Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah
Ramban on Deuteronomy 32:21/רמב"ן על דברים ל״ב:כ״א
אהֵם קִנְאוּנִי בְלֹא אֵל, בְּדָבָר שֶׁאֵין אֱלוֹהַּ, לְשׁוֹן רַשִׁ"י (רש"י על דברים ל"ב:כ"א). וְאִם כֵּן יִרְמֹז לַשֵּׁדִים הַנִּזְכָּרִים. וְהַנָּכוֹן שֶׁיֹּאמַר הֵם קִנְאוּנִי בְלֹא אֵל אֱמֶת, כִּי אֵין אֱלוֹהַּ מִבַּלְעֲדֵי ה' וּמוֹשִׁיעַ אַיִן בִּלְתּוֹ, כְּעִנְיָן שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דהי"ב טו ג) וְיָמִים רַבִּים לְיִשְׂרָאֵל לְלֹא אֱלֹהֵי אֱמֶת:
1THEY HAVE ROUSED ME TO JEALOUSY WITH A NO-GOD — “with something that is not a god.” This is Rashi’s language. And if so, He alludes to the demons mentioned earlier.67, Verse 17. The correct interpretation is that He is stating: “They have roused Me to jealousy with an untrue god, for there is no G-d save the Eternal,82 and beside Him there is no savior,”83 similar to what is stated, Now for long seasons Israel was without the true G-d.84
בכִּעֲסוּנִי בְּהַבְלֵיהֶם, הַשֵּׁדִים. וַאֲנִי אַקְנִיאֵם בְּלֹא עָם, הַכַּשְׂדִּים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר בָּהֶם (ישעיהו כג יג) הֵן אֶרֶץ כַּשְׂדִּים זֶה הָעָם לֹא הָיָה, שֶׁפֵּרוּשׁוֹ הָעָם שֶׁלֹּא הָיָה נֶחְשָׁב לְגוֹי והקב"ה גִּדֵּל אוֹתָם לִרְדּוֹת בָּהֶם אֶת עוֹלָמוֹ, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמַר (ירמיהו נא כ) מַפֵּץ אַתָּה לִי כְּלֵי מִלְחָמָה. בְּגוֹי נָבָל אַכְעִיסֵם, עֵשָׂו, שֶׁהוּא נָבָל, וְלֹא זָכַר בְּרִית אַחִים. וְיִרְמֹז לִשְׁנֵי הַגָּלוּיוֹת:
2THEY HAVE PROVOKED ME WITH THEIR VANITIES — [their vain belief in] the demons. AND I WILL ROUSE THEM TO JEALOUSY WITH A NO-PEOPLE — the Chaldeans, of whom it is said, Behold, the land of the Chaldeans, this is the people that was not,85 meaning the people that were not esteemed as a nation, and the Holy One, blessed be He, raised them to subjugate His world through them, as He said, Thou art My maul and weapons of war.86 I WILL PROVOKE THEM WITH A ‘NAVAL’ (VILE) NATION — with Esau who is vile, and he remembered not the brotherly covenant.87 He thus alludes to both exiles [by the hands of the Chaldeans, i.e., the Babylonians; and by the Edomites, the Romans].