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Ramban on Genesis 17:17/רמב"ן על בראשית י״ז:י״ז

אוַיִּצְחָק תִּרְגֵּם אוּנְקְלוֹס (תרגום אונקלוס על בראשית י"ז:י"ז) "וַחֲדִי", וְכֵן הַדָּבָר, כִּי הַצְּחוֹק פַּעַם יֵאָמֵר לְלַעַג וּפַעַם לְשִׂמְחָה, כְּמוֹ "מְשַׂחֶקֶת בְּתֵבֵל אַרְצוֹ" (משלי ח לא), "מְשַׂחֲקִים לִפְנֵי ה'" (שמואל ב ו ה). וּלְפִי דַּעְתִּי שֶׁהַכַּוָּנָה בַּלָּשׁוֹן הַזֶּה כִּי כָל רוֹאֶה עִנְיָן נִפְלָא בְּאָדָם לְטוֹב לוֹ יִשְׂמַח עַד יִמָּלֵא שְׂחוֹק פִּיו, וְהוּא מָה שֶׁאָמְרָה שָׂרָה (בראשית כ"א:ו') "צְחֹק עָשָׂה לִי אֱלֹהִים כָּל הַשֹּׁמֵעַ יִצְחַק לִי", כְּעִנְיַן "אָז יִמָּלֵא שְׂחוֹק פִּינוּ וּלְשׁוֹנֵנוּ רִנָּה" (תהלים קכו ב), וְכֵן עָשָׂה אַבְרָהָם כַּאֲשֶׁר נֶאֱמַר לוֹ זֶה, שָׂמַח וּמִלֵּא שְׂחוֹק פִּיו, וַיֹּאמֶר בְּלִבּוֹ רָאוּי זֶה לִשְׂחוֹק כִּי הוּא עִנְיָן נִפְלָא מְאֹד, הַלְּבֶן מֵאָה שָׁנָה יִוָּלֵד וְאִם שָׂרָה בַּת תִּשְׁעִים תֵּלֵד וְלֹא יִהְיֶה זֶה לִשְׂחוֹק וּלְשִׂמְחָה. וִיקַצֵּר הַכָּתוּב בַּתְּמִיהָה כִּי הִיא נִקְשֶׁרֶת בַּמֶּה שֶׁאָמַר "וַיִּצְחָק". וְכֵן "הֲגַם הֲלֹם רָאִיתִי" (בראשית ט"ז:י"ג) נִקְשָׁר בְּרֹאשׁ הַפָּסוּק, כִּי אָמְרָה הֲגַם הֲלֹם רָאִיתִי הַשֵּׁם שֶׁנִּגְלָה לִי כִּי רָאָה בְּעָנְיִי וְלֹא אֶקְרָאֶנּוּ אֵל רֳאִי. וְכֵן "הֲנִגְלֹה נִגְלֵיתִי אֶל בֵּית אָבִיךָ" (שמואל א ב כז) קָשׁוּר עִם "לָמָּה תִבְעֲטוּ בְּזִבְחִי וּבְמִנְחָתִי", יֹאמַר הַאִם בָּחַרְתִּי בָּכֶם שֶׁתִּבְעֲטוּ בְּזִבְחִי וּמִנְחָתִי, וְלָמָּה תַעֲשׂוּ כֵן. אוֹ שֶׁתִּהְיֶה "הַלְּבֶן מֵאָה שָׁנָה" בִּשְׁאֵלָה לִדְבַר פֶּלֶא, לֹא כְּדָבָר נִמְנָע, כְּמוֹ "הֲתִשְׁפֹּט אֶת עִיר הַדָּמִים" (יחזקאל כב ב), עִנְיָנוֹ הֲתִרְצֶה לִשְׁפֹּט אוֹתָהּ וּלְהוֹדִיעָהּ אֶת כָּל תּוֹעֲבוֹתֶיהָ, וְכֵן "הֲתָעִיף עֵינֶיךָ בּוֹ וְאֵינֶנּוּ" (משלי כג ה), וְכֵן "הֲמִן הָעֵץ אֲשֶׁר צִוִּיתִיךָ לְבִלְתִּי אֲכָל מִמֶּנּוּ אָכָלְתָּ" (בראשית ג':י"א), כְּלוֹמַר הַאִם עָלָה בְּדַעְתְּךָ עַל הַלֵּב לֶאֱכֹל מִן הָעֵץ, וְכֵן זֶה, הַאִם יַעֲלֶה עַל הַלֵּב שֶׁלְּבֶן מֵאָה שָׁנָה יִוָּלֵד, שָׂרָה בַּת תִּשְׁעִים שָׁנָה תֵּלֵד. וְאַחַר כֵּן אָמַר לוֹ שֶׁיִּהְיֶה הַנֵּס הַזֶּה עִם חַיֵּי יִשְׁמָעֵאל:

