Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Genesis 10:21/רמב"ן על בראשית י׳:כ״א

אוּלְשֵׁם יֻלַּד גַּם הוּא בַּעֲבוּר שֶׁאִחֵר תּוֹלְדוֹת שֵׁם וְסִפֵּר תּוֹלְדוֹת אָחִיו הַקָּטָן מִמֶּנּוּ כְּאִלּוּ לֹא הָיָה לוֹ בָּנִים, אָמַר בְּכָאן "גַּם הוּא":

1AND UNTO SHEM, TO HIM ALSO WERE CHILDREN BORN. Since Scripture delayed the narration of the generations of Shem and related the generations of his younger brother as if Shem had no children, it therefore says here, to him also.

בוְטַעַם אֲבִי כָּל בְּנֵי עֵבֶר שֶׁהוּא אֲבִי כָּל יוֹשְׁבֵי עֵבֶר הַנָּהָר, שֶׁהוּא מְקוֹם יִחוּס אַבְרָהָם. וְלֹא יִתָּכֵן שֶׁיִּהְיֶה עֵבֶר בַּמָּקוֹם הַזֶּה שֵׁם הָאִישׁ אֲבִי פֶּלֶג (כ"פ הרד"ק והראב"ע שמות כא ב), כִּי לָמָּה יִחֵס אוֹתָן אֵלָיו:

2THE FATHER OF ALL THE CHILDREN OF ‘EBER.’ This means that he was the father of all who dwelled beyond (eber) the Euphrates River, which was the place of Abraham’s family. But it is not possible that Eber in this context be the name of the person who was the father of Peleg³²⁷ for why would Scripture connect the children of Eber with Shem [moreso than with any of his other offspring]?

גאֲחִי יֶפֶת הַגָּדוֹל דֶּרֶךְ הַכָּתוּב לְיַחֵס הַקָּטָן אֶל הַגָּדוֹל בְּאֶחָיו וְלֹא אֶל הַנּוֹלָד אַחֲרָיו. וְכֵן "מִרְיָם הַנְּבִיאָה אֲחוֹת אַהֲרֹן" (שמות טו כ). וְטַעַם לְהַזְכִּיר זֶה כְּלָל, לוֹמַר כִּי הוּא אֲחִי הַנִּכְבָּד שָׁוֶה אֵלָיו בִּכְבוֹדוֹ, לְהַגִּיד שֶׁלֹּא אִחֵר אוֹתוֹ מִפְּנֵי מַעֲלַת חָם עָלָיו. וְהַנִּרְאֶה אֵלַי שֶׁיִּהְיֶה "הַגָּדוֹל" תֹּאַר לְשֵׁם, לוֹמַר שֶׁהוּא הָאָח הַגָּדוֹל שֶׁל יֶפֶת, כִּי חָם קָטָן מִכֻּלָּם וְאִם הִקְדִּים אוֹתוֹ. וְכֵן בְּכָל מָקוֹם תֹּאַר לַמְּדֻבָּר בּוֹ, כְּגוֹן "יְשַׁעְיָהוּ בֶן אָמוֹץ הַנָּבִיא" (מלכים ב כ א), "חֲנַנְיָה בֶן עַזּוּר הַנָּבִיא" (ירמיהו כח א), "לְחֹבָב בֶּן רְעוּאֵל הַמִּדְיָנִי חֹתֵן מֹשֶׁה" (במדבר י כט). וְרַשִׁ"י כָּתַב (רש"י על בראשית י':כ"א) אֲחִי יֶפֶת וְלֹא אֲחִי חָם, שֶׁאֵלּוּ שְׁנֵיהֶם כִּבְּדוּ אֲבִיהֶם וְזֶה בִּזָּהוּ. גַּם זֶה לוֹמַר שֶׁהוּא אֲחִי הַצַּדִּיק וְלֹא אֲחִי הָרָשָׁע, אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁנִּמְנָה אַחֲרָיו:

3THE BROTHER OF JAPHETH THE ELDER. It is the way of Scripture to record a younger brother beside the oldest of his brothers, and not beside a younger one than himself.³²⁸, rather than “the elder brother of Ham.” And similarly, we find the verse, Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron.³²⁹ The reason for mentioning this altogether is to state that he [Shem] is the brother of the honorable Japheth, comparable to him in distinction. Scripture thus declares that the reason it delayed telling of his genealogy is not because Ham was more distinguished than he.It appears to me that “the elder” is descriptive of Shem,³³⁰ is descriptive either of Japheth or of Shem. If so, the elder refers to age in years for in my opinion Shem was the oldest of the brothers while, in the opinion of most commentators, Japheth was the oldest. It is also possible to explain the elder as referring to distinction, and it may also be descriptive of either of them.” meaning that he was the older brother of Japheth, as Ham was the youngest of all, even though Scripture mentioned Japheth first. So, likewise, in all places in Scripture, the descriptive noun refers to the subject spoken of, such as: Isaiah the son of Amoz the prophet,³³¹ [the term “the prophet” refers to Isaiah, who is the subject of the narration]; Unto Hobab, the son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses’ father-in-law,³³² [here, “Moses’ father-in-law” refers back to Hobab]. But Rashi wrote: “The brother of Japheth. It does not state “the brother of Ham” because these two [Shem and Japheth] honored their father whereas Ham put him to shame.” This interpretation also declares that the sense of the verse is that Shem is the brother of the righteous brother, and not the brother of the wicked brother even though he is counted after him.