they said cities for our children, implying any kind of cities, but afterward they went back on their words and said and our children will dwell in fortified cities, implying that they intended to be protected by the strength of the cities, which would bring fear into the hearts of the people. Therefore Moses rebuked them, saying, Build cities for your children, etc., and what goes forth from your mouths, you shall do, because you have already said cities for our children. And our Sages (Tanchuma Matot 7) interpreted about them the verse, An inheritance acquired hastily at the beginning, and its end will not be blessed (Proverbs 20:21). Because they took their inheritance first, therefore their end was not blessed, as they went at the head of all exiles, as it is said And he exiled the Reubenites and the Gadites (1 Chronicles 5:26). And in order to explain the vav [the letter that means “and”] in and its end, it seems that this is its interpretation: According to our Sages, they prioritized their livestock over their children, and about this it says An inheritance acquired hastily at the beginning, for they prioritized their inheritance, namely the livestock, to mention it first; therefore also their end, namely the children whom they delayed [in importance], will not be blessed. For both their bodies and their inheritance all vanished like smoke — the main along with the secondary, all of them went captive before the pursuer.
Daat Zkenim
'ומקנה רב היה לבני ראובן וגו, “and The Reubenites possessed large quantities of livestock;” the tribes of Reuven and Gad, who possessed more wealth than the others grew to love their material possessions and this is what encouraged them to separate from their brethren, the other tribes to the extent that they wanted to make their residence on the east bank of the river Jordan. A look at history will show us that these tribes were the first to be exiled from their land. Both they and half of the tribe of Menashe who had also taken up residence on the east bank of that river (Compare Chronicles I 5,26.) [They were exiled in 740 B.C. about 20 years earlier than the tribes that had split from the Davidic dynasty on the west bank of the Jordan. Ed.] Psalms 75,7-8 refers to this event when the psalmist says: כי לא ממוצא וממערב ולא ממדבר הרים כי אלוקים שפט זה ישפיל וזה ירים, “for neither from his point of departure , motza, from birth, (the constellation governing that date) nor from the east or west, (geographical position) or from the wilderness or mountains (is man’s fate determined) for G–d is it who gives judgment. He lifts up or brings down.” In other words, man’s travails and planning are not what determines his success or failure in matters concerning material wealth. Rabbi Acha is on record as saying that every time the word הרים, “mountains” appears in the Bible it is to be understand literally, except in this verse in Psalms when the author uses it as a metaphor, for describing man’s status among his fellow man, i.e. his wealth. Man must not boast of his wealth as it may be here today and gone tomorrow. It is G–d Who has given him wealth, and it is He Who will deprive him of it when He sees fit to do so. What is the reason why in the Hebrew language physical possessions are referred to as נכסים, “chattels?” Because these “possessions,” have a way of moving from one “owner” to another “owner.” The same is true for the word זוז which describes coins in the Hebrew language, a word derived from the root which means: ”to move.” The same is true of the word ממון meaning “money,” i.e. something being constantly counted. It is also called מעות, reminding us that it is being used to deceive people, to falsify. Another quote on this subject is provided by Rabbi Abba, who draws our attention to the prayer of Channah in Samuel I 2,7: ה' מוריד ומעשיר, משפיל אף מרומם, “It is (only) the Lord Who makes poor and rich, He casts down and He also lifts high.” Even though He elevates a person, this does not have to be at the expense of casting down another person, as He can do it to the same person.” The Torah had described how each soldier enriched himself during the campaign against Midian. Although G–d brought disaster upon Midian, the Israelites were enriched. The same happened in Egypt when the plagues G–d had brought upon the Egyptians ended up by enriching the Jewish slaves. All this happened simultaneously. Our sages said that G–d gave mankind three gifts. They are: חכמה, גבורה , and עושר, “wisdom, physical strength and bravery, as well as material wealth. Whoever is endowed with either one of these gifts has actually been endowed with all three of them. How is this line to be understood? As long as these gifts are the result of studying the Torah and being G–d fearing. Unless these endowments are the product of the above, they are useless in the end. This is why the prophet Jeremiah has said in Jeremiah 9,22: אל יתהלל חכם בחכמתו ואל יתהלל הגבור בגבורתו, ואל יתהלל העשיר בעשרו כי אם בזאת יתהלל המתהלל השכל וידוע אותי כי אני ה' כל עושה חסד חסד משפט וצדקה בארץ, “let not the wise boast about his wisdom, let not the strong boast about his strength; let not the rich glory in his riches; but only in this should one glory (if at all) in his earnest devotion to Me. For I the Lord act with kindness, Justice, and equity in the world.” (Compare Bamidbar Rabbah on this portion) I have also heard an explanation on this verse along the lines of a statement in the Talmud, tractate Niddah folio 16: there is one angel by the name of laylah, who is in charge of everything connected with conception; he presents every drop of human semen to the Lord and asking Him whether the ovum this drop will fertilise shall be endowed with wisdom, or foolhardiness, with physical strength or weakness, with wealth or poverty. He does not ask if the human being that will be born from this drop of semen will be a wicked person or a righteous person, as this is something that G–d has abstained from interfering with. It is the basis of the whole freedom, i.e. “image of G–d,” G–d has given to man as opposed to the angels and the animals, not to mention inert parts of the universe. The three outstanding examples of the endowments called “wisdom, physical strength and material wealth,” i.e. the wealthy Korach and the wealthy Haman, were symbols of the latter, one Jewish one non Jewish, who came to a totally disastrous end, each after having boasted of enormous admiration amongst his supporters. They had both displayed what we call wisdom, and instead of this helping them, it led them to an early and ignoble death. They had not been endowed with their wealth from G–d, but had acquired it by immoral means. Solomon, in Kohelet 5,12, refers to this when he said that “riches hoarded by their owners lead to their misfortune.” (Compare Tanchuma 5 and Bamidbar rabbah 22,7 on our verse on this subject.
the children of Gad and the children of Reuben came and spoke to Moses, and to Eleazar the priest, and to the princes of the congregation, saying:
verse value 2248
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 58 letters. The shortest word is "and·the·sons·of" (וּבְנֵ֣י, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·to·Eleazar" (וְאֶל־אֶלְעָזָ֣ר, 8 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "and·to·the·chieftains·of" (וְאֶל־נְשִׂיאֵ֥י). The root בן appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·Gadites" (root בן, 499x in Numbers); "and·they·said" (root אמר, 246x in Numbers); "to·Moses" (root משה, 217x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Reuben', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 7 words. Full calculation: וַיָּבֹ֥אוּ [and·they·came] (25) + בְנֵֽי־גָ֖ד [the·Gadites] (69) + וּבְנֵ֣י [and·the·sons·of] (68) + רְאוּבֵ֑ן [Reuben] (259) + וַיֹּאמְר֤וּ [and·they·said] (263) + אֶל־מֹשֶׁה֙ [to·Moses] (376) + וְאֶל־אֶלְעָזָ֣ר [and·to·Eleazar] (345) + הַכֹּהֵ֔ן [the·priest] (80) + וְאֶל־נְשִׂיאֵ֥י [and·to·the·chieftains·of] (408) + הָעֵדָ֖ה [the·community] (84) + לֵאמֹֽר [saying] (271) = 2248.
Onkelos
The sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben came and spoke to Moses and to Eleazar the priest and to the leaders of the congregation, saying:
Ramban
AND THE CHILDREN OF GAD AND THE CHILDREN OF REUBEN CAME AND SPOKE UNTO MOSES. In the preceding verse Scripture mentioned the children of Reuben first, [saying], Now the children of Reuben and the children of Gad had a very great multitude of cattle, as is the correct way [of referring to them], for he [Reuben] was the firstborn and he was the son of the principal wife [of Jacob, i.e., Leah, whereas Gad was the son of Leah’s handmaid, Zilpah]. Similarly also when Scripture tells of [the occurrence of] this event it says, And unto the Reubenites and unto the Gadites I gave etc. However, in the whole of this section He mentions the children of Gad first, because it was they who suggested this idea, and it was they who first spoke to Moses about this inheritance; and they were also stronger than the children of Reuben, as it is said [of the Gadites], and he teareth the arm, yea, the crown of the head, and therefore they were not afraid of living alone amongst the inhabitants of that land. Now Moses suspected that they were only suggesting this [plan of settling on the east side of the Jordan] because they were afraid of the people in the land of Canaan, concerning whom the spies had said, We are not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we — therefore he told them that they did not trust in G-d, just like their fathers [who did not trust in Him] and therefore He would again punish them like their fathers, by leaving them in the wilderness. Therefore they answered him: “Far be it from us to fear them! For we shall pass over [the Jordan] armed for battle, and we shall be the most eager and the first amongst the people to fight against the enemies of the Eternal, for they are bread for us.”
Ibn Ezra
"And the sons of Gad came" — they were the ones who took the initiative in counsel at the outset, and therefore Scripture placed them first.
Or HaChaim
ויאמרו אל משה ואל אלעזר ואל נשיאי העדה, and they said to Moses, to Eleazar, and to the princes of the congregation, etc. We need to know why they were not content to speak to Moses alone; if there was no need for them to address also Eleazar and the princes in the matter there was also no need for the Torah to report this. Perhaps the reason was simply that they had noted that when the general legislation about distributing the land of Canaan was made public in Numbers 34,17-18, Eleazar and Joshua as well as the princes were present. Also the daughters of Tzelofchod had made certain that Moses, Eleazar, and the princes were present when they presented their claim (27,2). In order for this distribution to be valid and not subject to complaints at a later date, it had to be confirmed by the king, i.e. Moses (and subsequently Joshua), by the High Priest, i.e. Eleazar, and by the lay leaders, i.e. the princes. Each one of these leaders possessed an exclusive authority. Maimonides wrote in chapter four section ten of his treatise Hilchot Melachim that when a (Jewish) king conquers a country the whole country becomes legally his, and he can dispose of it to his servants as he sees fit. This shows that the king has overriding authority. As far as the princes are concerned, they enter the picture when the king wants to share out to every one of his people a fair share of the spoils. In such a situation all the representatives of the people, i.e. the princes, need to be present and arrive at an agreed formula at the time the shares are handed out. The function of the High Priest was to inform the people where their respective shares were located. In other words, the king might have decreed for everyone to receive 100 acres of land but did not say who was to get which parcel of 100 acres. You will note that each one of these three authorities had to contribute his opinion in order for the distribution to take place without friction. Furthermore, inasmuch as the function of the king could only be fulfilled after he had conquered the land and the people were settled therein but not at the beginning of the whole process of conquest, it certainly would not have been sufficient for the tribes of Reuven and Gad to submit their claim only to Moses for his adjudication. The word לאמור may mean that the princes were to convey the claim of Gad and Reuven to the people at large in order to secure their approval also. Alternatively, the word emphasises that their claim was presented in "soft language," i.e. אמירה; they were not aggressive in the manner in which they presented their request.
Chizkuni
ויבאו בני גד, “The members of tribe of Gad etc. came; the reason why the members of the tribe of Gad were mentioned ahead of the tribe of Reuven, the senior tribe of their army group, is that it was they who had come up with the idea of remaining on the east bank of the Jordan permanently. (Ibn Ezra)
Rabbeinu Bahya
ויבואו בני גד ובני ראובן, “the members of the tribe of Gad and Reuven came, etc.” The Gadites came up with the idea of remaining on the far bank of the Jordan. They were personally much braver than the members of Reuven as we know from Moses’ blessing in Deut. 33,20: וטרף זרוע אף קדקוד, “tearing off arm and even head.” They were not afraid that by choosing to remain physically distant from the main body of the people on the far side of the Jordan they would be isolated and easy prey for the surrounding nations. A Midrashic approach based on Tanchuma Mattot 5: when material wealth is received from heaven it is liable to endure; if its source is not heavenly it is unlikely to endure. There were two truly wealthy people in the world, one was an Israelite, i.e. Korach, the other was Haman. Both of them not only lost their wealth but they perished ignominiously seeing that their material wealth had not been a gift from heaven. They had acquired it by tearing it away from others. You will also find that the wealth possessed by the members of the tribes Gad and Reuven caused them to become inordinately fond of it. As a result they lived (loosely speaking) in what we call חוצה לארץ, outside the essential part of Eretz Yisrael. They separated from the main body of the people on account of their possessions and wound up being the first to be exiled because of their sins (compare Chronicles I 5,26). When we read in Psalms 75,7: “for what lifts a man comes not from the east or the west or the wilderness הרים, for it is G’d Who gives judgment, He brings down one man, He lifts up another.” The psalmist referred to the fate of the two and a half tribes Reuven, Gad, and half of Menashe (compare Tanchuma Mattot 6). The words ולא ממדבר הרים, normally translated as “and not from a wilderness of mountains,” are somewhat misleading. Whereas it is true that everywhere else in the Holy Bible the word הרים means “mountains,” in this instance it means “elevation.” (socially, financially). When G’d wanted to enrich the members of these tribes He gave them what had belonged to the Midianites. Thereby He fulfilled what is written in Psalms 75,7. Why are material possesions called נכסים ? Because it is in the nature of such belongings to be hidden (disappear) from one owner and become revealed to the other owner. Chanah alluded to this when she said in Samuel I 2,7: ה' מוריש ומעשיר, משפיל אף מרומם, “the Lord makes poor and makes rich; He casts down, He also lifts high.” When G’d displays His anger (אף) at one people, another is liable to benefit from that. This is the reason our chapter is introduced most unusually with the conjunctive letter ו. Instead of the words ומקנה רב היה, וגו', I would have expected something like לבני ראובן וגד היה מקנה רב. The letter ו as the introduction to the whole chapter draws our attention to the fact that the reason these tribes had so many possessions was only because they had captured them from the Midianites, i.e. that G’d had deprived the Midianites of their possessions. When Kohelet 10,2 speaks of “the heart of the wise being on the right whereas the heart of the foolish is on the left,” he had in mind people like the members of the tribes of Gad and Reuven who made things of secondary significance such as the livestock their primary concern, i.e. they confused that which is essential with that which is merely auxiliary. They demonstrated this when they mentioned their livestock before referring to their children (verse 16). G’d told them that people who considered their personal wealth as more important than their children would find that their wealth was not blessed. This is what Solomon taught us in Proverbs 20,21: “An inheritance gained hastily (sudden riches) at the outset will not be blessed in the end.” This is also the meaning of Proverbs 23,4: “Do not tire yourself out trying to become rich; desist out of a feeling of insight.” The truly wealthy individual is he who is content with what G’d has seen fit to provide for him as we know from Psalms 128,2: “when you consume the fruit of the labors of your hands you will be happy and feel content.”
Kli Yakar
And the children of Gad and the children of Reuben came. He should have mentioned the children of Reuben, the firstborn, first. You should know that the commentators said that the cattle of the children of Gad were more numerous than that of Reuben, as it is written, and the children of Gad had very mighty, meaning more than Reuben’s. Therefore, the children of Gad spoke their words before the children of Reuben the firstborn, because their distress was greater than that of Reuben. But I say that if this is so, certainly they did not jump to speak first because of their distress, but rather out of their prideful hearts they rushed to speak first before the children of Reuben the firstborn. For such is the nature of wealth — that it gives pride to its owners, and a wealthy commoner jumps to speak first and responds with arrogance, does not turn away before any man, does not show respect to the firstborn nor to any person of true merit, thinking that through wealth he is elevated. And proof for our words is what is expounded about them in Rabbati (22:8) on the verse For promotion comes neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the desert of mountains (Psalms 75:7). It is not from a person traveling from setting out [east] to west and laboring in business that one becomes rich, nor from the desert of mountains. Every instance of “mountains” in Scripture refers to literal mountains except for this one, which is an expression of elevation, meaning that a person does not become elevated through these things. What does the Holy One, blessed be He, do? He takes possessions from one and gives to another, as it is said, For God is the judge: He puts down one, and lifts up another (Psalms 75:8). Since the midrash connects this verse to the sons of Gad and Reuben, it implies that it found in them a trace of pride and arrogance. Therefore, it expounds this verse about them to say that one does not become elevated through these things. And where is it hinted in the verse that they took for themselves more prominence than was appropriate? Rather, certainly because it found written, the sons of Gad [first]. Since they had very substantial livestock, more than the sons of Reuben, therefore their hearts became exceedingly haughty, and they jumped to speak before the sons of Reuben, the firstborn. Therefore, the verse says that one does not become elevated through these things, and it brings proof of this that the Holy One, blessed be He, does not want a person to become elevated because of his wealth, because God is the judge: He puts down one, and lifts up another — with the anger that He brings upon one, He elevates another; He takes from one and gives to another. Is God’s hand too short to give to this one from His own without needing to take from that one? Rather, certainly God did this so that people would fear Him and their hearts would not become haughty due to their great wealth, by looking at the source of their wealth that was taken from another because that person had become elevated through his wealth. For presumably the Holy One, blessed be He, only humbles the proud, as it is written, And every mountain and hill shall be made low (Isaiah 40:4). And therefore He gave to this one the wealth and elevation of that one, so that he would learn a lesson and his heart would not become haughty, lest what happened to his fellow from whom this wealth was taken happen to him as well. And what they interpreted mountains here referring to the language of exaltation, their proof was from what was said before this verse (Psalms 75:5–7): Do not raise up your horn, do not lift your horn on high, speaking with a stiff neck. For exaltation comes neither from the east nor from the west nor from the wilderness of mountains. It appears that mountains here refers to what God said, and there is also evidence from what is said after this verse (ibid. verse 8): For God is the judge; He brings down one and lifts up another. We learn from this that the main purpose of these verses is to warn wealthy people not to become prideful, for encouragement is needed in a place where there is a full purse. And what they interpreted not from the setting out, as east, it seems to explain that they based this interpretation on what the sons of Reuben said: for our inheritance has come to us from across the Jordan eastward. How did the inheritance “come to them”? How did they arrive at rest and inheritance? And what did they mean by saying that the inheritance “came to them”? The simple meaning of the verse is that they saw land suitable for their possessions and livestock, saying that since we have acquired much wealth and livestock in the area of the plague of Midian in addition to the livestock they already possessed, therefore it is right that the livestock should remain in the place where it came from, because “here they were found and here they shall remain.” And regarding the livestock that came into their possession in this place, they said our inheritance [has come] to us from across the Jordan eastward. And according to our approach, they mentioned the eastern direction, for they said that this wealth came to them from motza [setting out], meaning from the east, from where a person travels from east to west for business. Therefore, this verse was brought to refute their opinion, as it is said, For not from the east [motza], etc. They mentioned beyond the Jordan to hint that their opinion was that wealth comes from a person sailing ships on the sea, and from traveling on land from east to west. Therefore, they mentioned beyond the Jordan corresponding to one who crosses sea routes in a ship, and they mentioned eastward corresponding to one who travels from east to west. The verse refutes both concepts and says, For not from the east [motza] and from the west, because there is a difficulty with the text of the Midrash that states on this verse: “Not from what a person travels in business from east to west does one become wealthy, nor even by sailing in a ship, etc.” See the text in Yalkut in this portion. It is difficult, for where is the ship mentioned? Where is the ship alluded to in the verse? Furthermore, it is difficult — why does it only mention [travel] from east to west and not also from west to east, since just as it [literally] says from the east [motza], it also says and from the west, as it does not say “to the west.” Rather, it certainly expounded from setting out as meaning from east to west; and what is said and from the west as meaning one who travels by ship on the sea, which is to the west, because the west is called “seaward,” as the Great Sea is in that direction. And because the sons of Gad and Reuben said that our inheritance has come to us from across the Jordan, meaning from ships, and eastward meaning from the east, therefore he brought upon them the verse For not from setting out nor from the west to contradict both explanations at once. And what they mentioned specifically about the eastern direction for one who goes out for business from there, perhaps their reasoning was that the eastern direction helps to succeed in business more than all other directions because that is where the sun rises to illuminate the earth. For one should always depart “at a good time” when the sun shines upon him, [then] he will have money, for all comes from the precious fruits of the sun, and there is no advantage to wealth except under the sun. Therefore, the sons of Gad and Reuben said that it is a good sign to give them an inheritance in the east so that if they go for business, they will go from east to west “at a good time.” This is certainly a correct and clear sign, just as the sun emerges from there and succeeds in its path and then returns to its place, so too one who departs on a journey from his home from the eastern direction will succeed and return to his home. Therefore, the east is mentioned with the language of setting out to tell you that the east is a good sign for one who departs from there, and furthermore, the place is across the Jordan and close to it, and the place is suitable for traveling by boat. This is a correct and precious allusion. And in Parashat Mishpatim (Exodus 21:1), we explained the verse For not from the setting out nor from the west, which refers to what was said, Do not raise up a horn, for anyone who is haughty should consider from where he came and to where he is going. How can a person be arrogant about vanity? Shouldn’t he understand with his intellect from where his exaltation comes? Not from the setting out, the place from which he emerged, for he came from a putrid drop — this is why the east is mentioned in the language of setting out. Nor from the west [maarav], meaning the time when his sun sets [haarev], as it is said Before the sun darkens (Ecclesiastes 12:2), for he then goes to the place of dust and worms. Nor from the wilderness, from the acquisition of wealth which resembles a desolate wilderness without inhabitants; so too, the acquisition of wealth dwells in desert crevices and is not a possession attached to a person but is external to him. From all these three, there is no raising up, meaning exaltation, for the word “raising” refers to all three. This is also a very precious explanation according to the intent of the verses that warn against arrogance, as it is said, Do not raise up, etc. He concludes his words with He brings down one and raises up another. And we have connected this entire exposition of this verse to the sons of Gad and Reuben, who were found to pursue wealth to the point that they rejected the desirable land for the sake of wealth. This small note is sufficient for those who know wisdom, and the wise will hear and increase learning.