1‘VAYITZCHAK’ (AND HE LAUGHED). Onkelos translated: “and he rejoiced.” This is correct since the word tzachak can be used intermittently for sporting or rejoicing, just as in the verses: ‘Mesacheketh’ (Sporting) in His habitable earth,⁴³² ‘mesachkim’ (rejoiced) before the Eternal.⁴³³In my opinion the intent of this expression is to convey the thought that whoever sees a favorable unusual event in one’s life rejoices to the point where “his mouth is filled with laughter.”⁴³⁴ It is this thought which Sarah expressed: G-d hath made laughter for me; everyone that heareth will laugh on account of me,⁴³⁵ just as in the verse, Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing.⁴³⁴ And this is what Abraham did. When this good tiding was related to him, he rejoiced and his mouth was filled with laughter, and he said in his heart that this is an occasion for rejoicing as it is a very wonderful matter. Shall a child be born unto him that is a hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear? And will this matter not give cause for rejoicing and happiness? Only, Scripture speaks summarily of his wonderment, as it is connected with the word vayitzchak. A similar case is the expression, Have I even here seen,⁴³⁶ which is connected with the beginning of the verse: for she [Hagar] said, “Have I even here seen G-d, revealing to me that He saw in my affliction, and shall I not call Him E-il-ro’i [the G-d who seeth me]?” Another such example is the expression, Did I reveal Myself unto the house of thy father,⁴³⁷ which is connected with the following verse, Why do you kick at My sacrifice and at Mine offering,⁴³⁸, Verse 29. thus stating, “Have I chosen you so that you kick at My sacrifice and Mine offering? Why then do you do so?”It may be that the question, Shall a child be born to him that is a hundred years old? is an expression of amazement, not one of impossibility, just as in the verse, Wilt thou judge the bloody city,⁴³⁹ which means, “Do you want to judge her and cause her to know all her abominations?” A similar case is the verse, Wilt thou set thine eyes upon it? it is gone.⁴⁴⁰ Likewise is the verse, Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldst not eat?⁴⁴¹ That is to say, “Has the thought occurred to you to eat of the tree?” This verse likewise is saying, “Has the thought occurred to anyone that a child be born to him that is a hundred years old, and that Sarah, who is ninety years, shall bear?” After that Abraham said to Him that he wishes this miracle be with the life of Ishmael.⁴⁴²

בהַלְּבֶן מֵאָה שָׁנָה יִוָּלֵד אֵין הַפֶּלֶא בְּבֶן מֵאָה שָׁנָה שֶׁיּוֹלִיד, כִּי הָאֲנָשִׁים יוֹלִידוּ כָּל יְמֵי הֱיוֹת בָּהֶם הַלֵּחָה בְּנֵי תִּשְׁעִים וּבְנֵי מֵאָה גַּם בַּדּוֹרוֹת הָאֵלֶּה, אַף כִּי בִּימֵי אַבְרָהָם שֶׁלֹּא עָבְרוּ מִיָּמָיו פִּי הַשְּׁנַיִם. וְהִנֵּה אַחֲרֵי זֶה אַרְבָּעִים שָׁנָה הוֹלִיד בָּנִים רַבִּים מִקְּטוּרָה. אֲבָל אָמַר הַלְּבֶן מֵאָה שָׁנָה שֶׁלֹּא הוֹלִיד בְּבַחֲרוּתוֹ מִן הָאִשָּׁה הַזֹּאת יוֹלִיד מִמֶּנָּה עַתָּה אַחֲרֵי מֵאָה וְאַחֲרֵי תִּשְׁעִים שֶׁפָּסַק מִמֶּנָּה אֹרַח נָשִׁים, כִּי יָדַע כֵן. וּלְכָךְ לֹא אָמַר כֵּן מִתְּחִלָּה כְּשֶׁנֶּאֱמַר לוֹ (בראשית י"ז:ו') "וּנְתַתִּיךָ לְגוֹיִם" עַד אָמְרוֹ אֵלָיו כִּי מִשָּׂרָה יוֹלִיד. וְצִוָּה אוֹתוֹ "וְקָרָאתָ אֶת שְׁמוֹ יִצְחָק" בַּעֲבוּר הַצְּחוֹק שֶׁעָשָׂה אַבְרָהָם, וְזֶה לְאוֹת כִּי הָיָה לֶאֱמוּנָה וּלְשִׂמְחָה. וְאַחֲרֵי שֶׁקָּרָא אוֹתוֹ אַבְרָהָם כֵן כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוָּה ה' אֹתוֹ אָמְרָה שָׂרָה, הֲכִי קָרָא שְׁמוֹ יִצְחָק כִּי צְחֹק עָשָׂה לִי אֱלֹהִים:

2SHALL A CHILD BE BORN TO HIM THAT IS A HUNDRED YEARS OLD? There is no wonder that a person who is a hundred years old should beget children, for men beget as long as they have vigor even if they be ninety years old or a hundred years old, even in these generations. All the more in the days of Abraham, who had not yet lived two thirds of his life.⁴⁴³ Moreover, forty years after this, he begot many children from Keturah.⁴⁴⁴ But Abraham’s saying, Shall a child be born to him that is a hundred years old, expressed this thought: Since he did not beget a child from this woman while he was young, how could he beget from her after he was a hundred and she ninety? He knew that her womanly periods had ceased. Therefore Abraham did not say so originally when he was told, And I will make nations of thee,⁴⁴⁵ but only when he was told that he would beget a child from Sarah.Now He commanded him, And thou shalt call his name Isaac,⁴⁴⁶ on account of the rejoicing done by Abraham, which is proof that it was out of faith and joy [that Abraham said, Shall a child be born, etc.]⁴⁴⁷ And after Abraham called him so, as G-d had commanded him, Sarah said, “Is he not rightly named Isaac? For G-d hath made laughter for me.”⁴⁴⁸