Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Exodus 15:1/רמב"ן על שמות ט״ו:א׳

אאָז יָשִׁיר מֹשֶׁה לְשׁוֹן רַבֵּינוּ שְׁלֹמֹה, כְּשֶׁרָאָה הַנֵּס עָלָה בְּלִבּוֹ שֶׁיָּשִׁיר שִׁירָה וְכֵן עָשָׂה "וַיֹּאמְרוּ לֵאמֹר" וְגוֹ'. וְכֵן "אָז יְדַבֵּר יְהוֹשֻׁעַ" (יהושע י יב), כְּשֶׁרָאָה הַנֵּס אָמַר לוֹ לִבּוֹ לְדַבֵּר וְכֵן עָשָׂה "וַיֹּאמֶר לְעֵינֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל", וְכֵן שִׁירַת הַבְּאֵר שֶׁפָּתַח בָּהּ "אָז יָשִׁיר יִשְׂרָאֵל" (במדבר כא יז) פֵּרֵשׁ אַחֲרָיו "עֲלִי בְאֵר עֱנוּ לָהּ", וְכֵן "וּבַיִת יַעֲשֶׂה לְבַת פַּרְעֹה" (מלכים א ז':ח'), חָשַׁב בְּלִבּוֹ לַעֲשׂוֹת לָהּ הַבַּיִת. "אָז יִבְנֶה שְׁלֹמֹה" (שם יא ז), פֵּרְשׁוּהוּ חַכְמֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל (סנהדרין צא:) שֶׁבִּקֵּשׁ לִבְנוֹת וְלֹא בָּנָה. זֶהוּ לְיַשֵּׁב פְּשׁוּטוֹ. וּמַה יֹאמַר הָרַב בְּפָסוּק "יַעֲשׂוּ עֵגֶל בְּחֹרֵב" (תהלים קו יט), "כַּמָּה יַמְרוּהוּ בַמִּדְבָּר יַעֲצִיבוּהוּ בִּישִׁימוֹן" (שם עח מ), וְכָל הַמִּזְמוֹר כֵּן, "יַהֲרֹג בַּבָּרָד גַּפְנָם" (שם מז), "יְשַׁלַּח בָּהֶם עָרוֹב" (שם מה), וְכֵן "וּמֵאַיִן יָבֹאוּ אֵלֶיךָ" (מלכים ב כ':י"ד), "מִן הַמַּכִּים אֲשֶׁר יַכֻּהוּ אֲרַמִּים" (שם ח כט, ט טו), וְכֵן "וּמֹשֶׁה יִקַּח אֶת הָאֹהֶל" (שמות ל"ג:ז'), כִּי אֵינֶנּוּ לְשׁוֹן הֹוֶה, שֶׁלֹּא לְקָחוֹ אֶלָּא פַּעַם אַחַת.
אֲבָל דֶּרֶךְ הַלָּשׁוֹן הוּא לוֹמַר עָתִיד בִּמְקוֹם עָבָר, וְכֵן יֹאמְרוּ בִּמְקוֹמוֹת רַבִּים הַהֶפֶךְ. וְהַטַּעַם, כִּי מִנְהַג הַלָּשׁוֹן שֶׁהַמְּסַפֵּר עִנְיָן יַעֲמִיד עַצְמוֹ בַּזְּמַן שֶׁיַּחְפֹּץ, וְיִרְמֹז לַמַּעֲשֶׂה מִמֶּנּוּ. פַּעַם יַעֲמִיד עַצְמוֹ בִּזְמַן הַמַּעֲשֶׂה וִידַבֵּר בּוֹ בְּעִנְיַן הוֹוֶה, וְעוֹמֵד עָלָיו בִּתְחִלָּתוֹ, וְיֹאמַר "יָשִׁיר יִשְׂרָאֵל" כְּאִלּוּ מְשׁוֹרְרִים לְפָנָיו, וְכֵן כֻּלָּם, וּפַעַם יְאַחֵר עַצְמוֹ וְיֹאמַר זֶה נַעֲשָׂה כְּבָר, וְהַכֹּל לְאַמֵּת עִנְיָן. וְלָכֵן רֹב שֶׁיָּבֹא זֶה יִהְיֶה בְּעִנְיַן הַנְּבוּאוֹת:

1AZ YASHIR MOSHEH'(THEN MOSES WILL SING).⁹¹ Rashi comments: “[Then], when Moses saw the miracle, the thought came to his heart that he would sing a song,⁹² (he will sing) — is used here by the Torah, since the expression denotes Moses’ thought that he should sing. Rashi thus interprets yashir to be a pure future. Ramban will differ with this interpretation. and thus he actually did, [as it is said], and they spoke, saying. Similarly, az yedabeir Yehoshua⁹³ means that when he saw the miracle [mentioned there], his heart prompted him to speak, and thus he actually did, [as it is said], and he said in the sight of Israel.⁹⁴ The same interpretation applies to the Song of the Well, which begins with the words, az yashir Yisrael,⁹⁵ and Scripture explains after that, Spring up, O well, sing ye unto it.⁹⁶ This part of the verse shows that the preceding expression, az yashir Yisrael, denotes intent of heart to sing, thus: “Then, when they saw the miracle, their hearts told them that they should sing,” and so they did, as is indicated by the expression sing ye unto it, which is the call to the people to sing. Likewise: az yivneh Shlomoh,⁹⁷ which the Sages of Israel explained it as meaning⁹⁸ that he proposed to build but did not build it.⁹⁹ as a prefix of the imperfect verb, [i.e., the future tense of a verb], indicates an intent to do a thing” (Rashi). This explanation serves to clarify the literal meaning of the text.”But what will the Rabbi [Rashi] say concerning these verses: ‘Ya’asu’ [literally: “They will make”] a calf in Horeb;¹⁰⁰ How oft ‘yamruhu’ [literally: “will they rebel”] against Him in the wilderness, and ‘ya’atzivuhu’ [literally: “they will grieve Him”] in the desert!¹⁰¹, 78:40. The entire psalm is so written [in the future tense]: yaharog [literally: “He will destroy”] their vines with hail;¹⁰², Verse 47. y’shalach [literally: “He will send”] among them swarms of flies¹⁰³, Verse 45. — [when all of these verbs refer to past events]! Similarly: And from whence ‘yavo’u’ [literally: “shall they come”] unto thee?¹⁰⁴ Of the wounds which the Arameans ‘yakuhu’ [literally: “shall smite him”].¹⁰⁵, 8:29. Likewise, Now Moses ‘yikach’ [literally: “will take”] the tent¹⁰⁶ does not denote a continuous event,¹⁰⁷, where the future tense “shall take” is used, the action is not one of continuous happening and still the future tense is used! since he took it only once.¹⁰⁸ Instead, [we must conclude that] it is the way of Scripture to use the future tense in place of the past form, and in many places the reverse is quite usual. The reason for this is that it is a distinctive way of language for a narrator of an event to place himself at a certain point of time which he desires, and he then alludes to the event. At times, he places himself at the moment of the action, and he speaks of it in the present tense as if he is watching it from its very beginning. He would say, “Israel is singing,” as if they were singing right before him, and so also in other cases. However, at times the narrator places himself after the event and says, “This has already been done.” It is all a matter of conveying an event realistically. It is for this reason that this interchangeable use of the tenses occurs in matters of prophecy.

בכִּי גָּאֹה גָּאָה עַל הַשִּׁירוֹת, וְעַל כָּל מַה שֶׁאֲקַלֵּס בּוֹ עוֹד יֵשׁ בּוֹ נוֹסָפוֹת. לְשׁוֹן רַשִׁ"י (רש"י על שמות ט"ו:א'). עֲשָׂאוֹ לְשׁוֹן רוֹמְמוּת וְגֹדֶל. וְאוּלַי כֵּן הוּא, וְכָמוֹהוּ "וּפֹה יָשִׁית בִּגְאוֹן גַּלֶּיךָ" (איוב לח יא), "כִּי גָאוּ הַמַּיִם" (יחזקאל מז ה), "וְיִגְאֶה כַּשַּׁחַל תְּצוּדֵנִי" (איוב י טז), לְשׁוֹן גֹּדֶל וְרִבּוּי. וְהַנָּכוֹן דַּעַת אוּנְקְלוֹס (תרגום אונקלוס על שמות ט"ו:א'), לְשׁוֹן גֵּאוּת מַמָּשׁ, כִּי נִתְגָּאָה עַל הַסּוּס שֶׁמִּתְגָּאֶה בַּמִּלְחָמָה וְעַל הַגִּבּוֹר הָרוֹכֵב בּוֹ, כִּי אֶת שְׁנֵיהֶם רָמָה בַיָּם, וְכֵן "וּבְרוֹב גְּאוֹנְךָ" (שמות ט"ו:ז'), וְכֵן כֻּלָּם לְשׁוֹן גֵּאוּת, כִּי הַמִּתְגָּאֶה יְרוֹמֵם עַצְמוֹ בְּמַעֲלָה:

2KI GA’OH GA’AH’ (FOR HE IS HIGHLY EXALTED). “[He is exalted] high above songs, and however much I may praise Him, there still remain additional [splendor and praiseworthiness] in Him to be expressed.” Thus the language of Rashi. [The Rabbi] thus interpreted ga’oh ga’ah as an expression of exaltation and supreme power. Perhaps this is so, such usage [of the word ga’oh] being found in the verses: And here shall thy high (‘big’on’) waves be stayed;¹⁰⁹ For the waters were risen (‘ga’u’);¹¹⁰ And if it exalt itself (‘v’yigeh’), Thou huntest me as a lion¹¹¹ — all of which are expressions of power and ascendancy.But the correct interpretation is the opinion of Onkelos, who rendered it literally an expression of pride. The verse is thus stating that He was ennobled above the horse that proudly goes to battle together with its mighty rider, for He threw both of them into the sea. Similarly, the verse, And in the greatness of Thy ‘g’oncha’,¹¹² and all other such cases are all expressions of pride, for he who indulges in a feeling of pride elevates himself in importance.