Tur HaArokh
ויבואו בני גד ובני ראובן, :”The Children of Gad and the Children of Reuven came, etc. In the preceding verse where the background to the quest of the tribes has been described, the tribe of Reuben is mentioned ahead of the tribe of Gad. Why did the Torah switch the order here? On the one hand, Reuven was the descendant of Yaakov’s major wife Leah, whereas Gad was the son of one of the handmaidens. On the other hand, it was the Children of Gad who had conceived the whole idea of settling on the east bank of the Jordan. Not only that, we know from Yaakov’s blessings in Genesis 49,19 as well as from Moses’ blessing of Gad in Deut. 33,20, that this tribe was militant and fearless. Their members did not consider that their relative isolation on the east bank from the other tribes would pose security problems for them.
"Ataroth, and Dibon, and Jazer, and Nimrah, and Heshbon, and Elealeh, and Sebam, and Nebo, and Beon,
verse value 2405
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 44 letters. Verse gematria: 2405 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "and·Sebam" (וּשְׂבָ֥ם, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·Heshbon" (וְחֶשְׁבּ֖וֹן, 6 letters). 9 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "Ataroth" (עֲטָר֤וֹת), "and·Dibon" (וְדִיבֹן֙), "and·Jazer" (וְיַעְזֵ֣ר). 9 unique roots are used. First appearance of the root דיבן ("and·Dibon") in Numbers. First appearance of the root נבו ("and·Nebo") in Numbers. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·Elealeh', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 3 words. 8 of the verse's 9 words begin with the letter ו. Full calculation: עֲטָר֤וֹת [Ataroth] (685) + וְדִיבֹן֙ [and·Dibon] (72) + וְיַעְזֵ֣ר [and·Jazer] (293) + וְנִמְרָ֔ה [and·Nimrah] (301) + וְחֶשְׁבּ֖וֹן [and·Heshbon] (372) + וְאֶלְעָלֵ֑ה [and·Elealeh] (142) + וּשְׂבָ֥ם [and·Sebam] (348) + וּנְב֖וֹ [and·Nebo] (64) + וּבְעֹֽן [and·Beon] (128) = 2405.
Onkelos
Machlelta, and Malbeshta, and Kumrin, and Beth-Nimrin, and Beth-Hushbana, and Baalei-Devava, and Sima, and Beth-Kevurta-DeMoshe, and Beon —
Rashi
עטרות ודיבון וגו׳ ATOROTH AND DIBON etc. — These belonged to the land of Sihon and Og.
Sforno
עטרות ודיבון, each one offers good grazing land.
Or HaChaim
עטרות ודיבון, "Attarot and Divon, etc." Why did they have to spell out all the names of the cities they claimed for themselves as an inheritance? Why did they not simply say: "the land which G'd smote, etc.?" Or, they could have detailed districts as described in 32,1 i.e. ארץ יעזר ואת ארץ גלעד? Furthermore, What need was there for them to say הארץ אשר הכה השם? Were there then any other lands which G'd had smitten? Who would not have known which lands the tribes of Reuven and Gad referred to? The fact is that these tribes were astute enough to present their claims in a manner which would not expose them to any objections. Theoretically, there could have been several objections. 1) Seeing that the lands in question had been conquered by the people as a whole, by what right did two tribes claim all of it for themselves? 2) How could these two tribes even have imagined that they would be allowed to live securely in a land which had already been conquered whereas the other tribes would have to face war in order to secure their heritage? Why wouldn't every other tribe want to be awarded the territory the tribe of Gad and Reuven were interested in, claiming that they too had no desire to endanger themselves in the forthcoming battle against the Canaanites? Moreover, these two tribes exposed themselves to the taunt that they had chosen to live outside the boundaries of the Holy Land! The tribes Reuven and Gad were therefore careful to word their intial request with a view to neutralising the objections which we have just listed. They incorporated the answers to the three objections we described in their opening statement. This is why they mentioned both Attarot, etc. as well as "the land which G'd has smitten." Concerning the argument that the lands of Sichon and Og had been conquered by all the tribes, they replied that these lands had not been conquered by natural means but that G'd had smitten those kings, so that the claim of the other tribes to have waged a battle for these lands simply did not stand up to examination. As a result of Divine intervention these lands were G'd's to allocate and their claim did not interfere with the rights of the other tribes. As to the second argument that the other tribes would have to endanger themselves while the tribes of Reuven and Gad were "sitting pretty," they said that such an argument would only be sound if the Israelites had to conquer the Canaanites by their own effort. Seeing that it was G'd who would fight on their behalf, the conquest of Canaan would proceed on the same lines as that of the lands of Sichon and Og. The other tribes would therefore not be in greater danger than they had been when the lands of Sichon and Og were conquered. Moses himself is on record in Deut. 3,21 as saying: "I have commanded Joshua at that time telling him: 'you have seen with your own eyes all that G'd has done to the two kings of the Emorites; He will do the same to all the kingdoms on the other side to which you wil...
Rabbeinu Bahya
עטרות ודיבון. These districts had been part of the lands of Sichon, the king of the Emorites. Some of the nine locations mentioned here used to be centers of idolatry such as Nevo and Baal Meon. We find that at least Nevo is mentioned in that context in Isaiah 46,1 when he describes these idols as collapsing. In Onkelos’ translation of this verse we find that he uses the word בית repeatedly. Presumably, this refers to the temples to these deities which had stood in those locations. Our sages in Shabbat 115 also refer to places where idolatry was practiced with the prefix בי, i.e. “house of.” When the members of the tribe of Reuven rebuilt these towns they also renamed them to remove their stigma. This is the meaning of מוסבות שם in verse 38, i.e. the Torah tells us that these places had acquired new names. The names of the idolatry which had been practiced there should not be remembered. When our sages said in Berachot 8 that each one of us should endeavor to complete reviewing the Torah portion read each week together with the congregation by reading the Hebrew text twice and the Targum once, even “Attarot and Divon,” they meant that it is in order to mention the original names of these locations. But for this statement by the sages we might have reasoned that seeing the Targum is only a translation of these names which we had already read twice in Hebrew it would be inappropriate to repeat the names of these centers of idolatry a third time in Aramaic. You should realize that there is also a mystical dimension connected to the rebuilding of these towns and renaming them. Whereas our verse, as is customary, is explicit regarding events on terrestrial earth, it also contains allusions pertaining to what occurs in the celestial spheres in which we also have “structures” parallel to those on earth. We are dealing here with nine names (Attarot, Divon, Yaazer, Nimrah, Cheshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nevo and Beon) which correspond to the nine times we find the word ויאמר אלו-הים in the report of the creation in Genesis chapter 1. The tenth (equivalent) of the word ויאמר is not mentioned as it is the word בראשית, and at a time when there was no matter to be addressed yet it would have sounded peculiar to issue instructions to אין, something non-existent. [This is a reference to the statement in Avot 5,1 that the world was created by means of ten directives, the assumption being that each directive was introduced by the word ויאמר. Rashi there comments that the tenth (missing) ויאמר is actually represented by the very word בראשית. Ed.] Our verse here draws our attention to the nine directives with which the world was created after the initial raw material had come into existence, and divides it into three stages as represented by our mussaph prayer on Rosh Hashanah when we have three separate groups of benedictions called מלכיות, זכרונות, שופרות. The mystical dimension of the Mishnah in Rosh Hashanah 32 describing that three groups of shofar blasts must be blown on that day, is linked to the statement of our sages to read the weekly Torah portion three times. We must appreciate that just as repeating something three times, such as the blowing of the shofar or the reading of the Torah portion, each time deepens our understanding of it, so that even such names as Attarot and Divon which when we read them the first time make no impression upon us are going to give rise to more profound analysis if we repeat them again and again. Seeing that the entire Torah from Bereshit to Vezot Habracha is a continuous document, indivisible, these names simply must have a significance over and beyond their sound. It is up to us to decipher the deeper meaning. There is no qualitative difference between reading about the leaders of the tribes of Esau, the names of the towns captured from Sichon, or the Ten Commandments. All of the Torah is of equal degree of sanctity. All of it stems from the same source. Its “waters” originate from the Temple (Ezekiel 47,12), and all have been given to us from the same shepherd. [I believe the reason the author is at such pains to provide a meaning for these place names over and above merely giving us this information is that he wants to pre-empt anyone asking why the Torah did not simply write that these two tribes claimed lands in Gilead and Yaazer especially suitable for grazing without giving us a list of these names which we should read for the next several thousand years every week when these places had even be renamed. How would we know where these locations are if we did not know their original names? On the other hand, if the names listed are the original names why would we have to remember all these sites of idolatry? Ed.] The meanings of the words עטרות ודיבון, etc. are as follows: the location עטרות, is spelled in the verse it occurs next, (34) without the letter ו, i.e. it is an allusion to עטרת, a crown. The word דיבון refers to the river which originates in Gan Eden which never ceases to flow. The word is written with the conjunctive letter ו at the beginning, although all the other locations mentioned have not been linked by the letter ו. The numerical value of the word ודיבון is 72, an allusion to the 72-lettered name of G’d. A never ceasing river reminds us of Psalms 78,20: הכה צור ויזובו מים, “He struck the rock and waters flowed.” The name of the place יעזר is a reference to the emanation הוד of which we know from Psalms 145,5 הדר כבוד הודך. The emanation הוד is the “lowest” on the left side of the diagram of emanations, a side representative of the negative spiritual influences of Satan. Because of this, man, i.e. Israel is in need of divine assistance to overcome its influence. The location described by the name נמרה symbolises the emanation נצח, the one opposite הוד on the right side of the diagram we referred to. The word may be perceived as an acrostic of the line ימין ה' רוממה In Psalms 118,16. The two emanations הוד, נצח are perceived as the two “thighs,” supports of the universe, in the diagram of the emanations which I referred to. We have an allusion to this in Psalms 16,11 נעימות בימינך נצח. The location described as חשבון is an allusion to our patriarch Yaakov, of whom it is written in Psalms 16,11: ישראל אשר בו אתפאר, a reference to the tetragram, i.e. the word חשבון has a numerical value of שם כ'ו, ‘the name equal to 26” [numerical value of י-ה-ו-ה]. The location described as אלעלה is an allusion to the patriarch Yitzchak who has been described variously as עולה תמימה, “an unblemished burnt-offering.” We could therefore read the word אלעלה as עלה לאל by slightly re-arranging the sequence of the letters. Since the Torah wanted to hint at his outstanding characteristic גבורה, a manifestation of the attribute of Justice, (the last letter ה in the tetragram), the name אלעלה concludes with the letter ה in the list of these nine locations. This becomes clearer when you compare the name in verse 37 as אלעלא with the letter א at the end instead of the letter ה. We have another instance where Yitzchak’s outstanding characteristic is alluded to by a change in the spelling of his name in Psalms 105,9 where the letter צ in יצחק is replaced by the letter ש, an allusion to the fact that he is a “great fire.” The location described as שבם is a reference to Avraham; it may be understood as an acrostic of אברהם סבא, “grandfather Avraham, i.e. the originator of Judaism.” The location described as נבו alludes to the emanation בינה, whereas the location described as בעון is an allusion to the emanation חכמה. When you reverse the sequence of the letters in that word you get נובע. We find this word connected to wisdom, חכמה in Proverbs 18,4 נחל נבע מקור חכמה, “the source of wisdom is a flowing stream.” The word is also connected to מעון, מעונה (when the letters are reversed) “regions in the upper celestial heavens, origin of wisdom.” This is why this place is referred to as מעון in verse 38, i.e. ואת בעל מעון. At any rate, I believe we have demonstrated that the names of these locations all relate to important concepts although at first glance they may appear as irrelevant. The reason the Torah considered it imperative to mention the names of all of these locations is that they were all part of the territories of Sichon and Og and their significance in terms of idolatry far outshone their local importance as they represented important idolatrous doctrines, doctrines completely opposed to Judaism and Monotheism. Their significance in their time paralleled the importance of the idolatry practiced of the generation of the Tower, the people of which arrogated to themselves the power to uproot G’d in the heavens from His throne. Those people who had phrased their ideology in the innocent sounding slogan “let us make a name for ourselves,” (compare Genesis 11,4 and the commentary of our author there) were the (ideological) descendants of Kayin who had been described earlier in antediluvian times (Genesis 4,17) as בונה עיד constantly engaged in building a city (or cities). The fact that the tribes of Reuven and Gad were well aware of the historical and theological significance of these locations under Sichon and Og prompted them to rename them and thus to eradicate the ideology they had stood for in former times. It was their sincere intention to convert all these places into centers where the Lord would be worshipped instead. This is why they prefaced their request to Moses with the words: “if it pleases you let this land be given to your servants as an heritage;” they meant: “seeing the whole purpose of the Children of Israel crossing the Jordan and disinheriting the Canaanites is to establish a civilization bent on serving the Lord, this is something that we can also do right here.” Their implied point was that if the land captured from Sichon and Og were to remain unpopulated and all the twelve tribes were to live only on the west bank of the Jordan, the vacuum would be filled by other people bent on acquiring grazing land and these people would perpetuate idolatry in that region. It was therefore much better to allow them, who had a surfeit of livestock, to take over these lands instead and to practice Judaism in that region.
the land which Hashem struck before the congregation of Israel, is a land for cattle, and your servants have cattle."
verse value 2873 — יְהֹוָה֙ = 26 (Hashem)
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 47 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֙) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 2873 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "that" (אֲשֶׁ֨ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·your·servants" (וְלַֽעֲבָדֶ֖יךָ, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 195: cattle, cattle. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "and·your·servants" (וְלַֽעֲבָדֶ֖יךָ). The root ארץ appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 389x in Numbers); "that" (root אשר, 223x in Numbers); "Israel" (root ישראל, 183x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'it·is', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 2 words. Full calculation: הָאָ֗רֶץ [the·land] (296) + אֲשֶׁ֨ר [that] (501) + הִכָּ֤ה [has·struck] (30) + יְהֹוָה֙ [Hashem] (26) + לִפְנֵי֙ [before] (170) + עֲדַ֣ת [community·of] (474) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל [Israel] (541) + אֶ֥רֶץ [country·of] (291) + מִקְנֶ֖ה [cattle] (195) + הִ֑וא [it·is] (12) + וְלַֽעֲבָדֶ֖יךָ [and·your·servants] (142) + מִקְנֶֽה [cattle] (195) = 2873.
Onkelos
the land that Hashem struck down its inhabitants before the congregation of Israel — it is a land fit for livestock, and your servants have livestock.
