Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Exodus 2:16/רמב"ן על שמות ב׳:ט״ז

אוּלְכֹהֵן מִדְיָן שֶׁבַע בָּנוֹת לֹא יַזְכִּיר הַכָּתוּב שְׁמוֹ, כִּי אֵינֶנּוּ יָדוּעַ רַק מִן הַכִּנּוּי שֶׁהוּא נִכְבָּד בִּכְהֻנָּתוֹ. וְהוּא יִתְרוֹ, כִּי אַחֲרֵי הִתְחַתֵּן בְּמֹשֶׁה כָּתוּב "וַיָּשָׁב אֶל יֶתֶר חֹתְנוֹ" (שמות ד':י"ח), וְשָׁם כָּתוּב "וַיֹּאמֶר יִתְרוֹ לְמֹשֶׁה לֵךְ לְשָׁלוֹם", כְּמוֹ אֵלִיָּה (מלכים ב א':ג') וְאֵלִיָּהוּ (שם א יז א), יִרְמְיָה (ירמיה כז א) וְיִרְמְיָהוּ (שם א א). וְאַחֲרֵי שֶׁנִּתְגַּיֵּר נִקְרָא חֹבָב, דִּכְתִיב "מִבְּנֵי חֹבָב חֹתֵן מֹשֶׁה" (שופטים ד יא), כִּי דֶּרֶךְ כָּל הַמִּתְיַהֲדִים לִקְרֹא לָהֶם שֵׁם אַחֵר בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל. וְהוּא בֶּן רְעוּאֵל, דִּכְתִיב "וַיֹּאמֶר מֹשֶׁה לְחֹבָב בֶּן רְעוּאֵל הַמִּדְיָנִי" (במדבר י כט). וּמַה שֶׁאָמַר בְּכָאן (שמות ב':י"ח) "וַתָּבֹאנָה אֶל רְעוּאֵל אֲבִיהֶן", הוּא אֲבִי אֲבִיהֶן, כְּמוֹ "אֱלֹהֵי אָבִי אַבְרָהָם" (בראשית לב י), "נְבוּכַדְנֶצַּר אֲבוּהִי" (דניאל ה ב), וְכֵן "הַיְדַעְתֶּם אֶת לָבָן בֶּן נָחוֹר" (בראשית כט ה), וְכֵן "וּמְפִיבֹשֶׁת בֶּן שָׁאוּל" (שמואל ב י"ט:כ"ה), וְרַבִּים כֵּן. וְהָיָה זֶה, כִּי הַכֹּהֵן לֹא יִמָּצֵא בַּבַּיִת, כִּי הָיָה נִטְרָד בְּכִהוּנוֹ בְּבֵית אֱלֹהָיו, וַתָּבֹאנָה אֶל הַזָּקֵן. וְיִתָּכֵן כִּי "וַיּוֹאֶל מֹשֶׁה לָשֶׁבֶת אֶת הָאִישׁ" (להלן פסוק כ"א) הוּא הַכֹּהֵן הַנִּזְכָּר לְמַעְלָה, כִּי הוּא שֶׁנָּתַן לוֹ צִפּוֹרָה בִּתּוֹ:

1NOW THE PRIEST OF MIDIAN HAD SEVEN DAUGHTERS. Scripture does not mention him by name for he is not known [to the reader], but rather epithetically mentions that he was the honored one in his priesthood. This was Jethro, for after he became related to Moses it is written, And Moses went and returned to Jether his father-in-law,⁹³ and there it is written, And Jethro said to Moses: Go in peace.⁹³ [This proves that Jether and Jethro are the same person], just as Eliyah and Eliyahu,⁹⁴ Yirmiyah and Yirmiyahu.⁹⁵, 1:1). After he became a proselyte to Judaism, he was called Hobab, as it is written, from the children of Hobab the father-in-law of Moses,⁹⁶ for it is the way of all who become converts to Judaism that they be called another name in Israel. And he [Jethro or Hobab] was the son of Reuel, for it is written, And Moses said unto Hobab, the son of Reuel the Midianite.⁹⁷ The verse here stating, And they came to Reuel their father,⁹⁸ means “their father’s father,” just as [Jacob had said], O G-d of my father Abraham,⁹⁹ [and Abraham was his father’s father], and [when speaking of Belshazzar, king of Babylon, Scripture says], Nebuchadnezzar his father,¹⁰⁰ [while he was his father’s father].¹⁰¹ Similarly: Know ye Laban the son of Nahor?¹⁰², 24:29), and of Rebekah it is written that her father was Bethuel (ibid., Verse 15). Bethuel’s father was Nahor (ibid., 22:20-22). Yet Jacob asked, Know ye Laban the son of Nahor? It is because a grandfather is called “father.” And Mephibosheth the son of Saul.¹⁰³, 4:4), who was the son of Saul. There are many other such verses.[Jethro’s daughters came and told Reuel their grandfather of how Moses came to their aid — as is related in Verses 18-19 — and did not tell Jethro] because the priest was not found in the house since he was preoccupied with the ministry in his temple, and so they came to the grandfather. It is possible that the verse, And Moses was content to dwell with the man,¹⁰⁴ refers to the priest mentioned above [in Verse 16 — namely, Jethro]¹⁰⁵ (Verse 21) refers to Reuel, and it was Reuel who gave Moses Zipporah his granddaughter as a wife. But, continues Ramban, it is possible that “the man” in Verse 21 refers back to “the priest” in Verse 16, and so it was Jethro who gave Moses his daughter in marriage. — for it was he who gave Moses Zipporah his daughter.

בוַתָּבֹאנָה וַתִּדְלֶנָה כִּי הָיוּ הָרוֹעִים בְּכָל הַיָּמִים בָּאִים וּמְמַלְאִים הָרְהָטִים וּמַשְׁקִים צֹאנָם בַּתְּחִלָּה, וְאַחֲרֵי כֵן הָיוּ הַנָּשִׁים הָאֵלֶּה מַשְׁקוֹת שֶׁלָּהֶן, וְאֵרַע כִּי הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה קָדְמוּ הַנָּשִׁים וַתָּבֹאנָה וַתִּדְלֶנָה, כִּי הָיוּ חוֹשְׁבוֹת לְהַשְׁקוֹת צֹאנָם בַּתְּחִלָּה טֶרֶם בֹּא הָרוֹעִים, וְהִנֵּה בָּאוּ הָרוֹעִים וַיְגָרְשׁוּם מִן הָרְהָטִים לְהַשְׁקוֹת הֵם תְּחִלָּה כְּמִנְהָגָם בְּכָל הַיָּמִים, וּמֹשֶׁה חָרָה לוֹ עַל הֶחָמָס וְהִצִּילָן כִּי כֵּיוָן שֶׁהֵן מִלְּאוּ הָרְהָטִים הֲרֵי הַמַּיִם שֶׁלָּהֶן, וְגַם דָּלֹה דָלָה לָהֶם כִּי לֹא הִסְפִּיקוּ הָרְהָטִים לְכָל צֹאנָן, וְזֶה טַעַם מַדּוּעַ מִהַרְתֶּן בֹּא הַיּוֹם וְאָמְרוּ אִישׁ מִצְרִי הִצִּילָנוּ מִיַּד הָרֹעִים, שֶׁמְּגָרְשִׁים אוֹתָנוּ בְּכָל יוֹם תָּמִיד בְּבֹאֵנוּ לָרְהָטִים בַּתְּחִלָּה:

2AND THEY CAME AND DREW WATER. Every day, the practice was that the shepherds drew water, filled the troughs and watered their flocks first, and then these women watered their flocks. It happened that on this day, the women preceded the men and they came and drew water, thinking to water their flocks before the shepherds came. But then came the shepherds and drove them away¹⁰⁶ from the troughs, insisting on watering their own flocks first as they had always done. Moses’ anger was aroused because of this injustice, and he saved them, for since they had filled the troughs, the water belonged to them. Moreover, he drew water for them¹⁰⁷ as the troughs did not suffice for all their flocks. This is the purport of the question, How is it that ye are come so soon today?¹⁰⁸ [which Reuel their grandfather asked them]. And they answered, An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds,¹⁰⁷ meaning that “they had always driven us away when we came to the troughs first.”