Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Exodus 18:6/רמב"ן על שמות י״ח:ו׳

אוַיֹּאמֶר אֶל מֹשֶׁה אֲנִי חֹתֶנְךָ יִתְרוֹ בָּא אֵלֶיךָ שָׁלַח לוֹ הַדָּבָר בְּאִגֶּרֶת כָּתוּב בָּהּ כֵּן, כִּי הַשָּׁלִיחַ לֹא יֹאמַר אֲנִי חוֹתֶנְךָ, אֲבָל יֹאמַר הִנֵּה חֹתֶנְךָ יִתְרוֹ בָּא אֵלֶיךָ, וְכֵן לֹא יִתָּכֵן שֶׁיֹּאמַר לוֹ כָּכָה פֶּה אֶל פֶּה, כִּי יֹאמַר הִנֵּה בָאתִי אֵלֶיךָ, וְאֵין דֶּרֶךְ לְהַזְכִּיר שְׁמוֹ אֲנִי פְּלוֹנִי, כִּי בִּרְאוֹתוֹ אוֹתוֹ יַכִּירֶנּוּ, וְכָמֹהוּ "וַיֹּאמֶר חִירָם מֶלֶךְ צֹר בִּכְתָב וַיִּשְׁלַח אֶל שְׁלֹמֹה" (דהי"ב ב י):

1AND HE SAID UNTO MOSES: ‘I THY FATHER-IN-LAW JETHRO AM COMING UNTO THEE.’ He sent him the message in a letter in which [the above words] were written. A messenger, [as Rashi would have it], could not say, I thy father-in-law. Instead, he would say, “Behold, Jethro your father-in-law is coming to you.” It is also not possible that Jethro told him so mouth to mouth, for in that case he would have said, “Behold, I have come to you.” Besides, it is not customary in such instances for the speaker to mention his name: “I, such and such a person,” for upon seeing him, he would recognize him. A similar case is the verse: Then Huram the King of Tyre said⁶⁴ in writing, which he sent to Solomon.⁶⁵