And they said: "If we have found favor in your sight, let this land be given to your servants for a possession; bring us not over the Jordan."
verse value 3897
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 60 letters. The shortest word is "favor" (חֵן֙, 2 letters) and the longest is "do·not·move·us·across" (אַל־תַּעֲבִרֵ֖נוּ, 8 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "if·we·have·found" (אִם־מָצָ֤אנוּ), "to·your·servants" (לַעֲבָדֶ֖יךָ), "do·not·move·us·across" (אַל־תַּעֲבִרֵ֖נוּ). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·they·said" (root אמר, 246x in Numbers); "let·be·given" (root נתן, 119x in Numbers); "the·land" (root ארץ, 119x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'as·a·possession', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּאמְר֗וּ [and·they·said] (263) + אִם־מָצָ֤אנוּ [if·we·have·found] (228) + חֵן֙ [favor] (58) + בְּעֵינֶ֔יךָ [in·your·eyes] (162) + יֻתַּ֞ן [let·be·given] (460) + אֶת־הָאָ֧רֶץ [the·land] (697) + הַזֹּ֛את [this] (413) + לַעֲבָדֶ֖יךָ [to·your·servants] (136) + לַאֲחֻזָּ֑ה [as·a·possession] (51) + אַל־תַּעֲבִרֵ֖נוּ [do·not·move·us·across] (759) + אֶת־הַיַּרְדֵּֽן [the·Jordan] (670) = 3897.
Onkelos
They said: If we have found favor in your eyes, let this land be given to your servants as a possession; do not bring us across the Jordan.
Ibn Ezra
"And they said, let it be given" — Scripture says "and they said" a second time because the words were lengthy. Some say that "et" here is the object marker for "yitten" [i.e., "let the land be given"], but I do not know why, for behold it is written: "the land is scorched" [Is. 9:18]; "he will apportion the land" [Dan. 11:39]; "and the land could not bear them" [Gen. 13:6]; "the land into which they are coming to be among them" [Deut. 31:16].
Or HaChaim
ויאמרו…יתן את הארץ הזאת, They said:…"may this land be given to us." The word ויאמרו is necessary here although nobody had interrupted the spokesmen of the tribes of Gad and Reuven as yet. The Torah wanted to show by interposing this word that only now did these spokesmen address themselves to the real reason why they wanted just these lands. They did not say to Moses: תתן, "give," but יותן, "may it be given." The reason they formulated the request thus was because they were aware that it was not within Moses' authority alone to grant their wish, as we have already explained. They may have given Moses the option to allocate the land to them single-handedly seeing he was the king, or after consulting with Eleazar and the princes. אל תעברנו את הירדן, "do not make us cross the Jordan." Baba Batra 109 explains the meaning of the word העבר as being similar to the same word in Numbers 27,8: והעברתם את נחלתו לבתו, "you will transfer his inheritance to his daughter." It means that the daughter transfers the inheritance from its original place. The two tribes implied that if Moses were not to grant their request he would in fact transfer their rightful inheritance from its proper place. They also intended to remove from themselves the suspicion that they chose this land in order to live more tranquilly and not enter the land of their enemies. This is why they explained that the reason they saw no point in crossing the Jordan was only that they did not stake a claim to any part of the land across the river. They were not motivated by a desire to escape their duty to take part in the war of conquest. They even implied that the fact that they would not cross the Jordan enabled all the other tribes to each receive larger slices of land than they would have received if they had to parcel it out amongst 12 tribes. It is also possible that they meant that no useful purpose would be served by their crossing the Jordan seeing G'd would do the fighting that had to be done anyway.
And Moses said to the children of Gad and to the children of Reuben: "Shall your brothers go to the war, and shall you sit here?
verse value 2554
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 50 letters. The shortest word is "here" (פֹֽה, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·the·Gadites" (לִבְנֵי־גָ֖ד, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "are·your·brothers" (הַאַֽחֵיכֶ֗ם). The root בן appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·the·Gadites" (root בן, 499x in Numbers); "and·he·said" (root אמר, 246x in Numbers); "Moses" (root משה, 217x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Reuben', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 6 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֣אמֶר [and·he·said] (257) + מֹשֶׁ֔ה [Moses] (345) + לִבְנֵי־גָ֖ד [to·the·Gadites] (99) + וְלִבְנֵ֣י [and·to·the·sons·of] (98) + רְאוּבֵ֑ן [Reuben] (259) + הַאַֽחֵיכֶ֗ם [are·your·brothers] (84) + יָבֹ֙אוּ֙ [they·shall·come] (19) + לַמִּלְחָמָ֔ה [to·war] (153) + וְאַתֶּ֖ם [and·you] (447) + תֵּ֥שְׁבוּ [you·stay] (708) + פֹֽה [here] (85) = 2554.
Onkelos
Moses said to the sons of Gad and to the sons of Reuben: Shall your brothers go out to war while you stay here?
Rashi
האחיכם SHALL YOUR BRETHREN — This denotes a question. (i.e., the ה prefixed is the interrogative particle).
Sforno
?האחיכם יבאו למלחמה; Did you really think that your brethren are going to war in order to make conquests ?ואתם תשבו פה, while you are settled here on land that we have already conquered? Surely you did not think for a moment that you could get away with such an arrangement! Your suggestion therefore can only have the effect of undermining the morale of your brethren!
Or HaChaim
ויאמר משה…האחיכם יבואו למלחמה…ולמה תניאון, Moses said: "are your brethren going to go into battle, …and why do you turn away the heart, etc.?" Moses understood full well all that the tribes of Gad and Reuven had in mind with their words, in accordance with what we have explained. However, he advanced counter arguments. Moses addressed the argument that the lands really belonged to G'd to do with as He saw fit, and that the other tribes had not established a claim to these lands. He also responded to the argument that in the future too G'd would do the fighting so that their participation was irrelevant. He told them that it was quite true that G'd would do the fighting, but the army of the Israelites had to be present and prepared to do battle. He did not say האחיכם ילחמו, "are your brethren to do battle?," but he said האחיכם יבאו למלחמה, "are your brethren going to be present in order to do battle?" He could not understand that these two tribes were not willing to be present at the time when the Israelites would conquer the West Bank. Moses accused the two tribes of contradicting themselves as they were well aware that even though G'd had done the fighting which resulted in the conquest of the lands of Sichon and Og, nonetheless it had involved the soldiers in great fatigue. The same would occur in the future. By what right did they think they could shirk their duty to undergo this fatigue also? They were behaving like parasites collecting the reward for the fatigue suffered by the other tribes. This is why he asked them: ואתם תשבו פה? "and you are going to sit here? Another aspect which Moses alluded to when he asked: "are you going to sit here?" (while the conquest of the West Bank will take place), was the fact that when these lands of Sichon and Og were conquered all the tribes were present, and their combined merit helped to ensure that G'd did all the fighting. If they were now going to remain behind, only ten tribes would cross the Jordan and their combined merit would be smaller, possibly with the result that also G'd's input into the battle would be smaller. Moses effectively demolished the arguments which the two tribes had advanced for wanting to stay behind on the East Bank.
And why will you turn away the heart of the children of Israel from going over into the land which Hashem has given them?
verse value 3375 — יְהֹוָֽה = 26 (Hashem)
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 45 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָֽה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "children·of" (בְּנֵ֣י, 3 letters) and the longest is "do·you·turn·away" (תְנִיא֔וּן, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "do·you·turn·away" (תְנִיא֔וּן). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "children·of" (root בן, 499x in Numbers); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 389x in Numbers); "that·has·given" (root אשר, 223x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Israel', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 5 words. Full calculation: וְלָ֣מָּה [and·why] (81) + תְנִיא֔וּן [do·you·turn·away] (517) + אֶת־לֵ֖ב [minds·of] (433) + בְּנֵ֣י [children·of] (62) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל [Israel] (541) + מֵֽעֲבֹר֙ [from·crossing] (312) + אֶל־הָאָ֔רֶץ [to·the·land] (327) + אֲשֶׁר־נָתַ֥ן [that·has·given] (1001) + לָהֶ֖ם [to·them] (75) + יְהֹוָֽה [Hashem] (26) = 3375.
Onkelos
Why do you discourage the hearts of the children of Israel from crossing over to the land that Hashem has given them?
Rashi
ולמה תניאון means AND WHY WILL YE TURN ASIDE AND WITHHOLD their heart from passing over? — because they will think that you are afraid to pass over on account of the prospect of war and the strength of the cities and the peoples.
Ibn Ezra
"Tenu'un" — like "you would break" [tishveru].
Sforno
?ולמה תניאון, what is the point in your undermining the resolution and morale of your brethren? You are repeating what the spies in the last generation did!
Or HaChaim
ולמה הניאון "and why do you turn the minds, etc.?" Moses said that in addition to his objective arguments he also had a subjective, psychological argument aginst the proposal of these two tribes. How would their action be perceived by their comrades-in -arms? Moses conceded that the arguments of the two tribes may have been sincere, however the effect of such arguments would result in a lowering of the morale of the other tribes. These tribes might consider that the two tribes hid their fear of the Canaanites behind these arguments. Once the other tribes had the feeling that Reuven and Gad were afraid, what was to stop those tribes from becoming afraid also? Fear was what had resulted in the debacle 38 years earlier. Moses accused the two tribes of not considering the effect their attitude would have since Israel had experience in the matter. At that time ten men had succeeded in infecting a whole nation with their own fear when they said that the Canaanites were stronger than they were (Numbers 13,31). As soon as the people would observe that part of their number did not want to cross the Jordan they would have prepared the ground for a repetition of what happened at the time of the spies. אשר נתן להם השם "which the Lord has given to them?" Here too, Moses referred to the argument of the two tribes that G'd had defeated Sichon and Og and that it was only up to Him to decide who would inherit these lands. He pointed out that there was a basic difference between the status of the lands they wanted and the status of the West Bank. G'd had given the West Bank to the whole Jewish people already in the days of the Patriarchs, something that was not the case with the lands which used to belong to Sichon and Og. Those lands were not included in G'd's promise to Abraham. Sifri section 2 item 299 quotes a Baraitha and writes as follows: "the words לתת לך (Deut. 7,13) "to give to you," exclude the East Bank of the Jordan which you took for yourself." Whereas this interpretation of that verse is only that of Rabbi Shimon while another scholar interprets these words differently, there is no reason to believe that any of the other scholars disagree with Rabbi Shimon on that subject. We also find a statement in Bamidbar Rabbah 7 that the East Bank of the Jordan is not a suitable place to erect the Temple, nor for the שכינה to settle. We have scriptural proof of this from Joshua 22,19, where it says that "if the land of your inheritance has become defiled (in your eyes i.e. the East Bank of the Jordan), cross over to the land of inheritance of G'd Himself, who dwells there in the Tabernacle and acquire an inheritance amongst us, etc." This tells you very clearly that there is a difference between the lands of Sichon and Og and that of ארץ ישראל proper. Perhaps this is the reason why Moses did not want to give each one of the tribes a share in those lands, and why he preferred that all of the tribes should accept their heritage on the West Bank which is holie...
Chizkuni
?ולמה תנואון, “and to what purpose do you want to turn away (the hearts)?” This word is read as we spelled it, but is spelled as a transitive word, the letter י appearing in the text instead of the letter ו, before the last letter.
Thus did your fathers, when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to see the land.
verse value 3765
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 38 letters. The shortest word is "thus" (כֹּ֥ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "your·fathers" (אֲבֹתֵיכֶ֑ם, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "when·I·sent" (בְּשׇׁלְחִ֥י). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "did" (root עשה, 127x in Numbers); "the·land" (root ארץ, 119x in Numbers); "your·fathers" (root אב, 73x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'your·fathers', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 6 words. Full calculation: כֹּ֥ה [thus] (25) + עָשׂ֖וּ [did] (376) + אֲבֹתֵיכֶ֑ם [your·fathers] (473) + בְּשׇׁלְחִ֥י [when·I·sent] (350) + אֹתָ֛ם [them] (441) + מִקָּדֵ֥שׁ [from·Kadesh] (444) + בַּרְנֵ֖עַ [Barnea] (322) + לִרְא֥וֹת [to·survey] (637) + אֶת־הָאָֽרֶץ [the·land] (697) = 3765.
Onkelos
This is what your fathers did when I sent them from Rekem-Giah to see the land.
Rashi
מקדש ברנע FROM KADESH-BARNEA — this was its name. There were two places called Kadesh (therefore this one is distinguished from the other by being called Kadesh-Barnea).
For when they went up to the valley of Eshcol, and saw the land, they turned away the heart of the children of Israel, that they should not go into the land which Hashem had given them.
verse value 4584 — יְהֹוָֽה = 26 (Hashem)
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 70 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָֽה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "children·of" (בְּנֵ֣י, 3 letters) and the longest is "from·entering" (לְבִלְתִּי־בֹא֙, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "and·they·turned·away" (וַיָּנִ֕יאוּ), "from·entering" (לְבִלְתִּי־בֹא֙). The root ארץ appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "children·of" (root בן, 499x in Numbers); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 389x in Numbers); "Israel" (root ישראל, 183x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Israel', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַֽיַּעֲל֞וּ [and·they·went·up] (122) + עַד־נַ֣חַל [unto·wadi] (162) + אֶשְׁכּ֗וֹל [Eshcol] (357) + וַיִּרְאוּ֙ [and·they·saw] (223) + אֶת־הָאָ֔רֶץ [the·land] (697) + וַיָּנִ֕יאוּ [and·they·turned·away] (83) + אֶת־לֵ֖ב [minds·of] (433) + בְּנֵ֣י [children·of] (62) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל [Israel] (541) + לְבִלְתִּי־בֹא֙ [from·entering] (475) + אֶל־הָאָ֔רֶץ [to·the·land] (327) + אֲשֶׁר־נָתַ֥ן [that·had·given] (1001) + לָהֶ֖ם [to·them] (75) + יְהֹוָֽה [Hashem] (26) = 4584.
Onkelos
They went up as far as the Valley of the Cluster and saw the land, and they discouraged the hearts of the children of Israel, so that they would not enter the land that Hashem had given them.
Ibn Ezra
"And they went up as far as the Wadi Eshkol" — for those who went up from the north traveled southward.
And Hashem's anger was kindled in that day, and He swore, saying:
verse value 1065 — יְהֹוָ֖ה = 26 (Hashem)
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 27 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֖ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֖ה, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·was·incensed" (וַיִּֽחַר־אַ֥ף, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "and·swore" (וַיִּשָּׁבַ֖ע). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 389x in Numbers); "saying" (root אמר, 246x in Numbers); "on·the·day" (root יום, 122x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'that', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַיִּֽחַר־אַ֥ף [and·was·incensed] (305) + יְהֹוָ֖ה [Hashem] (26) + בַּיּ֣וֹם [on·the·day] (58) + הַה֑וּא [that] (17) + וַיִּשָּׁבַ֖ע [and·swore] (388) + לֵאמֹֽר [saying] (271) = 1065.
Onkelos
The anger of Hashem flared on that day, and He swore, saying:
Surely none of the men that came up out of Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; because they have not wholly followed Me;
verse value 5337
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 84 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֥י, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·land" (אֵ֚ת הָאֲדָמָ֔ה, 7 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "who·went·up" (הָעֹלִ֣ים), "the·land" (אֵ֚ת הָאֲדָמָ֔ה), "to·Abraham" (לְאַבְרָהָ֥ם). 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "from·age·of" (root בן, 499x in Numbers); "that" (root אשר, 223x in Numbers); "the·men" (root איש, 130x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·Jacob', dividing the verse into phrases of 14 and 3 words.
Onkelos
The men who came up from Egypt, from twenty years of age and above, shall not see the land that I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob — for they did not follow fully after My fear.
Ibn Ezra
"They have not followed fully" [lo mill'u] — the lamed is voweled light, yet this form belongs to the heavy conjugation [pi'el], as in "fill your horn with oil" [I Sam. 16:1]. The meaning is: they did not complete what they had begun.
save Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite, and Joshua the son of Nun; because they have wholly followed Hashem.
verse value 1770 — יְהֹוָֽה = 26 (Hashem)
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 43 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָֽה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֥י, 2 letters) and the longest is "son·of·Jephunneh" (בֶּן־יְפֻנֶּה֙, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "the·Kenizzite" (הַקְּנִזִּ֔י), "wholly·followed" (מִלְא֖וּ). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "son·of·Nun" (root בן, 499x in Numbers); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 389x in Numbers); "for" (root כי, 79x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'son·of·Nun', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 4 words. Full calculation: בִּלְתִּ֞י [none·except] (442) + כָּלֵ֤ב [Caleb] (52) + בֶּן־יְפֻנֶּה֙ [son·of·Jephunneh] (197) + הַקְּנִזִּ֔י [the·Kenizzite] (172) + וִיהוֹשֻׁ֖עַ [and·Joshua] (397) + בִּן־נ֑וּן [son·of·Nun] (158) + כִּ֥י [for] (30) + מִלְא֖וּ [wholly·followed] (77) + אַחֲרֵ֥י [to] (219) + יְהֹוָֽה [Hashem] (26) = 1770.
Onkelos
Except for Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite, and Joshua son of Nun — for they followed fully after the fear of Hashem.
Rashi
הקנזי [CALEB THE SON OF JEPHUNNEH] THE KENEZITE — He (Caleb) was the stepson of Kenaz (and therefore he is termed here the Kenezite), and Caleb's mother bore Othniel to him (to Kenaz) (and for this reason Othniel, the son of Kenaz is described in Joshua 15:17 as Caleb’s brother) (Sotah 11b).
Ibn Ezra
"Caleb son of Jephunneh" — in the beginning, when Hashem spoke. And the word "mill'u" ["followed fully"] is like "they have sought my life" [Ps. 35:4], "they have sent fire into your sanctuary" [Ps. 74:7].
Chizkuni
בלתי כלב בן יפונה, ”except for Calev, son of Y’funeh.” If you were to ask how come that also Yair, son of Menashe entered the Holy Land (crossed the Jordan) and was killed during the siege on Ai, together with 35 comrades in arms (Talmud tractate Sanhedrin, folio 44) (according to Joshua 7,8) we have to answer that the decree issued after the Sin of the Spies concerning who would not be allowed to enter the Holy Land did not apply to people under the age of twenty at the time it was decreed, nor did it apply to people over the age of fifty, as neither category would have been drafted into military service, so that the spies’ refusal to undertake a campaign against the Canaanites would not have affected them personally.
Rabbeinu Bahya
בלתי כלב בן יפונה הקנזי, “except for Calev, son of Yephuneh the Kenizite.” Our sages (Sotah 11) derive from here that Calev was a stepson of Kenaz for whom the mother of Calev had born Othniel.
