Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Exodus 33:11/רמב"ן על שמות ל״ג:י״א

אוּמְשָׁרְתוֹ יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בִּן נוּן נַעַר כָּתַב ר"א (אבן עזרא על שמות ל"ג:י"א) חָיָה יְהוֹשֻׁעַ מֵאָה וָעֶשֶׂר שָׁנִים (יהושע כד כט), וַחֲכָמִים אָמְרוּ (זבחים קיח:) כִּי שֶׁבַע שָׁנִים כָּבַשׁ וְשֶׁבַע שָׁנִים חִלֵּק, א"כ הָיָה בֶּן חֲמִשִּׁים וָשֵׁשׁ שָׁנָה, וְאֵיךְ יִקְרָאֵהוּ הַכָּתוּב "נַעַר", וְכָכָה פֵּרוּשׁוֹ, וּמְשָׁרְתוֹ יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בִּן נוּן שֵׁרוּת נַעַר. וְעַל דַּעְתִּי דֶּרֶךְ לְשׁוֹן הַקֹּדֶשׁ שֶׁיִּקָּרֵא כָּל מְשָׁרֵת "נַעַר", כִּי בַּעַל הַשְּׂרָרָה הַנִּכְבָּד הוּא הָאִישׁ, וְהַמְּשָׁרֵת לוֹ יִקָּרֵא "נַעַר", וְכֵן "גֵּחֲזִי נַעֲרוֹ" (מלכים ב ד':י"ב), "יָקוּמוּ נָא הַנְּעָרִים וִישַׂחֲקוּ לְפָנֵינוּ" (שמואל ב ב':י"ד), וְכֵן "עֲשָׂרָה נְעָרִים נֹשְׂאֵי כְּלֵי יוֹאָב" (שם יח טו), כִּי יוֹאָב לֹא יִמְסֹר כֵּלָיו רַק לַאֲנָשִׁים גִּבּוֹרֵי חַיִל שֶׁעָמְדוּ עַל יָדוֹ. וּכְתִיב (יהושע ו כב) "וְלִשְׁנַיִם הָאֲנָשִׁים הַמְרַגְּלִים אָמַר יְהוֹשֻׁעַ", וּכְתִיב (בפסוק שאחריו) "וַיָּבֹאוּ הַנְּעָרִים הַמְרַגְּלִים" וְגוֹ', מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהָיוּ מְשָׁרְתֵי הָעֵדָה, מְרַגְּלִים לָהֶם. וְכֵן רַבִּים, וְכֵן "נַעֲרֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ מְשָׁרְתָיו" (אסתר ב ב), בֵּאֵר שֶׁהֵם הָאֲנָשִׁים הָעוֹמְדִים לִפְנֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ מְשָׁרְתֵי גּוּפוֹ, לֹא מְשָׁרְתֵי הֶחָצֵר. וְא"כ יֹאמַר וּמְשָׁרְתוֹ יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בִּן נוּן מְשָׁרֵת תָּמִיד שֶׁלֹּא יָמוּשׁ מִתּוֹךְ הָאֹהֶל:

1AND HIS MINISTER JOSHUA, ‘BIN’ (THE SON OF) NUN, ‘NA’AR’ (A LAD). Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra wrote: “Joshua lived a hundred and ten years,⁴⁵⁵ and the Sages say⁴⁵⁶ that it took him seven years to conquer the Land [of Israel] and seven years to apportion it amongst the tribes. If so, he was now fifty-six years old,⁴⁵⁷ (lad)! and how does Scripture call him na’ar (lad)? We must therefore say that this is the meaning thereof: and his minister Joshua the son of Nun rendered him such service as can be given only by a youthful attendant.”In my opinion it is the way of the Sacred Language to call any attendant [regardless of age] na’ar, for the person of high office is called ish (man),⁴⁵⁸ and [with respect to him] his attendant is called na’ar. Thus: Gehazi ‘na’aro’ (his attendant);⁴⁵⁹ Let ‘ha’ne’arim’ (the attendants), I pray thee, arise and play before us.⁴⁶⁰ Similarly, and ten ‘ne’arim’ (attendants) that bore Joab’s armor,⁴⁶¹, 18:15. and Joab [David’s commander-in-chief] would surely only turn over his armor to valiant men who stood near him! And it is also written, And Joshua said unto the two ‘men’ that had spied out the land,⁴⁶² and yet it is written there, and ‘ha’ne’arim’ the spies went in etc!⁴⁶³, Verse 23. [Thus we must say that the] term [ha’ne’arim] is used because they were servants of the congregation, acting for them as spies. There are many similar instances. So also, the ‘na’arei’ of the king that ministered unto him,⁴⁶⁴ [the second half of the phrase being in apposition,] explaining that they were the servants who attended the king personally, and not the attendants of the court. And if so, our verse is stating: and his minister Joshua the son of Nun was always in attendance, and never departed out of the tent.

בוְטַעַם בִּן נוּן, בָּא בְּחִירִק תְּמוּרַת סֶגוֹל, וְכֵן "דִּבְרֵי אָגוּר בִּן יָקֶה" (משלי ל א), "שֶׁבִּן לַיְלָה הָיָה וּבִן לַיְלָה אָבָד" (יונה ד י), "אִם בִּן הַכּוֹת הָרָשָׁע" (דברים כה ב). וְעִם כָּל זֶה אֲנִי תָּמֵהַּ מַדּוּעַ לֹא נִמְלַט בְּשֵׁם הַצַּדִּיק הַזֶּה אֶחָד שֶׁיָּבֹא כַּמִּנְהָג. וַאֲנִי חוֹשֵׁב כִּי נָהֲגוּ לִקְרוֹתוֹ כֵּן לְכָבוֹד, כִּי הָיָה הַגָּדוֹל בְּתַלְמִידֵי מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּינוּ וְיִקְרְאוּ לוֹ בִּינוּן, כְּלוֹמַר הַנָּבוֹן, כִּי אֵין נָבוֹן וְחָכָם כָּמוֹהוּ, אוֹ יִהְיֶה עִנְיָנוֹ יְהוֹשֻׁעַ שֶׁהַבִּינָה מוֹלִיד, יַעֲשׂוּ "נוּן" מִלְּשׁוֹן "לִפְנֵי שֶׁמֶשׁ יִנּוֹן שְׁמוֹ" (תהלים עב יז):

2The reason for the form ‘bin’ Nun [instead of ‘ben’ Nun] is that the vowel chirik comes sometimes in place of the segal [which would have made it “ben Nun”]. Similar cases are: The words of Agur ‘bin’ (the son of) Jakeh;⁴⁶⁵. ‘she’bin lailah hayah’ (which came up in a night) ‘u’bin lailah avad’ (and perished in a night);⁴⁶⁶. ‘im bin hakoth harasha’ (if the wicked man deserve to be beaten).⁴⁶⁷ — a person deserving to be beaten, because he hit his friend.” So clearly explained in Ibn Ezra ibid.Yet despite all this I wonder! Why [of all the times that Joshua the son of Nun is cited in the Scriptures] is the name of this righteous man not once mentioned properly [i.e., ‘ben’ Nun]? Therefore I think that they used to call him in this way as a mark of honor, since he was the greatest of the disciples of Moses our teacher, and so they called him binun, meaning “the understanding one,” since there was none so discreet and wise as he.⁴⁶⁸ Or it may be that the meaning of it is: “Joshua, whom understanding begot;” they thus used the term nun as in the expression, may his name ‘yinon’ (be continued) as long as the sun.⁴⁶⁹