Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah
Ramban on Genesis 10:5/רמב"ן על בראשית י׳:ה׳
אוְטַעַם מֵאֵלֶּה נִפְרְדוּ אִיֵּי הַגּוֹיִם בְּאַרְצֹתָם כִּי בְּנֵי יֶפֶת יוֹשְׁבֵי אִיֵּי הַיָּם, וְהֵם נִפְרָדִים כָּל אֶחָד מִבָּנָיו בְּאִי אַחֵר יוֹשֵׁב לְבַדּוֹ, וְאַרְצֹתָם רְחוֹקוֹת זוֹ מִזּוֹ, וְהִיא בִּרְכַּת אֲבִיהֶם שֶׁאָמַר "יַפְתְּ אֱלֹהִים לְיֶפֶת", שֶׁיִּהְיוּ רַבִּים בְּמֶרְחֲבֵי אֶרֶץ. אֲבָל בְּנֵי חָם כֻּלָּם קְרוֹבִים יוֹשְׁבֵי הָאֲרָצוֹת, וְלָכֵן אָמַר "וַיְהִי גְּבוּל הַכְּנַעֲנִי מִצִּידֹן" וְגוֹ' (בראשית י':י"ט), וְאָמַר "בְּאַרְצֹתָם בְּגוֹיֵהֶם" (בראשית י':כ'), וְכֵן בִּבְנֵי שֵׁם. וְסִפֵּר הַכָּתוּב כָּל אֵלֶּה כִּי רָצָה לְהוֹדִיעַ יִחוּס אַבְרָהָם מִשֵּׁם וְתוֹלְדוֹת חָם, לְהוֹדִיעַ הָעַמִּים שֶׁזָּכָה אַבְרָהָם בְּאַרְצָם בַּעֲוֹן אֲבוֹתָם. וְלָכֵן סִפֵּר גַּם בְּיֶפֶת וְהַפַּלָּגָה, לְהוֹדִיעַ סִבַּת שִׁנּוּי הַלְּשׁוֹנוֹת וּפִזּוּרָם בְּקַצְוֵי הָאָרֶץ לִזְמַן מוּעָט אַחֲרֵי אָדָם הָרִאשׁוֹן. וְעוֹד, לְהוֹדִיעַ חַסְדֵי הַשֵּׁם וְשָׁמְרוֹ הַבְּרִית לְנֹחַ, כִּי לֹא כִּלָּה אוֹתָם. וְהָרַב אָמַר בְּמוֹרֶה הַנְּבֻכִים (ג נ) כִּי זֶה יְאַמֵּת לַשּׁוֹמְעִים חִדּוּשׁ הָעוֹלָם. וְגַם זֶה אֱמֶת, כִּי אַבְרָהָם אָבִינוּ יְצַוֶּה אֶת בָּנָיו וְאֶת בֵּיתוֹ אַחֲרָיו, וְיָעִיד לָהֶם עַל נֹחַ וּבָנָיו שֶׁרָאוּ הַמַּבּוּל וְהָיוּ בַּתֵּבָה, וְהִנֵּה הוּא עֵד מִפִּי עֵד בְּעִנְיַן כָּל הַמַּבּוּל וְעֵד רְבִיעִי עַל יְצִירָה, כִּי נֹחַ רָאָה אָבִיו שֶׁרָאָה אָדָם הָרִאשׁוֹן, וְיִצְחָק וְיַעֲקֹב רָאוּ שֵׁם הָעֵד בַּמַּבּוּל, וְיַעֲקֹב מַגִּיד כָּל זֶה לְיוֹרְדֵי מִצְרַיִם גַּם לְפַרְעֹה וְאַנְשֵׁי דּוֹרוֹ, וְהָאֲנָשִׁים בְּכָל דּוֹר יוֹדְעִים מֵאֲבוֹתָם אַרְבָּעָה וַחֲמִשָּׁה דּוֹרוֹת מַגִּידִים מַעֲשֵׂיהֶם וְתוֹלְדוֹתֵיהֶם:
1FROM THERE WERE PARTED THE INHABITANTS OF THE MARITIME SETTLEMENT OF THE NATIONS IN THEIR LANDS. The meaning of this is that the children of Japheth are those who dwell on the isles of the sea, and they are separated, each one of his sons residing singly on another isle, and their countries are far from each other. This was indeed the blessing of their father Noah, who said, May G-d enlarge Japheth,264 meaning that they be numerous in the expanses of the earth. The sons of Ham, however, are all near one another as they dwell on the continents. Therefore Scripture said, And the boundary of the Canaanite was from Sidon…in their lands and in their nations.265 The same is true of the sons of Shem.Now Scripture narrates all this in order to inform us of Abraham’s lineage from Shem, and Ham’s descendants are mentioned to inform us of those nations whose lands Abraham was favored with on account of the sin of their fathers. Therefore it tells also of Japheth and of the dispersion266 in order to inform us of the cause of the difference in languages and the scattering of the nations to the ends of the earth in a short period of time after the first man. Moreover, this narration serves to let us know the kindness of G-d and His keeping the covenant He made with Noah that he would not destroy them.The Rabbi267, Note 139. said in Moreh Nebuchim268 that the genealogy of the nations verifies to those that hear it the principle of the creation of the world.269, 11], as would be natural for descendants of one person.” (Ibid., Friedlander’s translation III, p. 273.) This also is true, for our father Abraham will command his children and his household after him270 and will affirm to them the narration concerning Noah and his sons who saw the flood and were in the ark. Thus he, [Abraham, not having seen the flood but hearing of it], was witness from mouth to mouth in the whole matter of the flood, and he was a fourth witness to creation since Noah saw his father Lamech who saw Adam. Isaac and Jacob saw Shem, the witness of the flood, and Jacob told all this to those that went down to Egypt, as well as to Pharaoh and the people of his generation. The people in every generation similarly know from their fathers who tell them the deeds and progeny of the four to five previous generations.