Daat Zkenim
בלתי כלב בן יפונה, “except for Caleb son of Yephune, etc.” this line is puzzling, seeing that Yair son of Menashe also entered the Holy Land as explained by the Talmud, tractate Sanhedrin folio 44 on Joshua 7,5: where the 36 men of Israel that are reported as having been slain by the men of Ai, (in the first assault) are understood by the Talmud as having been only one man, whose moral value was equivalent to that of a majority of the members of the Jewish Supreme Court which consisted of 71 elders. This man was Yair, son of Menashe. This occurred after the theft by Achan ben Karmi of the loot from the city of Jericho, which had not been brought to the attention of the court although his family members were aware of this. We may have to answer the above query by assuming that the decree that all the men who had left the land of Egypt who had been subject to the decree of dying in the desert as a result of the debacle with the spies did not include any who had been under twenty years at the time. [Since the Torah described Joseph as having held great-grandchildren on his knees before he died at the age of 110, and more than 86 years elapsed after the death of the last of Joseph’s brothers until the Exodus, many of whom died much older than he, it is hard to believe that Yair, at the time of the Exodus, had not reached the age of twenty. Ed.]
And Hashem's anger was kindled against Israel, and He made them wander to and fro in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation, that had done evil in the sight of Hashem, was consumed.
verse value 3578 — יְהֹוָה֙ = 26 (Hashem)
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 61 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֙) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "years" (שָׁנָ֑ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·was·incensed" (וַיִּֽחַר־אַ֤ף, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 26: Hashem, Hashem. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "and·made·them·wander" (וַיְנִעֵם֙), "the·whole·generation" (כׇּל־הַדּ֔וֹר), "that·did" (הָעֹשֶׂ֥ה). The root יהוה appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 389x in Numbers); "at·Israel" (root ישראל, 183x in Numbers); "that·did" (root עשה, 127x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'years', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 6 words. Full calculation: וַיִּֽחַר־אַ֤ף [and·was·incensed] (305) + יְהֹוָה֙ [Hashem] (26) + בְּיִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל [at·Israel] (543) + וַיְנִעֵם֙ [and·made·them·wander] (176) + בַּמִּדְבָּ֔ר [in·the·wilderness] (248) + אַרְבָּעִ֖ים [forty] (323) + שָׁנָ֑ה [years] (355) + עַד־תֹּם֙ [until·was·gone] (514) + כׇּל־הַדּ֔וֹר [the·whole·generation] (265) + הָעֹשֶׂ֥ה [that·did] (380) + הָרַ֖ע [the·evil] (275) + בְּעֵינֵ֥י [in·eyes·of] (142) + יְהֹוָֽה [Hashem] (26) = 3578.
Onkelos
The anger of Hashem flared against Israel, and He drove them in the wilderness for forty years, until the entire generation that had done evil before Hashem had perished.
Rashi
וינעם means, AND HE MOVED THEM ABOUT; the word is of the same root as נע in (Genesis 4:12) “a wanderer (נע) and a vagabond”.
Ibn Ezra
"Vayanem" ["and He made them wander"] — from the root of "a wanderer and a rover" [Gen. 4:12], because they had no rest.
And, behold, you are risen up in your fathers' stead, a brood of sinful men, to augment yet the fierce anger of Hashem toward Israel.
verse value 5103
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 59 letters. The shortest word is "upon" (עַ֛ל, 2 letters) and the longest is "against·Israel" (אֶל־יִשְׂרָאֵֽל, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "you·have·arisen" (קַמְתֶּ֗ם), "a·breed·of" (תַּרְבּ֖וּת), "sinful" (חַטָּאִ֑ים). 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "anger·of·Hashem" (root יהוה, 389x in Numbers); "against·Israel" (root ישראל, 183x in Numbers); "men" (root איש, 130x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'sinful', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 6 words. Full calculation: וְהִנֵּ֣ה [and·behold] (66) + קַמְתֶּ֗ם [you·have·arisen] (580) + תַּ֚חַת [in·place·of] (808) + אֲבֹ֣תֵיכֶ֔ם [your·fathers] (473) + תַּרְבּ֖וּת [a·breed·of] (1008) + אֲנָשִׁ֣ים [men] (401) + חַטָּאִ֑ים [sinful] (68) + לִסְפּ֣וֹת [to·add] (576) + ע֗וֹד [still·further] (80) + עַ֛ל [upon] (100) + חֲר֥וֹן [wrath·of] (264) + אַף־יְהֹוָ֖ה [anger·of·Hashem] (107) + אֶל־יִשְׂרָאֵֽל [against·Israel] (572) = 5103.
Onkelos
And now you have risen in place of your fathers, disciples of sinful men, to increase still further the fierceness of the anger of Hashem against Israel.
Rashi
לספות is similar in meaning to the verbs in (Isaiah 29:1): “add (ספו) year to year”; ( 7:21): “add (ספו) your burnt-offerings” — an expression denoting adding (The translation is: to add even more to the Lord’s fierce anger against Israel).
Ibn Ezra
"Tarbut" — from the root of "whom I raised and brought up" [Lam. 2:22], and it is close in meaning to the word "rav" as in "all the officers of his house" [Esther 1:8]; the meaning is: grown of years [a mature brood]. "Lespot" ["to add to"] — like "to increase," except that it is from a different root; and similar is "add upon your sacrifices" [Jer. 7:21]. For we do not find, among verbs whose root begins with yod, this root in the qal without the yod.
For if you turn away from after Him, He will yet again leave them in the wilderness; and so you will destroy all this people."
verse value 2612
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 45 letters. The shortest word is "if" (כִּ֤י, 2 letters) and the longest is "from·after·him" (מֵֽאַחֲרָ֔יו, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "you·turn·away" (תְשׁוּבֻן֙), "from·after·him" (מֵֽאַחֲרָ֔יו), "to·abandon·them" (לְהַנִּיח֖וֹ). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "all·this·people" (root כל, 98x in Numbers); "if" (root כי, 79x in Numbers); "this" (root זה, 61x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·the·wilderness', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 3 words. Full calculation: כִּ֤י [if] (30) + תְשׁוּבֻן֙ [you·turn·away] (758) + מֵֽאַחֲרָ֔יו [from·after·him] (265) + וְיָסַ֣ף [and·he·will·again] (156) + ע֔וֹד [once·more] (80) + לְהַנִּיח֖וֹ [to·abandon·them] (109) + בַּמִּדְבָּ֑ר [in·the·wilderness] (248) + וְשִֽׁחַתֶּ֖ם [and·you·will·destroy] (754) + לְכׇל־הָעָ֥ם [all·this·people] (195) + הַזֶּֽה [this] (17) = 2612.
Onkelos
For if you turn back from following His fear, He will again leave them in the wilderness, and you will bring ruin upon all this people.
Chizkuni
להניחו, “he will again leave you;” the letter ח in this word was exchanged from the original letter ע; we have proof of this in verse 13 in the word ויניעם, “He made them wander.” The word להניחו in this verse means that failure of the tribes of Reuven and Gad to reconsider will extend the length of their whole generation in exile in the desert, which includes constantly having to move. If the two tribes were to decline to settle in the west bank, history would likely repeat itself, and another generation would not get to see the promised Land. There are commentators who understand the word להניחו, as “to abandon it;” this would be analogous to Psalms 119,121: בל תניחני לעושקי, “do not abandon me to those who would wrong me.”
And they came near to him, and said: "We will build sheepfolds here for our cattle, and cities for our little ones;
verse value 2352
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 44 letters. The shortest word is "here" (פֹּ֑ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·they·said" (וַיֹּ֣אמְר֔וּ, 6 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "and·they·stepped·up" (וַיִּגְּשׁ֤וּ), "folds" (גִּדְרֹ֥ת), "we·will·build" (נִבְנֶ֥ה). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·they·said" (root אמר, 246x in Numbers); "to·him" (root איל, 111x in Numbers); "here" (root פה, 49x in Numbers). First appearance of the root גדרה ("folds") in Numbers. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'here', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַיִּגְּשׁ֤וּ [and·they·stepped·up] (325) + אֵלָיו֙ [to·him] (47) + וַיֹּ֣אמְר֔וּ [and·they·said] (263) + גִּדְרֹ֥ת [folds] (607) + צֹ֛אן [flock] (141) + נִבְנֶ֥ה [we·will·build] (107) + לְמִקְנֵ֖נוּ [for·our·flocks] (276) + פֹּ֑ה [here] (85) + וְעָרִ֖ים [and·towns] (326) + לְטַפֵּֽנוּ [for·our·dependents] (175) = 2352.
Onkelos
They approached him and said: We will build pens here for our flocks, and towns for our little ones.
Rashi
נבנה למקננו פה WE WILL BUILD [SHEEP FOLDS] FOR OUR CATTLE HERE — They paid more regard to their property than to their sons and daughters, because they mentioned their cattle before their children. Moses said to them, “Not so! Make the chief thing the chief thing and what is subordinate subordinate. First build cities for your little ones and afterwards enclosures for your flocks” (cf. v. 24) (Midrash Tanchuma, Matot 7).
Ibn Ezra
"And cities" — first [they mentioned the cities], for [their concern was] our little ones.
Or HaChaim
ויגשו אליו, They approached him, etc. The reason the Torah writes "they approached," seeing they were already standing before Moses, Eleazar and the princes may be to show that in view of Moses' reaction that they were no better than the generation of the spies they had felt rebuffed. The Torah therefore had to describe them as "approaching" when they continued their palaver. Alternatively, after hearing what Moses had to say they realised that it depended on their actions if their wish would be granted or not. They therefore felt the need to approach him even more closely in order to convince Moses of their sincerity. They realised now that their original words had not convinced Moses. גדרות צאן נבנה למקננו, we will build sheepfolds for our cattle, etc. Why did they have to make this statement altogether? All they had to do was to give Moses the kind of answer which would demonstrate that he had suspected them unjustly, namely that they would form the vanguard of the soldiers entering the land of Canaan (verses 17-18). We may be able to explain their statement with the help of what Maimonides has written in chapter eleven of his treatise Hilchot Mechirah. He wrote: "if someone sells his house to a neighbour or he gives it to him as a present on condition that the recipient go to Jerusalem with him on a certain day and the recipient meanwhile occupies the house in question he has acquired it as soon as he goes to Jerusalem with the former owner on the date agreed. If, however, the formula of the sale or gift was as follows: "if you go to Jerusalem with me on a certain day I will sell you or give you my house, and the other party did go to Jerusalem with him on the day in question, he does not own the house even if he had moved in in the meantime, as the deal was what is called an אסמכתא, the first party not having expected to have to make good on the deal as he expected the second party not to be able to meet the condition in question. Thus far Maimonides. In chapter one of the same treatise Maimonides writes: "What constitutes proper possession through occupancy? If he sold him a house, a field, or he gave it to him as a gift, the recipient must make some kind of improvement in the property under discussion in addition to mere occupancy in order for the transaction to be complete, (irreversible)." Thus far the wording of Maimonides. The two tribes of Gad and Reuven were astute enough to appreciate the הלכות pertaining to the acquisition of permanent ownership. This is why they told Moses that seeing that their receiving these lands was conditional on their fulfilling Moses' terms, they would first demonstrate ownership of these lands by erecting sheepfolds, i.e. making the kinds of improvement which established their חזקה, undisputed ownership. The "cities for our children," were also meant to demonstrate their ownership. You may ask that they could have done all this without making a public announcement about it beforehand as there is no hal...
but we ourselves will be ready armed to go before the children of Israel, until we have brought them to their place; and our little ones shall dwell in the fortified cities because of the inhabitants of the land.
verse value 4291
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 75 letters. Verse gematria: 4291 is divisible by 613, the number of the commandments (mitzvot). The shortest word is "until" (עַ֛ד, 2 letters) and the longest is "we·have·brought·them·in" (אִם־הֲבִֽיאֹנֻ֖ם, 8 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "and·we" (וַאֲנַ֜חְנוּ), "we·will·arm·ourselves" (נֵחָלֵ֣ץ), "hastening" (חֻשִׁ֗ים). The root פנים appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "children·of" (root בן, 499x in Numbers); "that" (root אשר, 223x in Numbers); "Israel" (root ישראל, 183x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·their·place', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 7 words.
Onkelos
But we ourselves will be armed and go swiftly before the children of Israel until we have brought them to their place, while our little ones remain in the fortified towns, away from the inhabitants of the land.
Rashi
ואנחנו נחלץ חשים means, AND WE SHALL ARM OURSELVES SPEEDILY, the last word being the same as in (Isaiah 8:3): “the spoil hasteth, the prey speedeth (חש)” and in (Isaiah 5:19), “Let Him make haste, let Him speed." לפני בני ישראל BEFORE THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL - i.e. at the head of the troops, because they were mighty men; for thus is it said of Gad, (Deuteronomy 30:20): “He teareth the arm, with the crown of the head”. Moses distinctly stated this to them in Sedrah אלה הדברים (Deuteronomy 3:18): “And I commanded you at that time … Ye shall pass over armed before the children of Israel, all ye men of valour”. And regarding the siege of Jericho it is written, (Joshua 6:13): “And the armed men (החלוץ) went before them”— this refers to the tribes of Reuben and Gad who thus fulfilled the conditions they had laid down. וישב טפנו AND OUR LITTLE ONES SHALL STAY, so long as we are with our brethren waging war, בערי המבצר IN THE FORTIFIED CITIES which we will now build (cf. v. 16 with v. 36).
Ibn Ezra
"Hashim" ["ready, swift"] — on the pattern of "mulim" ["circumcised"]; they are like "swift ones," from the root of "make haste, hurry, do not stand still."
Sforno
עד אשר אם הביאונום “as long as we have not brought them, etc.” The construction is similar to Proverbs 8,26 עד לא עשה ארץ וחוצות, “while G’d had not yet made earth nor its attributes.” We also find something similar in Genesis 24,19 עד אם כלו, “until they have finished.”
Or HaChaim
וישב טפנו בערי המבצר, "while our children will dwell in the fortified cities." This comment had to appear here and not previously when the two tribes mentioned the building of cities for their children (and women). They wanted to make it plain that once they could feel reassured about the safety of their families they could volunteer to add another undertaking, i.e. not to return to their own families until all the other tribes had taken over their respective inheritance. The time frame under discussion was 14 years, 7 years of conquest and another seven years for the distribution of the various lands. The two tribes made it plain that unless they left their families in a condition which made it unnecessary for them to worry they would only be with the other tribes during the seven years of conquest. This was why the Torah inserted these words in the middle of this verse although the statement נחלץ חושים should really have been followed immediately by verse 18. The consideration about these tribes remaining with the main body of the Israelite army until after the distribution of the land also explains something which otherwise appears as contradictory. On the one hand they had said they would join and bear arms (verse 18) until התנחל, the other tribes would inherit; on the other hand they said in the earlier verse that they would participate until הביאותם אל מקומם, "until we have brought them to their place." If you accept our interpretation both statements make sense and are in place. Moses added the word לכם when he encouraged the two tribes to build cities, etc. in verse 24 to show that he agreed with the purpose of their building the cities for their families' safety. In fact, this is what the two tribes did as we know from verse 34-38. The fact is that the soldiers of these tribes did not return to their homes until 14 years later.
Chizkuni
ואנחנו חלץ חושים, “we will be ready armed to act as vanguard;” These tribes promised, after first having settled their families and livestock, not only to fight along the other tribes but to do so in the most exposed positions. They would be able to do so, precisely because they would not be encumbered by their families and livestock. לפני בני ישראל, they would lead the fight on behalf of the people just as they also had taken the lead in settling their families.
Rashbam
חושים, speedy. Compare Psalms 55,9 אחישה מפלט לי, “I would find a refuge speedily.”
For we will not inherit with them on the other side of the Jordan, and forward, because our inheritance is fallen to us on this side of the Jordan eastward."
verse value 2813
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 55 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "our·share" (נַחֲלָתֵ֙נוּ֙, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 312: beyond, on·the·side·of. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "we·will·have·a·share" (נִנְחַל֙), "has·come" (בָ֤אָה), "to·us" (אֵלֵ֔ינוּ). The root כי appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "not" (root לא, 129x in Numbers); "has·come" (root בוא, 89x in Numbers); "to·us" (root אל, 85x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·onward', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 7 words. Full calculation: כִּ֣י [for] (30) + לֹ֤א [not] (31) + נִנְחַל֙ [we·will·have·a·share] (138) + אִתָּ֔ם [with·them] (441) + מֵעֵ֥בֶר [beyond] (312) + לַיַּרְדֵּ֖ן [the·Jordan] (294) + וָהָ֑לְאָה [and·onward] (47) + כִּ֣י [for] (30) + בָ֤אָה [has·come] (8) + נַחֲלָתֵ֙נוּ֙ [our·share] (544) + אֵלֵ֔ינוּ [to·us] (97) + מֵעֵ֥בֶר [on·the·side·of] (312) + הַיַּרְדֵּ֖ן [the·Jordan] (269) + מִזְרָֽחָה [eastward] (260) = 2813.
Onkelos
For we will not receive an inheritance with them on the western side of the Jordan, because we have received our inheritance on our side — the eastern bank of the Jordan.
Rashi
מעבר לירדן וגו׳ ON THE SIDE OF THE JORDAN AND YONDER — i.e., on the western side. כי באה נחלתנו FOR OUR INHERITANCE HAS COME [TO US] — This means: by that time we shall have already received it on the eastern side.
Ramban
FOR OUR INHERITANCE HAS COME TO US — “we have already received it on the eastern side [of the Jordan].” This is Rashi’s language. But it would not be correct for them to speak in this manner in front of Moses, saying, “we have already received it,” for it was not up to them, but on his will that the matter depended, and they did not receive it until he [decided to] give it to them. Instead, [the explanation of their words is that] they said to Moses: “For you do not have to give us an inheritance with them, thereby making their inheritance in their good Land smaller, for an inheritance which is suitable for us has come to us, since it is a land [fit] for cattle, and we have more cattle than the other tribes.” This they said in the nature of a request, not by way of contention. Or perhaps they said: “For we will not inherit with them, because even if you do not want to give us the land [on the east side of the Jordan] now, we will cross over together with them [the rest of the children of Israel], we and all that we have, but we will not inherit with them, for we will return to this land which is the inheritance that is suitable for us, and which we want, and which none of the other tribes want at all.”
Ibn Ezra
"Vehal'ah" ["and beyond"] — it is found referring both to place and to time; here the meaning is "and upward" [i.e., on the far side].
Or HaChaim
כי לא ננחל אתם, "for we will not inherit with them, etc." They added this as the reason why they would wait until the other tribes had received their inheritance before returning themselves. They wanted to make it plain that they had excluded themselves from an inheritance on the West Bank. Alternatively, they wanted to demonstrate that the fact that they had chosen to remain on the East Bank had nothing to do with their being afraid to face the Canaanites as Moses had implied. Their reason was simply that they had already received their heritage.
