Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah
Ramban on Exodus 4:9/רמב"ן על שמות ד׳:ט׳
אוְהָיוּ הַמַּיִם אֲשֶׁר תִּקַּח מִן הַיְאֹר וְהָיוּ לְדָם בַּיַּבָּשֶׁת; "וְהָיוּ" שְׁנֵי פְּעָמִים, נִרְאֶה בְּעֵינַי, אִלּוּ אָמַר וְהָיוּ הַמַּיִם אֲשֶׁר תִּקַּח מִן הַיְאוֹר לְדָם בַּיַּבָּשֶׁת, שׁוֹמֵעַ אֲנִי שֶׁבְּיָדוֹ הֵם נֶהְפָּכִים לְדָם, וְאַף כְּשֶׁיִּהְיוּ בָּאָרֶץ יִהְיוּ כַּהֲוָיָתָן, עַכְשָׁו "וְהָיוּ" הָאַחֲרוֹן מְלַמְּדֵנוּ שֶׁלֹּא יִהְיוּ דָם עַד שֶׁהָיוּ בַּיַּבָּשָׁה לְשׁוֹן רַבִּי שְׁלֹמֹה. וְאֵין הַמַּשְׁמָעוּת הַזֶּה כֵּן כְּדִבְרֵי הָרַב. וְאֵין צָרִיךְ לְמִדְרָשׁוֹ, שֶׁכְּבָר מָצְאוּ בַּעֲלֵי הַלָּשׁוֹן (הרד"ק בס' המכלול סא א) שֶׁדֶּרֶךְ הַרְבֵּה מִקְרָאוֹת לִכְפֹּל תֵּבוֹת לְנַחֵץ וּלְחַזֵּק, אוֹ בַּעֲבוּר מִצּוּעַ אָרֹךְ שֶׁבָּא בֵּינֵיהֶם, וְכָמוֹהוּ "וְהָיָה עֶרְכְּךָ מִבֶּן עֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה וְעַד בֶּן שִׁשִּׁים שָׁנָה וְהָיָה עֶרְכְּךָ הַזָּכָר חֲמִשִּׁים שֶׁקֶל כֶּסֶף" (ויקרא כז ג). וְכֵן "וְכִי יָבֹא הַלֵּוִי מֵאַחַד שְׁעָרֶיךָ מִכָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר הוּא גָּר שָׁם וּבָא בְּכָל אַוַּת נַפְשׁוֹ" (דברים יח ו), הֶחְזִיר וּבָא פַּעַם שֵׁנִית בַּעֲבוּר שֶׁהֶאֱרִיךְ בֵּנְתַיִם. וְכֵן "וַיֹּאמֶר מֶלֶךְ מִצְרַיִם לַמְיַלְּדֹת הָעִבְרִיֹּת אֲשֶׁר שֵׁם הָאַחַת שִׁפְרָה וְשֵׁם הַשֵּׁנִית פּוּעָה וַיֹּאמֶר בְּיַלְדְּכֶן" וְגוֹ' (לעיל א טו טז). "וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים לְיִשְׂרָאֵל בְּמַרְאֹת הַלַּיְלָה וַיֹּאמֶר יַעֲקֹב יַעֲקֹב" (בראשית מו ב). וְכָעִנְיָן הַזֶּה רַבִּים:
1V’HAYU’ (AND IT SHALL BE) THAT THE WATER WHICH THOU TAKEST OUT OF THE RIVER ‘V’HAYU’ (SHALL BECOME) BLOOD UPON THE DRY LAND. “The word v’hayu is mentioned here twice.261 It appears to me that if He had said, ‘V’hayu (And it shall be) that the water which thou takest out of the river be blood upon the dry land,’ I might understand it to mean that it would be turned into blood in his hand, and that also when it reached the ground it would remain in the same state. But now, [as the verse actually reads], the final v’hayu teaches us that it would not become blood until it reaches the dry land.”262 Thus the language of Rashi.But the purport of this verse is not as the Rabbi [Rashi] has it, and there is no need for his Midrash, for the masters of language263 have found in many places that it is the normal style of Scripture to repeat words for the purpose of emphasis and significance, or because of some lengthy phrase intervening between them. Such a case is the verse: And if a Levite come from any of thy gates out of all Israel, where he sojourneth, and come with all the desire of his soul.264 Here Scripture repeats [the verb] “come” because of the lengthy expression between [the parts of the verse]. Similarly: And the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, of whom the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah; and he said: When ye act as midwives, etc.;265 And G-d spoke unto Israel in the visions of the night, and He said: Jacob, Jacob.266 There are many instances of such verses.