Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah
Ramban on Exodus 23:32/רמב"ן על שמות כ״ג:ל״ב
אלֹא תִכְרֹת לָהֶם וְלֵאלֹהֵיהֶם בְּרִית הִזְהִיר שֶׁלֹּא יִכְרֹת לָהֶם בְּרִית לְהַחֲיוֹת מֵהֶם כָּל נְשָׁמָה, וְלֵאלֹהֵיהֶם, יַזְהִיר שֶׁלֹּא יִכְרֹת לָהֶם בְּרִית לְהַנִּיחַ ע"ז שֶׁלָּהֶם, אֶלָּא שֶׁיַּהַרְסֵם וִישַׁבֵּר מַצֵּבֹתֵיהֶם. וְיִתָּכֵן שֶׁיֹּאמַר שֶׁלֹּא יִכְרֹת לָהֶם בְּרִית וְעִם אֱלֹהֵיהֶם כְּאַחַת, אֶלָּא שֶׁיַּהַרְסֵם וִישַׁבֵּר מַצֵּבֹתֵיהֶם. וְהַכַּוָּנָה לוֹמַר כִּי בְּעוֹדָם עוֹבְדִים אֶת אֱלֹהֵיהֶם לֹא יִכְרֹת לָהֶם בְּרִית, אֲבָל אִם קִבְּלוּ עֲלֵיהֶם שֶׁלֹּא לַעֲבֹד ע"ז רַשַּׁאי הוּא לְקַיְּמָם:
1THOU SHALT MAKE NO COVENANT WITH THEM, NOR WITH THEIR GODS. He warned here against making a covenant with them [the seven nations] to save them and keep them alive; nor with their gods, this being a warning against making a covenant with the nations to leave them their idols, but instead we are to destroy them and break their pillars in pieces.460 It is possible that the verse is stating that we are not to make a covenant with them and their gods together, but we are to destroy them and break their idols in pieces, and the intention is to state that as long as they worship their gods we are not to make any covenant with them, but if they accepted upon themselves not to worship the idols, we may leave them unharmed.