Tur HaArokh
כי באה נחלתינו אלינו, ”for our inheritance has already come to us.” According to Rashi they meant that they already considered their share on the east bank as a fait accomplit, as an irreversible fact. Nachmanides argues that it would be most inappropriate for these tribes to speak in such terms in Moses’ presence, as it had only been promised to them conditionally. What they said was that they did not plan to inherit with the other tribes on the west bank and to thereby reduce the size of the other tribes’ inheritance, seeing that they had already received their allocation on the east bank. They phrased all this as a request, pointing out that since they owned more cattle than the other tribes this would be appropriate as the land on the east bank was admirably suited for grazing cattle.
And Moses said to them: "If you will do this thing: if you will arm yourselves to go before Hashem to the war,
verse value 3108 — אֲלֵיהֶם֙ = 86 (Elohim)
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 50 letters. Notable word values: "to·them" (אֲלֵיהֶם֙) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "Moses" (מֹשֶׁ֔ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "if·you·do" (אִֽם־תַּעֲשׂ֖וּן, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "if·you·do" (אִֽם־תַּעֲשׂ֖וּן), "if·you·go·to·battle" (אִם־תֵּחָ֥לְצ֛וּ). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 389x in Numbers); "and·he·said" (root אמר, 246x in Numbers); "Moses" (root משה, 217x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'this', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֤אמֶר [and·he·said] (257) + אֲלֵיהֶם֙ [to·them] (86) + מֹשֶׁ֔ה [Moses] (345) + אִֽם־תַּעֲשׂ֖וּן [if·you·do] (867) + אֶת־הַדָּבָ֣ר [the·word] (612) + הַזֶּ֑ה [this] (17) + אִם־תֵּחָ֥לְצ֛וּ [if·you·go·to·battle] (575) + לִפְנֵ֥י [before] (170) + יְהֹוָ֖ה [Hashem] (26) + לַמִּלְחָמָֽה [to·battle] (153) = 3108.
Onkelos
Moses said to them: If you will do this thing — if you will arm yourselves before the people of Hashem for war —
Or HaChaim
ויאמר להם משה אם תעשו, Moses said to them: "if you will do, etc." Why did Moses have to say "if you will do" before saying "if you will arm yourselves, etc.?" In fact all Moses would have had to do was to give Joshua the instructions recorded in verses 27-30. Furthermore, why did Moses emphasise the word הזה? What did Moses have in mind when he said לפני השם, in the presence of the Lord?" Presumably Moses realised that what the tribes of Reuven and Gad had undertaken was only in order to secure for themselves the lands which they had requested. Their motivation was not to help their brethren because of a feeling of mutual responsibility, but it was purely functional. This is not a good moral basis for insuring success in war. The motivation of the troops should be that when going to war they went to war against the enemies of the Lord, to kill these enemies of the Lord so that the war qualified as a מלחמת מצוה, "a holy war." In Hilchot Melachim chapter 7 Maimonides describes this war in these words: "anyone who fights with all his heart…intending to sanctify the holy name of G'd thereby can feel confident that he will not come to harm and that he will have earned his share in the hereafter." There was reason to fear then that these two tribes would suffer casualties in their encounter with the Canaanites unless their whole motivation would undergo a change. This is what Moses alluded to when he said אם תעשון before speaking about the fighting men of these two tribes arming themselves. The words הדבר הזה and לפני השם assume a new dimension when we consider that these two tribes had to dedicate themselves to G'd's purpose for the forthcoming war. When Moses concluded his speech by saying עד הורישו את איביו מפניו, "until He has driven out His enemies before Him," he referred to G'd's enemies. We must not translate this verse as speaking about the enemies of Israel. Moses had never mentioned the word Israel once during these negotiations. Clearly, what was at stake was to avenge the behaviour of the Canaanites against G'd. In view of the repeated use of the conjunctive letter ו throughout the verses 21-24 it was difficult to establish which condition Moses considered paramount. Now we have become aware that the critical words are the words לפני השם. Another point which Moses had in mind when he said אם תחלצו לפני השם, was to correct these two tribes who had said נחלץ חשים לפני בני ישראל, "we will be ready, armed, before the children of Israel." This had implied that the other tribes were in need of physical support, support in order to conquer the land of The Canaanites by natural means. Moses corrected them saying that their success depended on increasing their spiritual merit. The combined merits of 100 people are noticeably less than the combined merit of 101 people.
and every armed man of you will pass over the Jordan before Hashem, until He has driven out His enemies from before Him,
verse value 2635 — יְהֹוָ֑ה = 26 (Hashem)
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 48 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֑ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "until" (עַ֧ד, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·Jordan" (אֶת־הַיַּרְדֵּ֖ן, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "his·dispossessing" (הוֹרִישׁ֛וֹ), "his·enemies" (אֶת־אֹיְבָ֖יו), "from·before·him" (מִפָּנָֽיו). The root פנים appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 389x in Numbers); "before" (root פנים, 119x in Numbers); "every·armed·man" (root כל, 98x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 4 words. Full calculation: וְעָבַ֨ר [and·crosses] (278) + לָכֶ֧ם [among·you] (90) + כׇּל־חָל֛וּץ [every·armed·man] (184) + אֶת־הַיַּרְדֵּ֖ן [the·Jordan] (670) + לִפְנֵ֣י [before] (170) + יְהֹוָ֑ה [Hashem] (26) + עַ֧ד [until] (74) + הוֹרִישׁ֛וֹ [his·dispossessing] (527) + אֶת־אֹיְבָ֖יו [his·enemies] (430) + מִפָּנָֽיו [from·before·him] (186) = 2635.
Onkelos
every one of you who is armed shall cross the Jordan before the people of Hashem until He has driven out His enemies from before Him —
Ibn Ezra
"Until He has dispossessed" — [meaning] Hashem [is the one who dispossesses].
Or HaChaim
ועבר לכם כל חלוץ, "if every armed man of you will cross, etc." Why was Moses not satisfied with what he had said in the previous verse אם תחלצו? Moses made the inheritance of the tribes Reuven and Gad conditional on every man of arms-bearing age crossing the Jordan to take part in the battles against the 31 kings. Still, the question remains why Moses did not add the word כל, in the previous verse when he said אם תחלצו? Moses' words have to be understood as follows: אם תעשון..וער לכם כל חלוץ, "if all of your able-bodied men will cross none of you will come to any harm." He implied that if only a part of the able-bodied men of these two tribes would participate in the wars of conquest they were liable to sustain casualties. The word ועבר is not to be understood as a condition but rather as a promise; "if all of your able-bodied men participate you will not have to fight but merely to cross the Jordan and G'd will do all the fighting. Such whole-hearted participation will be considered as לפני השם, there will no longer be a "curtain" dividing between you and G'd. Compare Isaiah 59,2: "your iniquities are the barrier between yourselves and your G'd." The "barrier" is made up out of Samael and the forces at his command. Moses advisedly concludes by saying that G'd will drive out His enemies from "before Him" instead of "from before you," to hint that G'd alone will do the fighting if the two tribes were to fulfil these conditions.
and the land be subdued before Hashem, and you return afterward; then you shall be clear before Hashem, and before Israel, and this land shall be to you for a possession before Hashem.
verse value 4594 — יְהֹוָה֙ = 26 (Hashem)
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 77 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֙) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "your" (לָכֶ֛ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·before·Israel" (וּמִיִּשְׂרָאֵ֑ל, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 296: the·land, the·land. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "clear" (נְקִיִּ֛ם), "before·Hashem" (מֵיְהֹוָ֖ה), "and·before·Israel" (וּמִיִּשְׂרָאֵ֑ל). The root יהוה appears 3 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 389x in Numbers); "and·before·Israel" (root ישראל, 183x in Numbers); "and·you·shall·be" (root היה, 180x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·before·Israel', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 7 words.
Onkelos
and the land is subdued before the people of Hashem — then afterward you shall return, and you will be free of obligation before Hashem and before Israel, and this land shall be yours as a possession before Hashem.
Ibn Ezra
"Before Hashem" — for the Ark is there. "Before Hashem" — as I have explained, it is always a term of praise.
Or HaChaim
ונכבשה הארץ, "and the land will be conquered, etc." Why did these words have to be written after we heard at the end of the last verse that G'd will drive out His enemies before Him? Furthermore, why did Moses have to mention once more: "and after that you will return?" We already understood from the context that after the other tribes had been settled the tribes of Reuven and Gad would return to their families on the East Bank. Actually, Moses wanted to tell the two tribes that as a result of their keeping their bargain a number of promises would be fulfilled. 1) The land would be subdued; 2) every one of them would return home whole in body and in spirit. Although we have been told in Baba Batra 121 that Yair the son of Menashe was killed in the fighting against the town of Ai, he belonged to the other half of the tribe of Menashe who had chosen the Left Bank as their rightful heritage. He was not amongst the people whom Moses addressed in our paragraph. Moses also made a point of stating that these two tribes would have discharged their duties both vis-a-vis G'd and vis-a vis Israel as long as they crossed the Jordan prepared to do battle. The important thing was their motivation, as we have pointed out previously. As long as what they did was לשם שמים rather than for their own selfish motives even the people (10 tribes) would not harbour any bad feelings against these two tribes. Moses added the words: "this land will become your inheritance before G'd," that their participation in helping the other tribes to conquer and to settle on the West Bank would make their own lands safe against intruders. It is possible that by repeating the expression לפני השם, "in the presence of G'd," Moses meant to say that although their land was חוצה לארץ, "outside the boundaries of the Holy Land proper," they would be considered as if they had made their residence within the Holy Land. The land would be considered holy as no strip of secular land separated between it and ארץ ישראל proper.
But if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against Hashem; and know your sin which will find you.
verse value 3605 — וּדְעוּ֙ = 86 (Elohim)
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 46 letters. Notable word values: "and·know!" (וּדְעוּ֙) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "so" (כֵּ֔ן, 2 letters) and the longest is "your·sin" (חַטַּאתְכֶ֔ם, 6 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "you·do" (תַעֲשׂוּן֙), "you·have·sinned" (חֲטָאתֶ֖ם), "and·know!" (וּדְעוּ֙). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "against·Hashem" (root יהוה, 389x in Numbers); "which" (root אשר, 223x in Numbers); "and·if·not" (root לא, 129x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'against·Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 5 words. Full calculation: וְאִם־לֹ֤א [and·if·not] (78) + תַעֲשׂוּן֙ [you·do] (826) + כֵּ֔ן [so] (70) + הִנֵּ֥ה [behold] (60) + חֲטָאתֶ֖ם [you·have·sinned] (458) + לַיהֹוָ֑ה [against·Hashem] (56) + וּדְעוּ֙ [and·know!] (86) + חַטַּאתְכֶ֔ם [your·sin] (478) + אֲשֶׁ֥ר [which] (501) + תִּמְצָ֖א [will·overtake] (531) + אֶתְכֶֽם [you] (461) = 3605.
Onkelos
But if you do not do so, you have sinned before Hashem, and know that your sin will find you out.
Sforno
'הנה חטאתם לה, by your failure to live up to your undertaking it will become clear that you had sinful intent from the beginning.. הנה חטאתם לה', by your failure to live up to your undertaking it will become clear that you had sinful intent from the beginning.
Or HaChaim
ואם לא חעשון כן הנה חטאתם, "But if you will not do so, behold you have sinned against the Lord, etc." This appears problematical. We would have expected Moses to say only that if these two tribes did not keep the bargain they would not be given the lands on the East Bank. However, the meaning of these words is that if the two tribes would not accept Moses' command to treat the conquest of the West Bank as a מלחמת חובה, an obligatory war fought in order to take revenge on the enemies of G'd, they would have sinned even if they did cross the Jordan fully armed. Moses spoke of that sin in the past tense, i.e. "your sin would commence already at this time." ודעו חטאתכם אשר תמצא אתכם. "and be aware that your sins will find you out." Moses warned that at the appropriate time when they would find themselves in imminent danger G'd would exact retribution from the guilty, i.e. they would fall in battle. Remember what Tur Orach Chayim chapter 54 writes that in a war of expansion soldiers are sent home if they have been guilty only of speaking needlessly between such parts of the morning prayers as ישתבח and יוצר אור. Moses warned now that all the promises he had made concerning these soldiers returning home unharmed would be null and void unless they kept to all the details of his conditions. If they failed to do this they would not be free either in the eyes of G'd or the people. The very fact that they had sustained casualties would be proof of their being guilty. Compare what I have written on the words עבדיך יעשו כאשר אדני מצוה in verse 25.
Build you cities for your little ones, and folds for your sheep; and do that which has proceeded out of your mouth."
verse value 2569
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 40 letters. The shortest word is "towns" (עָרִים֙, 4 letters) and the longest is "build!·for·yourselves" (בְּנֽוּ־לָכֶ֤ם, 6 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "build!·for·yourselves" (בְּנֽוּ־לָכֶ֤ם), "for·your·children" (לְטַפְּכֶ֔ם), "for·your·flocks" (לְצֹנַאֲכֶ֑ם). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "you·shall·do" (root עשה, 127x in Numbers); "build!·for·yourselves" (root לכם, 88x in Numbers); "and·what·comes·out" (root יצא, 68x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'for·your·flocks', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 3 words. Full calculation: בְּנֽוּ־לָכֶ֤ם [build!·for·yourselves] (148) + עָרִים֙ [towns] (320) + לְטַפְּכֶ֔ם [for·your·children] (179) + וּגְדֵרֹ֖ת [and·sheepfolds] (613) + לְצֹנַאֲכֶ֑ם [for·your·flocks] (231) + וְהַיֹּצֵ֥א [and·what·comes·out] (112) + מִפִּיכֶ֖ם [from·your·mouth] (190) + תַּעֲשֽׂוּ [you·shall·do] (776) = 2569.
Onkelos
Build yourselves towns for your little ones and pens for your flocks, and do what has gone out of your mouth.
Rashi
לצנאכם FOR YOUR SHEEP — This word is from the noun form which is found in (Psalms 8:8): “Sheep (צנה) and oxen, all of them”, where, too, there is no א intervening between the נ and the צ. The א which here comes after the נ is in place of the ה of צנה (and לצנאכם is not the same form as לצאנכם with an inversion of the א and נ). I learned this from the work of R. Moses the Preacher. והיצא מפיכם תעשו AND DO THAT WHICH HATH GONE OUT FROM YOUR MOUTH, as a vow to the Most High God (cf. Numbers 30:3), because you have taken it upon yourselves to pass over for war until the end of the subjugation and division of the land; — for Moses asked of them only, (v. 22): “Let [the land] be subdued and afterwards ye may return”, but they undertook, (v. 18): “[we will not return to our houses] until [the children of Israel] have inherited”, so you see that they made an additional promise, to stay on the western side the seven years during which they were dividing the land. And so, indeed, they did (cf. Joshua XXII.).
Ibn Ezra
The alef in "letzanekhem" ["for your flocks"] is added, as in "ve-ha'aznihu neharot" [where a letter is similarly added].
Or HaChaim
והיוצא מפיכם תעשו, "and do that which your mouths have uttered." Moses wanted them to understand that the permission he had granted for these tribes to build cities for their women and children etc., was not absolute but was conditional on their fulfilling the part of full participation with the other tribes in their conquest of the land of Canaan. It is also possible that Moses referred to the gratuitous offer by the two tribes to stay with the main body not only for seven years but for fourteen years until they had all been settled provided they were allowed to build fortified cities for their families. This is why he added the letter ו before the word והיוצא מפיכם, "and what your mouths have uttered." Having made an undertaking which Moses had not asked of them, they were to be held to it as it had been entirely voluntary. Moses made it plain that as far as his own conditions were concerned he had only obligated them to remain with the main body for seven years. Anything over and beyond that were conditions they had imposed upon themselves.
And the children of Gad and the children of Reuben spoke to Moses, saying: "Your servants will do as my lord commands.
verse value 2519
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 49 letters. The shortest word is "and·children·of" (וּבְנֵ֣י, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·he·said" (וַיֹּ֤אמֶר, 5 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "commands" (מְצַוֶּֽה). The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·Gadites" (root בן, 499x in Numbers); "and·he·said" (root אמר, 246x in Numbers); "as" (root אשר, 223x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'saying', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֤אמֶר [and·he·said] (257) + בְּנֵי־גָד֙ [the·Gadites] (69) + וּבְנֵ֣י [and·children·of] (68) + רְאוּבֵ֔ן [Reubenites] (259) + אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֖ה [to·Moses] (376) + לֵאמֹ֑ר [saying] (271) + עֲבָדֶ֣יךָ [your·servants] (106) + יַעֲשׂ֔וּ [will·do] (386) + כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר [as] (521) + אֲדֹנִ֖י [my·lord] (65) + מְצַוֶּֽה [commands] (141) = 2519.
Onkelos
The sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben said to Moses, saying: Your servants will do as my lord commands.
Rashi
ויאמר בני גד AND THE CHILDREN OF GAD SAID, all of them as one man (ויאמר is the singular form of the verb, whilst the subject בגי גד is the plural; cf. Rashi on Exodus 19:2 s. v.).
Sforno
עבדיך יעשו, the part of the condition which involves our being the vanguard we will most certainly fulfill.
Or HaChaim
ויאמר בני גד…עבדיך יעשו The tribe of Gad….said: "your servants will do, etc." One difficulty in this verse is the word לאמור. Whom was Moses to tell of their decision? 2) What did they add that they had not previously told Moses in verse 18 already? They themselves had volunteered to do what Moses now demanded of them! 3) Having already said generally: "your servants will do what my lord commands," why did they have to add verses 26 and 27 altogether? 4) Why did they repeat once more: "as my lord has said (verse 27)? Why did the Torah refer to מצוה "commands" in verse 25 whereas in verse 27 it uses the word דבר, "has said?" Once you consider that I have explained that Moses stressed to these tribes after their undertaking that the motivation for their joining the war was what mattered foremost, the reply of these two tribes is easy to understand. According to Bamidbar Rabbah on our paragraph Moses also had corrected them when he altered the order of priorities regarding the building of cities and sheepfolds to take care of the children first and not of the livestock as they had indicated in verse 16. There had been two new elements in Moses' speech to them, and they responded positively on both counts. They commenced with that which had been mentioned last, i.e. the concern for their children, by listing their children, wives, and livestock in the appropriate order this time. They followed this up by stressing that all of them were going to cross the Jordan as a vanguard in the presence of the Lord, to show that they were aware of the crucial dimension of their purpose of fighting the enemies of G'd. They refrained from repeating that they would be in the forefront of "the children of Israel" as they had said in verse 17. We have a rule that in matters involving money one must abide by the terms set even if the person setting the condition is a layman; they wanted to go on record, that in this instance they would have abided by any condition Moses would set inasmch as he was their prophet, leader, etc. G'd had commanded the Israelites to heed everything the prophet would tell them (Deut. 18.15). This is what they had in mind with their first reaction הנה עבדיך יעשו כאשר אדני מצוה. In other words, they now stressed that their motivation in doing what they had undertaken to do was to display their obedience to the command of Moses in his capacity as the prophet. This is why they added כאשר אדני דבר, "as my lord says." The word לאמר too was meant to indicate their awareness of their obligation to do what Moses "said" even if he had not promised them that they would receive their share of the inheritance on the East Bank as a reward for abiding by the conditions he had set for them. They meant to stress that even if Moses had not phrased his suggestions as a condition but had merely said so, לאמור without embodying his suggestions in the form of a binding contract, they would have taken him at his word and would have complied with his wishes. Afte...
