Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah
Ramban on Genesis 15:16/רמב"ן על בראשית ט״ו:ט״ז
אוְדוֹר רְבִיעִי יָשׁוּבוּ הֵנָּה לְאַחַר שֶׁיִּגְלוּ לְמִצְרַיִם יִהְיוּ שְׁלֹשָׁה דּוֹרוֹת, וְכֵן הָיָה יַעֲקֹב גּוֹלֶה, צֵא וַחֲשֹׁב דּוֹרוֹתָיו, יְהוּדָה פֶּרֶץ חֶצְרוֹן, וְכָלֵב בֶּן חֶצְרוֹן מִבָּאֵי הָאָרֶץ הָיָה, לְשׁוֹן רַשִׁ"י (רש"י על בראשית ט"ו:ט"ז). וְאֵינֶנּוּ נָכוֹן כְּלָל. וְהַנָּכוֹן בְּעֵינַי כִּי "דּוֹר רְבִיעִי", לָאֱמֹרִי הַמַּשְׁלִים עֲוֹנוֹ, כִּי מִיּוֹם הַגְּזֵרָה הֶאֱרִיךְ לוֹ, כִּי הוּא פּוֹקֵד עָוֹן עַל שִׁלֵּשִׁים וְעַל רִבֵּעִים, כִּי אִם יָשׁוּבוּ לֹא יַחֲרִימֵם אֲבָל יִהְיוּ לְמַס עוֹבֵד אוֹ יִפְנוּ לָהֶם:
1AND IN THE FOURTH GENERATION THEY SHALL COME BACK HITHER. After they are exiled into Egypt, they will be there for three generations. And thus it happened; Jacob was exiled into Egypt. Go and reckon his generations: Judah, Peretz, Chetzron, and Caleb the son of Chetzron was amongst those who entered the Land. Thus the language of Rashi. But this is not correct at all.326The correct interpretation appears to be that the fourth generation refers to the Amorite whose sin will then become full,327 for from the day of the decree He prolonged the time of the Amorite, as He visits iniquity upon the third and fourth generation. Had the Amorites repented of their iniquities He would not have utterly destroyed them. Rather, they would have been a levy of bondservants, or they might have gone elsewhere.
בעֲוֹן הָאֱמֹרִי הִזְכִּיר הַתַּקִּיף שֶׁבָּהֶם אֲשֶׁר כְּגֹבַהּ אֲרָזִים גָּבְהוֹ וְלֹא יוּכְלוּ לוֹ עַד שֶׁתִּתְמַלֵּא סְאָתוֹ וַעֲוֹנֹתָיו יִלְכְּדֻנוֹ, וְעוֹד כִּי הוּא הַנִּלְכָּד לָהֶם אֲשֶׁר הוֹרִישׁוּ בַּתְּחִלָּה:
2THE INIQUITY OF THE AMORITE. He mentioned the strongest among them,328 Whose height was like the height of the cedars.329 The Israelites would not be able to overpower him until his measure of sin was full and his own iniquities will ensnare him.330 Moreover the Amorite was the first one to be captured by them, and it was his land which they inherited first.331