Tur HaArokh
ויאמר בני גד ובני ראובן, ”the Children of Gad and the Children of Reuven said, etc.:” The Torah did not use the plural mode ויאמרו, “they said,” as one spokesman for both tribes did the talking.
Our little ones, our wives, our flocks, and all our cattle, shall be there in the cities of Gilead;
verse value 2131
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 38 letters. The shortest word is "our·children" (טַפֵּ֣נוּ, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·all·our·livestock" (וְכׇל־בְּהֶמְתֵּ֑נוּ, 9 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "our·flocks" (מִקְנֵ֖נוּ), "and·all·our·livestock" (וְכׇל־בְּהֶמְתֵּ֑נוּ), "will·stay·there" (יִֽהְיוּ־שָׁ֖ם). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "will·stay·there" (root היה, 180x in Numbers); "our·wives" (root אשה, 57x in Numbers); "in·towns·of" (root עיר, 46x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·all·our·livestock', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: טַפֵּ֣נוּ [our·children] (145) + נָשֵׁ֔ינוּ [our·wives] (416) + מִקְנֵ֖נוּ [our·flocks] (246) + וְכׇל־בְּהֶמְתֵּ֑נוּ [and·all·our·livestock] (559) + יִֽהְיוּ־שָׁ֖ם [will·stay·there] (371) + בְּעָרֵ֥י [in·towns·of] (282) + הַגִּלְעָֽד [Gilead] (112) = 2131.
Onkelos
Our little ones, our wives, our cattle, and all our livestock will remain there in the towns of Gilead.
but your servants will pass over, every man that is armed for war, before Hashem to battle, as my lord says."
verse value 1818 — יְהֹוָ֖ה = 26 (Hashem)
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 45 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֖ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 1818 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "of·the·host" (צָבָ֛א, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·your·servants" (וַעֲבָדֶ֨יךָ, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "and·your·servants" (וַעֲבָדֶ֨יךָ). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 389x in Numbers); "as" (root אשר, 223x in Numbers); "speaks" (root דבר, 149x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·battle', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַעֲבָדֶ֨יךָ [and·your·servants] (112) + יַֽעַבְר֜וּ [shall·cross·over] (288) + כׇּל־חֲל֥וּץ [every·armed·man] (184) + צָבָ֛א [of·the·host] (93) + לִפְנֵ֥י [before] (170) + יְהֹוָ֖ה [Hashem] (26) + לַמִּלְחָמָ֑ה [to·battle] (153) + כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר [as] (521) + אֲדֹנִ֖י [my·lord] (65) + דֹּבֵֽר [speaks] (206) = 1818.
Onkelos
But your servants will cross over — every man armed for the force — before the people of Hashem to battle, as my lord has spoken.
Ibn Ezra
"Every armed man of the host" [kol khaluts tzava] — like "the Ark of the Covenant" [where "covenant" specifies the Ark]; the meaning is: every armed man, armed for the host.
Chizkuni
כל חלוץ צבא, “every man that is armed for war.” Apparently, the author’s version of the text had the vowel kametz under the letter ח instead of the vowel patach. His commentary presupposes this. As in our editions we have the vowel chataf patach, we need not bother copying his commentary.
Rabbeinu Bahya
כאשר אדוני דובר , “as my lord speaks.” In verse 31 the formulation is “as the Lord (Hashem) has spoken to your servants so we shall do.” It is clear from these two verses that the Torah wants to equate the authority of Moses with the authority of the Lord. Moses was the kind of instrument for Holy Spirit which functioned around the clock; one was not to think that during certain hours of the day Moses was not on G’d’s “wavelength,’ and that his pronouncements during such times did not have the same validity as when he was inspired. He was always inspired. This is also what our sages (Tanchuma Ki Tissa 27) pointed out in connection with Exodus 33,7: “so it was whenever someone sought Hashem he would go out (outside the camp where Moses had pitched his personal tent) etc.” The Torah does not write that the individual in question went out to seek out Moses but that he went out to seek Hashem. This proves that the people equated what Moses would tell them with what they expected to be told by G’d. The “glue” is called by the substance it is glued to. In other words, seeing that Moses was as if “glued” to Hashem, he himself is sometimes described as if he were Hashem. Our author quotes a number of verses illustrating this in his commentary on Exodus 33,7.
So Moses gave charge concerning them to Eleazar the priest, and to Joshua the son of Nun, and to the heads of the fathers' houses of the tribes of the children of Israel.
verse value 4697
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 59 letters. The shortest word is "concerning·them" (לָהֶם֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·Joshua" (וְאֵ֖ת יְהוֹשֻׁ֣עַ, 8 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "and·Joshua" (וְאֵ֖ת יְהוֹשֻׁ֣עַ), "and·heads·of" (וְאֶת־רָאשֵׁ֛י). The root בן appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "son·of·Nun" (root בן, 499x in Numbers); "Moses" (root משה, 217x in Numbers); "Israel" (root ישראל, 183x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'son·of·Nun', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַיְצַ֤ו [and·he·gave·instructions] (112) + לָהֶם֙ [concerning·them] (75) + מֹשֶׁ֔ה [Moses] (345) + אֵ֚ת אֶלְעָזָ֣ר [Eleazar] (709) + הַכֹּהֵ֔ן [the·priest] (80) + וְאֵ֖ת יְהוֹשֻׁ֣עַ [and·Joshua] (798) + בִּן־נ֑וּן [son·of·Nun] (158) + וְאֶת־רָאשֵׁ֛י [and·heads·of] (918) + אֲב֥וֹת [fathers·of] (409) + הַמַּטּ֖וֹת [the·tribes] (460) + לִבְנֵ֥י [of·sons·of] (92) + יִשְׂרָאֵֽל [Israel] (541) = 4697.
Onkelos
Moses gave command concerning them to Eleazar the priest and to Joshua son of Nun and to the heads of the ancestral tribes of the children of Israel.
Rashi
. ויצו להם AND HE GAVE CHARGE — This is the same as, and he gave charge concerning them. The words imply: and to watch over the fulfilment of the agreement they had made he appointed Eleazar and Joshua. The use of the ל in להם here is the same as in (Exodus 14:14): “The Lord will fight לכם for you."
Sforno
ויצו להם, Moses now commanded not to give to these two tribes the lands of Sichon and Og until they would return from conquest of the lands on the west bank of the river Jordan. This is the meaning of verse 22. The two tribes did not accept this arrangement and said נחנו נעבור חלוצים (verse 32) on condition that אתנו אחזת נחלתנו, that simultaneously we will be in possession of our ancestral inheritance. As soon as we shall cross the river Jordan these lands will be legally ours!
And Moses said to them: "If the children of Gad and the children of Reuben will pass with you over the Jordan, every man that is armed to battle, before Hashem, and the land shall be subdued before you, then you shall give them the land of Gilead for a possession;
verse value 5802 — יְהֹוָ֔ה = 26 (Hashem)
Insights
Verse structure: 20 words, 103 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "Moses" (מֹשֶׁ֜ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·the·Reubenites" (וּבְנֵי־רְאוּבֵ֣ן, 9 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "if·they·cross·over" (אִם־יַעַבְר֣וּ), "and·the·Reubenites" (וּבְנֵי־רְאוּבֵ֣ן). The root בן appears 2 times in this verse. 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·Gadites" (root בן, 499x in Numbers); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 389x in Numbers); "and·he·said" (root אמר, 246x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'before·you', dividing the verse into phrases of 15 and 5 words.
Onkelos
Moses said to them: If the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben cross the Jordan with you — every man armed for battle before the people of Hashem — and the land is subdued before you, you shall give them the land of Gilead as a possession.
Ramban
[AND MOSES SAID UNTO THEM]: ‘IF THE CHILDREN OF GAD AND THE CHILDREN OF REUBEN WILL PASS WITH YOU etc. THEN YE [Joshua and the princes] SHALL GIVE THEM THE LAND OF GILEAD FOR A POSSESSION.’ The reason for this [command that then ye shall give them …] is that Moses did not give them now all the land of Sihon and Og, but only a few cities in the land of Gilead which was a place fit for cattle, namely Ataroth, and Dibon, etc. and those mentioned here, in which they built fortifications to settle their children and cattle therein, but the rest of the land they left waste. Therefore [Moses] commanded Joshua and the princes: “If they will pass over [the Jordan] with you, you shall give them all the land as a perpetual inheritance. But if they will not want to pass over with you, you should take away from them all this land and drive out from it their wives and children, and give them an inheritance fitting for them in the land of Canaan, which they shall conquer for themselves when they cross over [the Jordan].” And Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra commented: “But if they will not pass over of their own free will, you shall take them with you against their will, and they shall take their possession there [in the land of Canaan] together with you.”
Ibn Ezra
"Venattem" ["and you shall give"] — [means] "you shall give to them"; the vav here is like a soft peh in the Ishmaelite [Arabic] language, for such is the rule of that tongue.
Or HaChaim
ויאמר משה…ונתתם להם, Moses said:…"and then you will give to them, etc." The reason Moses had to say: "and you will give to them," was that it should be perceived that it was the other tribes who had given these lands to the tribes of Gad and Reuven although we will be reading in verse 33 that "Moses gave to the tribes of Gad, Reuven and half the tribe of Menashe the kingdom of Sichon and the kingdom of Og, etc." What Moses handed over became an absolute possession only after the tribes involved had completed their undertaking. We need to examine why Moses said: ונתתם להם instead of: תתנו להם, the more acceptable form of the future tense. Perhaps Moses wanted to indicate by the use of a form involving the letter ו at the beginning that the very whole-hearted participation in the conquest by these two tribes was what would make the campaign successful so that the ten tribes themselves owed their inheritance to that participation of the tribes Gad and Reuven. Had Moses written תתנו להם, we would not have surmised his meaning from that word.
Tur HaArokh
אם יעברו... ונתתם, “if they will cross, etc.,….then you will give.” Nachmanides sees in this verse a clear indication that at this time Moses did not give these two tribes all the land they had requested, except the cities that were required to accommodate their families during the period that their fighting men marched with the main body of the Jewish people. These were the towns that are mentioned here by name. The two tribes fortified those towns before moving with the balance of the people cross the Jordan. The rest of the land on the east bank they left as desolate land. This is why Joshua and the elders told them that if they would fulfill their undertaking to Moses they would also receive the areas not yet distributed (Joshua 1,12-16) Ibn Ezra explains on verse 30 that the implied meaning of the verse is that if these two tribes were not going to cross voluntarily with the main body, they would be compelled to do so against their will. As a result of such an eventuality they would receive their ancestral share on the west bank.
but if they will not pass over with you armed, they shall have possessions among you in the land of Canaan."
verse value 2054
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 39 letters. Verse gematria: 2054 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "with·you" (אִתְּכֶ֑ם, 4 letters) and the longest is "as·armed·fighters" (חֲלוּצִ֖ים, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 78: but·if·not, they·shall·receive·holdings. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "they·shall·receive·holdings" (וְנֹֽאחֲז֥וּ), "among·you" (בְתֹכְכֶ֖ם). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "but·if·not" (root לא, 129x in Numbers); "in·the·land·of" (root ארץ, 119x in Numbers); "among·you" (root תוך, 45x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'with·you', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 4 words. Full calculation: וְאִם־לֹ֧א [but·if·not] (78) + יַֽעַבְר֛וּ [they·cross·over] (288) + חֲלוּצִ֖ים [as·armed·fighters] (184) + אִתְּכֶ֑ם [with·you] (461) + וְנֹֽאחֲז֥וּ [they·shall·receive·holdings] (78) + בְתֹכְכֶ֖ם [among·you] (482) + בְּאֶ֥רֶץ [in·the·land·of] (293) + כְּנָֽעַן [Canaan] (190) = 2054.
Onkelos
But if they do not cross over armed with you, they shall receive their possession among you in the land of Canaan.
Ibn Ezra
"Vene'akhazu betokhem" ["and they shall take possession among you"] — he [Moses] showed them honor, for the meaning is: if they do not cross over as armed men, you shall take them along with you against their will, and they shall settle [among you]; or, if they change their minds, they shall settle among you. This word [vene'akhazu] came according to the rule of verbs with yod, for the letters alef, he, vav, and yod interchange.
Or HaChaim
ואם לא יעברו חלוצים אתכם, "But if they will not cross with you, armed, etc." The emphasis in this verse is on the words אתכם, "with you," i.e. at the same time as you. If these two tribes were to decide to join you later and help in the conquest they would already have forfeited their claim to special consideration on the East Bank. The reason the Torah wrote ונאחזו בתוככם, "and they will have possessions amongst you," with the added letter ו at the beginning of the word ונאחזו instead of writing יאחזו, "they will receive a possession," is to point out that in such an event they have forfeited their success in this part of the land and they will automatically only inherit their share on the West Bank. They will have failed to perform the מצוה they took upon themselves and therefore will not have attained what they aimed for.
And the children of Gad and the children of Reuben answered, saying: "As Hashem has said to your servants, so will we do.
verse value 2575 — יְהֹוָ֛ה = 26 (Hashem)
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 48 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֛ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "thus" (כֵּ֥ן, 2 letters) and the longest is "concerning·your·servants" (אֶל־עֲבָדֶ֖יךָ, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "and·they·answered" (וַיַּֽעֲנ֧וּ), "concerning·your·servants" (אֶל־עֲבָדֶ֖יךָ), "we·will·do" (נַעֲשֶֽׂה). The root בן appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·Gadites" (root בן, 499x in Numbers); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 389x in Numbers); "to·say" (root אמר, 246x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·say', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 6 words. Full calculation: וַיַּֽעֲנ֧וּ [and·they·answered] (142) + בְנֵי־גָ֛ד [the·Gadites] (69) + וּבְנֵ֥י [and·children·of] (68) + רְאוּבֵ֖ן [Reuben] (259) + לֵאמֹ֑ר [to·say] (271) + אֵת֩ אֲשֶׁ֨ר [that·which] (902) + דִּבֶּ֧ר [has·spoken] (206) + יְהֹוָ֛ה [Hashem] (26) + אֶל־עֲבָדֶ֖יךָ [concerning·your·servants] (137) + כֵּ֥ן [thus] (70) + נַעֲשֶֽׂה [we·will·do] (425) = 2575.
Onkelos
The sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben answered, saying: What Hashem has spoken to your servants, so shall we do.
Ramban
AND THE CHILDREN OF GAD AND THE CHILDREN OF REUBEN ANSWERED, SAYING: [AS THE ETERNAL HATH SAID UNTO THY SERVANTS, SO WILL WE DO]. 32. WE WILL PASS OVER ARMED. They said to Moses: “Our lord need not command us with a double condition [to cross over the Jordan]. Far be it from your servants to transgress that which my lord commands! For they [i.e., your words] are the words of G-d, and we will not transgress His commandment!” And this is the meaning of the expression, as the Eternal hath said, for at the beginning [i.e., before Moses had made the double condition] they had [already] said that they would do as my lord commanded [hence we must say that here in Verse 31 they were telling Moses there was no need for the double condition, for the reason explained above].
Ibn Ezra
"And the sons of Gad answered" — a second time, as a confirmation.
Or HaChaim
-32. ויענו בני גד, The members of Gad etc. replied: The Torah had to repeat matters once more and also could not simply write: ויאמרו, "they said," but had to write: "they replied." Seeing that Moses had said ונתתם, the two and a half tribes had begun to fear that such a handing over would only commence at the end of the fourteen years of their whole-hearted participation. This is why they described their forthcoming participation as so firmly anchored in an unbreakable agreement that although their part of the fulfilment of the agreement was some time in the future, the rewards for abiding by it accrued to them as an immediate benefit, i.e. the land was to be given to them as of now. This is why they said: ואתנו נחלתנו, "the possession of our inheritance will remain with us." They had not properly understood Moses' words, as we have explained them. As a result, Moses gave them the land immediately to prevent any misunderstandings. It is also possible that initially even Moses had not meant for the two and a half tribes to actually acquire their claim until after they had demonstrated fulfilment of their part of the bargain. However, once Moses realised how firmly these two and a half tribes had committed themselves to helping the other tribes he agreed to give them possession of these lands immediately.
We will pass over armed before Hashem into the land of Canaan, and the possession of our inheritance shall remain with us beyond the Jordan."
verse value 3326 — יְהֹוָ֖ה = 26 (Hashem)
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 53 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֖ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "the·land·of" (אֶ֣רֶץ, 3 letters) and the longest is "as·armed·fighters" (חֲלוּצִ֛ים, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "we·ourselves" (נַ֣חְנוּ), "and·with·us" (וְאִתָּ֙נוּ֙). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 389x in Numbers); "before" (root פנים, 119x in Numbers); "the·land·of" (root ארץ, 119x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Canaan', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 5 words. Full calculation: נַ֣חְנוּ [we·ourselves] (114) + נַעֲבֹ֧ר [we·will·cross·over] (322) + חֲלוּצִ֛ים [as·armed·fighters] (184) + לִפְנֵ֥י [before] (170) + יְהֹוָ֖ה [Hashem] (26) + אֶ֣רֶץ [the·land·of] (291) + כְּנָ֑עַן [Canaan] (190) + וְאִתָּ֙נוּ֙ [and·with·us] (463) + אֲחֻזַּ֣ת [the·holding·of] (416) + נַחֲלָתֵ֔נוּ [our·inheritance] (544) + מֵעֵ֖בֶר [across] (312) + לַיַּרְדֵּֽן [the·Jordan] (294) = 3326.
Onkelos
We will cross over armed before the people of Hashem into the land of Canaan, and the holding of our inheritance shall be with us on this side of the Jordan.
Rashi
ואתנו אחזת נחלתנו AND LET POSSESSION OF OUR INHERITANCE BE WITH US [ON THIS SIDE OF THE JORDAN] — it is as much as to say: (ואתנו) in our hands and in our ownership let the possession of our inheritance be on this side.
Ibn Ezra
"Nakhnu" ["we"] — this is the essential form; the alef in "anakhnu" is added. And he [Moses] had not mentioned the half-tribe of Manasseh until now, because it was only half a tribe.
Rabbeinu Bahya
נחנו נעבור חלוצים לפני ה', “we will cross (the Jordan) as vanguard before the Lord.” Actually, the Torah should have written אנחנו instead of נחנו. However, seeing that the members of the tribe of Gad always appear as physically strong and self-reliant, and they had the audacity of describing themselves as a vanguard מלפני ה' “in front of the Lord,” the Torah decided to put them in their place by omitting the letter א from the word אנחנו as if teaching that they needed to downgrade their reliance on ego. The word נחנו appears in the guise of understating ego when Moses and Aaron play down their part in orchestrating the Exodus in Exodus 16,7. This interpretation is tenable as the plain meaning of the words. However, we have a tradition that the Torah deliberately wanted to commence this verse with the letter נ just as we find Jeremiah commencing Lamentations 3,42 with the words נחנו פשענו ומרינו, “we have rebelled and transgressed.” In Lamentations the need for the verse to commence with the letter נ is dictated by the prophet wanting to maintain the alphabetical sequence of each verse, i.e. each verse commences with the following letter of the alphabet. In our paragraph the need for the verse to commence with the letter נ is dictated by the fact that there are a total of 11 verses in scripture which commence and conclude with the letter נ. It is a well known fact that the tetragram originates in these eleven verses and that it contains 13 letters. If one mentions these verses together with the holy name of G’d which emerges from them one has no reason to be afraid as the great name of the Lord is an antidote against fear itself. [Rabbi Chavell points out that the eleven verses are listed in the Siddur Otzar HaTefillot (page 866 in my edition) after the songs to be recited at the conclusion of the Sabbath.] The members of the tribe of Gad were not afraid to dwell on the east bank of the Jordan river surrounded by the Gentile nations without natural barriers as they possessed two types of weapons. 1) the physical strength of their bodies; 2) the merit of having been in the vanguard before the Lord during the years in which the Israelites defeated the kings of the Canaanites. The expression חלוצים לפני ה' includes reference to both of these “weapons.” This is why they said (32,32) ואתנו אחוזת נחלתנו, “the heritage of our forefathers is with us.” They meant that in spite of their settling relatively far from the main body of the nation they had reason not to be afraid. Commenting on Joshua 6,13 והחלוץ עובר לפניהם, our sages in Shir Hashirim Rabbah 4,6 explain that that verse refers to the two and a half tribes Reuven, Gad, and half of Menasheh who lived up to their commitment seeing they were full of confidence both in the merit of their mitzvah performance and their physiques. Our sages have also described the words in Deut. 33,20 וטרף זרוע as a reference to the merit of the phylacteries they wore on the arm, and the word אף קדקד as a reference to the phylacteries they wore on their heads.
Tur HaArokh
ויענו בני גד ובני ראובן לאמור, וגו, The Children of Gad and 'the Children of Reuven responded by saying:” נחנו נעבור חלוצים, “we are going to cross as the vanguard.” Nachmanides understands the two tribes as saying to Moses that there was no need to spell out what would happen if they did not cross the Jordan, etc.; not only would they do so but they would be in the forefront of the fighting men. Seeing that Moses’ instructions were G’d’s words, it was unthinkable that they should not accept His command. Note that originally, (verse 25) they had promised to do what Moses would command, and now they rephrase this saying they would do what G’d had commanded.
And Moses gave to them, even to the children of Gad, and to the children of Reuben, and to the half-tribe of Manasseh the son of Joseph, the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites, and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, the land, according to its cities with their borders, even the cities of the land round about.
verse value 6966
Insights
Verse structure: 24 words, 106 letters. Verse gematria: 6966 is divisible by 86, the value of Elohim. The shortest word is "to·them" (לָהֶ֣ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·the·kingdom·of" (וְאֶ֨ת־מַמְלֶ֔כֶת, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 296: the·land, the·land. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "and·to·the·half·of" (וְלַחֲצִ֣י), "the·kingdom·of" (אֶת־מַמְלֶ֙כֶת֙), "and·the·kingdom·of" (וְאֶ֨ת־מַמְלֶ֔כֶת). The root מלך appears 4 times in this verse. 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·the·Gadites" (root בן, 499x in Numbers); "Moses" (root משה, 217x in Numbers); "and·he·assigned" (root נתן, 119x in Numbers). First appearance of the root גבולה ("with·the·territories·of") in Numbers. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Bashan', dividing the verse into phrases of 18 and 6 words.
Onkelos
Moses gave to them — to the sons of Gad and to the sons of Reuben and to the half-tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph — the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites and the kingdom of Og king of Matnan, the land together with its towns and the territories of the cities round about.
Ramban
V’LACHATZI (AND UNTO A PART OF THE) TRIBE OF MENASHEH THE SON OF JOSEPH. At the beginning the tribe of Menasheh did not come to Moses [to ask for their inheritance to be on the east side of the Jordan], but when Moses apportioned the land to the two tribes [of Gad and Reuben], he saw that the land was larger than they required, and therefore he asked for people who were prepared to take their inheritance with them. And there were people of the tribe of Menasheh who wanted that land — perhaps they were [also] owners of cattle — and therefore he gave them their portion [in that land].Now the meaning of v’lachatzi [literally “and unto the half”] is “unto one part” of them [as will be explained]. Similarly, Then were the people of Israel divided “lacheitzi’ (into two parts): ‘chatzi’ (part of) the people followed Tibni the son of Ginath, to make him king, ‘v’hachatzi’ (and the other part)followed Omri. And the explanation [here is as follows]: The children of Menasheh consisted of eight paternal families as is written in the section dealing with the census, and [only] the families of the Machirites and of the Gileadites took their inheritance in this land [on the east of the Jordan], because they were men of valor and they conquered it for themselves, and Moses gave them a large part of it. The [other] six families, however, crossed over the Jordan [to take their inheritance in Canaan proper], as it is written in [the Book of] Joshua, And the lot was for the rest of the children of Menasheh according to 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. And this is the meaning of what is written there, And there fell ten parts to Menasheh, beside the land of Gilead and Bashan, which is beyond the Jordan, the interpretation thereof being as follows: They divided the [whole] Land into nine equal parts for the nine tribes, but they could not give to the remaining [part of the] tribe of Menasheh a whole portion [because two of their families had settled on the east side of the Jordan], nor could they give them [only] half a portion, because most of them had remained [in the land of Canaan]. Therefore they divided the whole tribe into parts and they found that only a tenth of [the total population of] the tribe took their inheritance in the land of Bashan [on the east side of the Jordan] and ten parts remained [and settled in the Land of Israel]. These were then given ten parts [of the amount] given to a whole tribe, while one part remained [on the east side of the Jordan for the families of the Machirites and the Gileadites]. Perhaps it was because these two families — the Machirites and the Gileadites — were the smallest of their tribe [and would therefore have received only a small portion of the land allotted to their tribe] that they wanted to separate themselves from their tribe, in order that ...
Sforno
ויתן להם משה, only because he did not want to get involved in a serious quarrel with these two tribes.
Chizkuni
ולחצי שבט מנשה, “and as far has half of the tribe Menashe is concerned, etc.” they had not requested to be given their ancestral heritage in the lands previously owned by Sichon and Og; but seeing it was their founding father, Joseph’s first born son who had searched the sacks of Joseph who had caused them to tear up their garments when he accused one of the brothers as having stolen his father’s goblet, they were given as compensation two sections of land on the east bank of the Jordan. (Bereshit Rabbah 84,20)
Tur HaArokh
ולחצי שבט מנשה, ”and for half the tribe of Menashe;” Nachmanides writes that originally, the members of that tribe had not requested that any of their ancestral share should be on the east bank. When the tribe saw that this whole huge chunk of land had been allocated to only two tribes, and that it was far more than these two tribes could expect to populate adequately so that a call went out for anyone interested to join them in settling that part of the land, some people of the tribe of Menashe expressed their willingness to do so. Possibly, these members of the tribe of Menashe were also herdsmen and owned substantial amounts of sheep and cattle. The meaning of the words ולחצי שבט מנשה therefore is not to be taken literally, as only two of the families of the tribe of Menashe are reported as living in that area, [eight families are mentioned including Tzelofchod. Ed.] The two families that were interested were that of Machir and that of Gilead. Between them they accounted for far fewer than half the tribe of 52000 fighting men at last count. The land and who it was shared out to, is mentioned only in summary form here, whereas in the Book of Joshua, chapter 13, more details are provided.
And the children of Gad built Dibon, and Ataroth, and Aroer;
verse value 2643
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 30 letters. The shortest word is "and·they·rebuilt" (וַיִּבְנ֣וּ, 5 letters) and the longest is "and·Ataroth" (וְאֶת־עֲטָרֹ֑ת, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "and·they·rebuilt" (וַיִּבְנ֣וּ), "Dibon" (אֶת־דִּיבֹ֖ן), "and·Aroer" (וְאֵ֖ת עֲרֹעֵֽר). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·Gadites" (root בן, 499x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·Ataroth', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 1 words. Full calculation: וַיִּבְנ֣וּ [and·they·rebuilt] (74) + בְנֵי־גָ֔ד [the·Gadites] (69) + אֶת־דִּיבֹ֖ן [Dibon] (467) + וְאֶת־עֲטָרֹ֑ת [and·Ataroth] (1086) + וְאֵ֖ת עֲרֹעֵֽר [and·Aroer] (947) = 2643.
Onkelos
The sons of Gad built Dibon and Ataroth and Aroer,
Verse structure: 4 words, 24 letters. The shortest word is "Shophan" (שׁוֹפָ֛ן, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·Atroth" (וְאֶת־עַטְרֹ֥ת, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "Shophan" (שׁוֹפָ֛ן), "and·Jazer" (וְאֶת־יַעְזֵ֖ר), "and·Jogbehah" (וְיׇגְבְּהָֽה). 1 unique roots are used. Full calculation: וְאֶת־עַטְרֹ֥ת [and·Atroth] (1086) + שׁוֹפָ֛ן [Shophan] (436) + וְאֶת־יַעְזֵ֖ר [and·Jazer] (694) + וְיׇגְבְּהָֽה [and·Jogbehah] (31) = 2247.
and Beth-nimrah, and Beth-haran; fortified cities, and folds for sheep.
verse value 3554
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 34 letters. The shortest word is "Haran" (הָרָ֑ן, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·Beth" (וְאֶת־בֵּ֥ית, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 819: and·Beth, and·Beth. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "Nimrah" (נִמְרָ֖ה), "Haran" (הָרָ֑ן), "fortified" (מִבְצָ֖ר). The root בית appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·Beth" (root בית, 61x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Haran', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 4 words. Full calculation: וְאֶת־בֵּ֥ית [and·Beth] (819) + נִמְרָ֖ה [Nimrah] (295) + וְאֶת־בֵּ֣ית [and·Beth] (819) + הָרָ֑ן [Haran] (255) + עָרֵ֥י [towns·of] (280) + מִבְצָ֖ר [fortified] (332) + וְגִדְרֹ֥ת [and·enclosures·for] (613) + צֹֽאן [flocks] (141) = 3554.
Onkelos
and Beth-Nimrah and Beth-Haran — fortified towns — and pens for flocks.
Rashi
ערי מבצר וגדרת צאן FORTIFIED CITIES AND ENCLOSURES FOR SHEEP — This end of the verse is to be connected back with the beginning of the paragraph (v. 24): And the children of Gad built these cities to be fortified cities and enclosures for sheep.
And the children of Reuben built Heshbon, and Elealeh, and Kiriathaim;
verse value 2858
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 36 letters. The shortest word is "rebuilt" (בָּנ֔וּ, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·Kiriathaim" (וְאֵ֖ת קִרְיָתָֽיִם, 9 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "Heshbon" (אֶת־חֶשְׁבּ֖וֹן), "and·Elealeh" (וְאֶת־אֶלְעָלֵ֑א), "and·Kiriathaim" (וְאֵ֖ת קִרְיָתָֽיִם). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·sons·of" (root בן, 499x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·Elealeh', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 1 words. Full calculation: וּבְנֵ֤י [and·sons·of] (68) + רְאוּבֵן֙ [Reuben] (259) + בָּנ֔וּ [rebuilt] (58) + אֶת־חֶשְׁבּ֖וֹן [Heshbon] (767) + וְאֶת־אֶלְעָלֵ֑א [and·Elealeh] (539) + וְאֵ֖ת קִרְיָתָֽיִם [and·Kiriathaim] (1167) = 2858.
Onkelos
The sons of Reuben built Heshbon and Elealeh and Kiriathaim,
Targum Yonatan
And the sons of Reuben built (rebuilt) Beth Heshbon and Mahalath Mera, and the city of the two streets paved with marble which is Beresha,.
and Nebo, and Baal-meon—their names being changed—and Sibmah; and gave their names to the cities which they built.
verse value 5838
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 57 letters. The shortest word is "name" (שֵׁ֖ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·Sibmah" (וְאֶת־שִׂבְמָ֑ה, 7 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "and·Nebo" (וְאֶת־נְב֞וֹ), "and·Baal" (וְאֶת־בַּ֧עַל), "changed" (מֽוּסַבֹּ֥ת). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "they·rebuilt" (root בן, 499x in Numbers); "that" (root אשר, 223x in Numbers); "name" (root שם, 75x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·Sibmah', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 6 words. Full calculation: וְאֶת־נְב֞וֹ [and·Nebo] (465) + וְאֶת־בַּ֧עַל [and·Baal] (509) + מְע֛וֹן [Meon] (166) + מֽוּסַבֹּ֥ת [changed] (508) + שֵׁ֖ם [name] (340) + וְאֶת־שִׂבְמָ֑ה [and·Sibmah] (754) + וַיִּקְרְא֣וּ [and·they·called] (323) + בְשֵׁמֹ֔ת [by·names] (742) + אֶת־שְׁמ֥וֹת [the·names·of] (1147) + הֶעָרִ֖ים [the·towns] (325) + אֲשֶׁ֥ר [that] (501) + בָּנֽוּ [they·rebuilt] (58) = 5838.
Onkelos
and Nebo and Baal-Meon — their names being altered — and Sibmah; and they gave names to the cities they built, calling them by those names.
Rashi
ואת נבו ואת בעל מעון מוסבת שם AND NEBO AND AND BAAL-MEON, THEIR NAMES BEING CHANGED — Nebo and Baal-Meon were names of idols, and the Ammonites used to call their cities by the names of their gods. The children of Reuben therefore changed their names into other names. This is the meaning of מוסבת שם: Nebo and Baal-Meon were changed to other names. ואת שבמה AND SIBMAH — i.e., they built (cf. v. 37) Sibmah also. This is identical with Sebam that is mentioned above (v. 3).
Ramban
AND NEBO, AND BAAL-MEON — THEIR NAMES BEING CHANGED. “Nebo and Baal-meon were names of idols, and the Amorites used to call their cities by the names of their idols, therefore the children of Reuben changed [the names of these cities and gave them] different names, this being the meaning of the expression their names being changed, which means that Nebo and Baal-meon were changed to other names.” This is Rashi’s language. But the [concluding part of this] verse which says, and they called their names unto the cities which they builded refers to all the cities [mentioned there], and not only to Nebo and Baal-meon [and therefore the phrase their names being changed cannot be understood as Rashi explained it]. Furthermore, what sense would there be in Scripture mentioning the cities [only] by the names of their idols, and saying that the children of Reuben built them and changed their names, without mentioning the good names which they were [now] given! And indeed it is quite usual for Scripture when speaking about [any] captured cities to mention always the new names [given them, as in the following cases]: and they called Leshem, Dan, after the name of Dan their father; and he called them the hamlets of Jair; and he called it Nobach. And likewise wherever the name [of a city] was changed [for any reason] Scripture mentions [the new name as well, as it is said], Now the name of Hebron beforetime was Kiryath-arba; now the name of Debir beforetime was Kiryath-sepher. The most likely explanation seems to me to be that these names [Nebo, Baal-meon, etc.] were the names of the cities when they were in the possession of Moab, and Sihon captured all these cities from the former king of Moab, for thus it is written about Heshbon, Dibon and Medeba, as it is said, We have shot at them; Heshbon is perished, even unto Dibon etc. This also appears to me to be the [meaning of the] words of Jephthah, when he said, While Israel dwelt in Heshbon and its towns, and in Aroer and its towns, and in all the cities that are along by the side of the Arnon, this being the same Aroer [mentioned here in Verse 34] which they took from Sihon. Now when Tiglath-pileser the king of Assyria exiled the Reubenites and the Gadites, the Moabites returned and settled in their lands and cities, for we find in the Book of Jeremiah that when Nebuchadnezzar [king of Babylon] destroyed Moab, he conquered from them all these cities. And [the Book of Jeremiah] mentions by name Heshbon and Elealeh, Kiryathaim, Dibon and Nebo, Jazer, Aroer, and Baal-meon which is [there] called Beth-meon, and Beth nimrah which is [there] called Nimrim, and Jahza. Thus you see that all these cities mentioned [in these verses] belonged [originally] to Moab, [and Sihon, king of the Amorites captured them from Moab]. Similarly in [the Book of] Isaiah most of these cities are mentioned when Sennacherib [king of Assyria] overran Moab, for he first exiled the Reubenites and the Gadites, and afterwards he overran Am...
Ibn Ezra
"And Nebo" — it is possible that this is Mount Nebo, where Moses was buried, as I will explain. "Musabot" ["renamed"] — the names of these cities were changed, and likewise Sibmah.
Chizkuni
מוסבות שם, “their names being changed;” originally they had been known as Ammon and Moav; subsequently they became known as Sichon and Og.
Tur HaArokh
ואת נבו ואת בעל מעון מוסבות שם, “and Nebo and Baal-meon, with altered names;” Rashi says that the names Nebo and Baal-meon were names of pagan deities and the members of the tribe of Reuven changed the names of these towns. Nachmanides raises the question that this is not sufficient reason to inform us of the names of these pagan deities. All the Torah had to write was that the members of the tribe of Reuven rebuilt these towns and changed their names. The names of the idolatries did not need to be revealed. It is the Torah’s custom elsewhere that when cities of pagans were captured to inform us only of the new names given to them by their captors. Furthermore, the words את שמות הערים אשר בנו “the names of the cities which they built,” are completely superfluous, as we already have been told in the first half of the verse that we are speaking of cities rebuilt by the members of the tribe of Reuven. These words therefore cannot refer to the cities of Nebo and Baal-meon. I believe therefore, that the names mentioned used to be the names of these towns while they were still part of the land of Moav, before Sichon had captured them from the first King of Moav. The members of the tribe of Reuven continued to call them by these names, as the Torah nowhere says that ויקראו שמות לערים אשר בנו, “they gave names to the cities that they had built.” The Torah only wrote: ויקראו בשמות את שמות הערים, meaning they named the cities they had built by the names they had borne previously. They wanted that these cities would be known as the cities that existed on that site originally. It is also possible that they meant to embarrass the Moabites by showing the world that these formerly Moabite cities now belonged to the Israelites. The meaning of the words ואת שבמה, is that they built that town (from scratch). This was not a town that was rebuilt.
Daat Zkenim
מוסבות שם, “their names having been changed;” originally they had been named by the Ammonites and Moabites. After being conquered by Sichon, their names were changed. When they were conquered by the Israelites their names were changed again to sound Jewish.
And the children of Machir the son of Manasseh went to Gilead, and took it, and dispossessed the Amorites that were in it.
verse value 2725
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 46 letters. The shortest word is "sons·of" (בְּנֵ֨י, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·Amorite" (אֶת־הָאֱמֹרִ֥י, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "Machir" (מָכִ֧יר), "to·Gilead" (גִּלְעָ֖דָה), "and·they·captured·it" (וַֽיִּלְכְּדֻ֑הָ). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "sons·of" (root בן, 499x in Numbers); "who·were·there" (root אשר, 223x in Numbers); "and·they·went" (root הלך, 45x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·they·captured·it', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיֵּ֨לְכ֜וּ [and·they·went] (72) + בְּנֵ֨י [sons·of] (62) + מָכִ֧יר [Machir] (270) + בֶּן־מְנַשֶּׁ֛ה [son·of·Manasseh] (447) + גִּלְעָ֖דָה [to·Gilead] (112) + וַֽיִּלְכְּדֻ֑הָ [and·they·captured·it] (75) + וַיּ֖וֹרֶשׁ [and·he·dispossessed] (522) + אֶת־הָאֱמֹרִ֥י [the·Amorite] (657) + אֲשֶׁר־בָּֽהּ [who·were·there] (508) = 2725.
Onkelos
The sons of Machir son of Manasseh went to Gilead and captured it, and drove out the Amorites who were in it.
Rashi
ויורש — Understand this as the Targum does “AND HE DROVE OUT”, for the expression ריש is used in two different meanings, in the sense of ירושה (the Kal), “inheriting”, and in the sense of הורשה (the Hiphil) which denotes driving away and expelling (see Rashi on Numbers 14:24).
Ibn Ezra
"Vayoresh" ["and he dispossessed"] — some say that Machir was alive at the time; but in my view, the word "vayoresh" refers back to the warrior who was in [that] family.
And Moses gave Gilead to Machir the son of Manasseh; and he dwelt in it.
verse value 2396
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 31 letters. The shortest word is "there" (בָּֽהּ, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·Gilead" (אֶת־הַגִּלְעָ֔ד, 7 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "the·Gilead" (אֶת־הַגִּלְעָ֔ד). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Moses" (root משה, 217x in Numbers); "and·he·gave" (root נתן, 119x in Numbers); "and·he·settled" (root ישב, 38x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'son·of·Manasseh', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַיִּתֵּ֤ן [and·he·gave] (466) + מֹשֶׁה֙ [Moses] (345) + אֶת־הַגִּלְעָ֔ד [the·Gilead] (513) + לְמָכִ֖יר [to·Machir] (300) + בֶּן־מְנַשֶּׁ֑ה [son·of·Manasseh] (447) + וַיֵּ֖שֶׁב [and·he·settled] (318) + בָּֽהּ [there] (7) = 2396.
Onkelos
Moses gave Gilead to Machir son of Manasseh, and he settled in it.
Ibn Ezra
"The meaning of 'to Machir son of Manasseh'" — [it means] to the sons of Machir, as in "and Judah said to Simeon his brother" [Judg. 1:3, where the tribe is meant, not the individual].
Chizkuni
ויתן משה את הגלעד למכיר, “Moses gave the region known as Hagilad, to Machir; this was because he was the firstborn of Menashe’s sons, so that Moses allocated his share to him first. Seeing that at that time Machir was already aged, having been too old to be part of the army, he gave him a fortified city. He remained there during the 14 years that his sons as well as the two and a half tribes were engaged in fighting with the tribes who would settle on the West Bank.
Tur HaArokh
ויתן משה את הגלעד למכיר בן מנשה, “Moses gave the Gilead to Machir son of Menashe.” The meaning, of course, is that Moses allocated the territory of Gilead to the family of Machir, Machir himself having died long before the Exodus. His offspring had conquered the Gilead and it was customary that the children called themselves by the name of the founder of their family. It is remotely possible that the original Machir had still been alive, seeing that the decree that all the men between twenty and sixty who had been alive at the time of the Exodus would die in the desert would not have applied to, him seeing that he would have been way past 60 at the time of the Exodus.
And Jair the son of Manasseh went and took the villages of it, and called them Havvoth-jair.
verse value 3077
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 43 letters. The shortest word is "went" (הָלַ֔ךְ, 3 letters) and the longest is "their·villages" (אֶת־חַוֺּתֵיהֶ֑ם, 8 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "and·Jair" (וְיָאִ֤יר), "their·villages" (אֶת־חַוֺּתֵיהֶ֑ם), "Havvoth-" (חַוֺּ֥ת). The root חוה appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "went" (root הלך, 45x in Numbers); "and·he·called" (root קרא, 24x in Numbers); "son·of·Manasseh" (root מנשה, 21x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'their·villages', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 4 words. Full calculation: וְיָאִ֤יר [and·Jair] (227) + בֶּן־מְנַשֶּׁה֙ [son·of·Manasseh] (447) + הָלַ֔ךְ [went] (55) + וַיִּלְכֹּ֖ד [and·he·captured] (70) + אֶת־חַוֺּתֵיהֶ֑ם [their·villages] (870) + וַיִּקְרָ֥א [and·he·called] (317) + אֶתְהֶ֖ן [them] (456) + חַוֺּ֥ת [Havvoth-] (414) + יָאִֽיר [Jair] (221) = 3077.
Onkelos
Jair son of Manasseh went and captured their villages, and called them the villages of Jair.
Rashi
חותיהם This is rendered in the Targum by THEIR VILLAGES. ויקרא אתהן חות יאיר AND HE CALLED THEM “THE VILLAGES OF JAIR” — Because he had no children, he named them after himself, as a memorial.
Ramban
AND JAIR THE SON OF MENASHEH. This man [who was in fact from the tribe of Judah, as will be explained] is [here] traced back by genealogy to his mother’s family [Menasheh], because he took his inheritance together with them [i.e., the children of Menasheh]. And in the Book of Chronicles it says explicitly that he was a son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah, and his mother was the daughter of Machir the son of Menasheh, as it says, And afterward Hezron went in to the daughter of Machir the father of Gilead; whom he took to wife when he was threeescore years old, and she bore him Segub. And Segub begot Jair, who had three and twenty cities in the land of Gilead; and it is [further] written, And Geshur and Aram took the hamlets of Jair from them, Kenath, and the villages thereof, even threescore cities. All these were the sons of Machir the father of Gilead. From this [fact that Kenath is here described as being amongst ‘the hamlets of Jair’] it would appear that Nobach [mentioned here in Verse 42] who conquered Kenath and the villages thereof was a son of Jair, [although it is not mentioned here], and therefore these cities were also called ‘the hamlets of Jair.’And the meaning of the verse, And Moses gave Gilead unto Machir the son of Menasheh is [not “unto Machir” himself, but unto] his family, for it was his sons who conquered it. Similarly, And unto Machir I gave Gilead means “unto the Machirites,” for since Machir was an honored man and the chief of all his descendants, therefore his children were called by his name, and in the same way the verses refer to the heads of the tribes in connection with the inheritance [given to their children]: southward it was Ephraim’s, and northward it was Menasheh’s. So also: The land of Tappuah belonged to Menasheh etc. And when Scripture says in the Book of Joshua, And this was the lot for the tribe of Menasheh; for he was the firstborn of Joseph. As for Machir the firstborn of Menasheh, the father of Gilead, because he was a man of war, therefore he had Gilead and Bashan, it also refers to his sons, who were men of war, for it was they who went to Gilead and conquered it, and therefore Moses gave them a great part of these lands. Perhaps Machir was still alive [at the time of the division of the Land in the days of Joshua], for the decree [against the generation] of the wilderness [resulting from the incident of the spies, that they were to die in the desert] had not been decreed upon him, as he was not amongst those counted by Moses and Aaron, being he was more than sixty years old [at the time of the first census after the exodus], and he enjoyed longevity as did the earlier generations.
Ibn Ezra
"Jair son of Manasseh" — he was of the family of Judah, for it is written: "for Hezron took the daughter of Machir son of Manasseh, and she bore him Segub, and Segub begot Jair" [I Chr. 2:21–22], and he had the cities among the cities of Gilead; he was called after his mother's family. There are also priests who were called after the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, for so it is written. There is no place here to ask how Jair took an inheritance with another tribe, for it is the Land of Canaan that was divided [by lot], not the land of the Amorite, which is on the east side of the Jordan — for there is [also] an Amorite in the Land of Canaan, and he [the Amorite across the Jordan] was the mightiest of all seven nations. "Khoteihem" ["their villages"] — its meaning in context is like "towns."
Chizkuni
ויאיר בן מנשה, “meanwhile Yair, son of Menashe,” he was called after his mother, even though he was from the tribe of Yehudah (Ibn Ezra), as it is written that Chetzron. son of Yehudah married a daughter of Machir and sired Seguv from that marriage. Seguv in turn sired Yair, and they owned cities in Gilead. (Compare Chronicles I 2,21) We find a similar situation in Ezra 2,61 where priests were named after Barzilai the Giladi, who was not a priest. We cannot offer an excuse for how it came about that a member of one tribe acquired part of another tribe’s ancestral heritage. We can only surmise that the rules of intermarriage between members of tribes did not apply as strictly in the lands conquered on the East Bank of the Jordan, formerly belonging to the tribe of the Emorites, as it did to the land west of the river Jordan. ויקרא אתהן חוות יאיר, “and he named them;” ‘the villages of Yair.’ This was to commemorate Yair who had been killed in the battles for Ai. (verse 7) It is recorded here as it took place before the bulk of the country had been conquered, and was testimony to the bravery of Yair.
Tur HaArokh
ויאיר בן מנשה, “and Yair, son of Menashe, etc.” Nachmanides writes that this man traced himself to the family tree of his mother, seeing that he had taken possession of his ancestral land with that family. In Chronicles I 2,21 it is stated specifically that paternally he was the son of Chetzron, who in turn was a son of Peretz, son of Yehudah. [My version of the Tur, has this as Chetzron, son of Korach, clearly an error. Ed.] His mother was a daughter of Machir son of Menashe, as we have a verse stating: ואחר בא חצרון אל בת מכיר אבי גלעד ותלד לו את שגוב, ושגוב הוליד את יאיר ויהי לו עשרים ושלוש ערים בארץ גלעד, “after that Chetzron slept with (or married) a daughter of Machir, the father of Gilead. She bore for him Seguv, and Seguv fathered Yair, who had twenty three cities in the land of Gilead.” (Chronicles I 2,22)
Cross-references: Genesis 14:5; Deuteronomy 3:14; Judges 10:4; I Chronicles 2:22
And Nobah went and took Kenath, and the villages of it, and called it Nobah, after his own name.
verse value 2776
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 39 letters. The shortest word is "to·it" (לָ֦הֿ, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·its·dependencies" (וְאֶת־בְּנֹתֶ֑יהָ, 8 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Numbers. Unique to this verse in Numbers (hapax): "and·Nobah" (וְנֹ֣בַח), "Kenath" (אֶת־קְנָ֖ת), "and·its·dependencies" (וְאֶת־בְּנֹתֶ֑יהָ). The root נבח appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "by·his·name" (root שם, 75x in Numbers); "went" (root הלך, 45x in Numbers); "and·he·called" (root קרא, 24x in Numbers). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·its·dependencies', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 4 words. Full calculation: וְנֹ֣בַח [and·Nobah] (66) + הָלַ֔ךְ [went] (55) + וַיִּלְכֹּ֥ד [and·he·captured] (70) + אֶת־קְנָ֖ת [Kenath] (951) + וְאֶת־בְּנֹתֶ֑יהָ [and·its·dependencies] (874) + וַיִּקְרָ֧א [and·he·called] (317) + לָ֦הֿ [to·it] (35) + נֹ֖בַח [Nobah] (60) + בִּשְׁמֽוֹ [by·his·name] (348) = 2776.
Onkelos
Nobah went and captured Kenath and its villages, and called it Nobah, after his own name.
Rashi
ויקרא לה נבח AND HE CALLED IT NOBAH — The word לה has no Mappik in the ה (as the word לָהּ "to it", usually has). Now I have seen the following in the work of R. Moses the Preacher: Because this name did not remain permanently to it, therefore the letter ה is weak (without a Mappik), — the implication of his explanation being that it (the word לה) is the same as לא “not”. But I wonder what explanation he will give of the two words similar to it, (Ruth 2:14): “And Boaz said לָה", and (Zechariah 5:11): “to build a house לָה”.
Ramban
VAYIKRA LAH NOBACH’ (AND HE CALLED IT NOBACH). “[The word lah] has no dot in the [letter] hei [as it usually has when it means “to it”]. And I have seen in the work of Rabbi Moshe the Preacher that because it did not keep this name permanently, therefore [the letter hei in the word lah] is pronounced softly [without the dot], and the interpretation implied is [as if it said] lo [meaning “not”]. But I am astonished at this, for what interpretation will he [Rabbi Moshe the Preacher] give in the case of two other similar words: ‘Vayomer lah Boaz’ (And Boaz said to her); ‘livnoth lah bayith’ (to build her a house) [in both of which places the word lah is also written without a dot in the letter hei]!” This is the language of Rashi. Now although the Rabbi [Rashi] is “like a filled treasury of knowledge” of Torah, Halachoth and Agadoth, yet the explanation of the Rabbis in Midrash Ruth escaped his attention, [for they remarked on the verse: “Though I [Ruth] be not as one of thy handmaids. Said Boaz to Ruth: Far be it from me [to consider you like one of the handmaids!] You are not like one of the handmaids, but like one of the matriarchs! Similarly, And Nobach went and conquered Kenath, and the villages thereof, ‘vayikra lah Nobach bi’shmo’ (and he called it Nobach, after his own name) — this [lack of the dot in the letter hei] indicates that this name did not remain. So also, And he said unto me: To build ‘lah’(for her) a house in the land of Shinar — this teaches us that falsehood does not lead to any salvation.” Thus far is the Agadah. And similarly in the Gemara of Tractate Sanhedrin the Rabbis said [with reference to the measure seen by the prophet Zechariah]: “This was the measure of flattery and conceit which came down to Babylon;” [Whereupon the Gemara asked that we find elsewhere that conceit settled in Elam, and the answer was:] “It indeed came down [originally] to Babylon, and became dragged along to Elam. You may deduce this also from the verse, ‘livnoth lah bayith’ (to build her a house),” [which is written without the usual dot in the letter hei]. Thus the interpretation is based upon the absence of this dot [in the letter hei of the word lah, which indicates] that the house [of flattery and conceit] did not last in the land of Shinar [but was dragged along the Elam].Mas’ei
Chizkuni
ונובח, and Novach, one of the sons of Menashe (not substantiated) ויקרא לה, “he named it,” he (Novach) renamed K’nath. The word נבח is spelled “weak,” the letter ב not having a dot in it. This suggests that the renaming was temporary, and lasted only until the members of his tribe returned from helping the other tribes conquer the land on the West Bank (14 years). It had to be named so, so that in the interval no one could stake a claim to this land and take it away from its rightful owner who was an absentee. This is what Rashi explains here, quoting Rabbi Moshe Hadarshan. He wonders how Rabbi Moshe Hadarshan can explain this phenomenon in 2 similar situations in Ruth 2,14 and Zecharyah 5,11.where the words בית and בעז also have no dot in the letter ב. There are some commentators who try to explain the absence of the dots in the 2 examples I just mentioned. Their reasoning is brilliant, but I decided that it is not relevant to us here as texts composed by authors of the books of prophets or Scriptures need not be examined as carefully as those in the Torah. Here we must assume that the sages responsible for the vocalisation in the Torah, had been inspired with Holy Spirit when they performed their task.
Rabbeinu Bahya
ויקרא לה נבח בשמו, “He called it (the district) Novach just like himself.” The letter ה in the word לה is “weak,” i.e. without the customary dagesh. Ruth Rabbah 5,5 claims that the reason is that this name did not endure, i.e. the word is almost equivalent to having been spelled לא, “not.” We find other examples of the same defective spelling in Zecharyah 5,11: לבנות לה בית בארץ שנער, “to build a house for her (it) in the land of Shinar.” The subject there is the prophet being shown a measuring device known as eyfah which the angel transported away and the prophet wanted to know its significance. The prophet is informed that those who remain in Babylonia although the Temple was being reconstructed in Jerusalem would not have much of a future, as there is no future for untruth. The missing dagesh in the word לה in that verse alludes to the transience of people who decided to remain in a kingdom built on lies. Solomon expressed himself similarly when speaking about lies in Proverbs 12,19: “Truthful lips will be established forever; but a lying tongue endures only for a moment.” They will soon be tested and found to be lies. This is why man must love truth and hate lies. This is also what Zecharyah 8,19 said: “Love truth and peace!”
Onkelos
Ibn Ezra
Or HaChaim
Rabbeinu Bahya
Kli Yakar
Daat Zkenim