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Ramban on Genesis 18:19/רמב"ן על בראשית י״ח:י״ט

אכִּי יְדַעְתִּיו לְמַעַן אֲשֶׁר יְצַוֶּה לְשׁוֹן רַשִׁ"י (רש"י על בראשית י"ח:י"ט), "אֲרִי יְדַעְתִּנֵּיהּ" כְּתַרְגּוּמוֹ, לְשׁוֹן חִבָּה, כְּמוֹ "מוֹדָע לְאִישָׁהּ" (רות ב א), "וָאֵדָעֲךָ" (שמות לג יז). אָמְנָם עִקַּר כֻּלָּם לְשׁוֹן יְדִיעָה, שֶׁהַמְחַבֵּב אֶת הָאָדָם וּמְקָרְבוֹ אֶצְלוֹ יוֹדְעוֹ וּמַכִּירוֹ. וְאִם תְּפָרְשֵׁהוּ יוֹדֵעַ אֲנִי בּוֹ שֶׁיְּצַוֶּה אֶת בָּנָיו, אֵין "לְמַעַן" נוֹפֵל עַל הַלָּשׁוֹן. וְיִתָּכֵן שֶׁיִּהְיֶה "יְדַעְתִּיו", גִּדַּלְתִּיו וְרוֹמַמְתִּיו בַּעֲבוּר אֲשֶׁר יְצַוֶּה אֶת בָּנָיו אַחֲרָיו לַעֲשׂוֹת אֶת הַיָּשָׁר לְפָנַי, וּלְכָךְ אֲשִׂימֶנּוּ לְגוֹי גָּדוֹל וְעָצוּם שֶׁיַּעַבְדוּנִי, וְכָמוֹהוּ "יְדַעְתִּיךָ בְשֵׁם" (שמות לג יב), "מָה אָדָם וַתֵּדָעֵהוּ" (תהלים קמד ג). אוֹ יֹאמַר יְדַעְתִּיו שֶׁיְּצַוֶּה, וְכֵן "לְמַעַן יָנוּחַ שׁוֹרְךָ וַחֲמֹרֶךָ" (שמות כג יב), שֶׁיָּנוּחַ. וְהַנָּכוֹן בְּעֵינַי שֶׁהִיא יְדִיעָה בּוֹ מַמָּשׁ, יִרְמֹז כִּי יְדִיעַת הַשֵּׁם שֶׁהִיא הַשְׁגָּחָתוֹ בָּעוֹלָם הַשָּׁפָל הִיא לִשְׁמֹר הַכְּלָלִים, וְגַם בְּנֵי הָאָדָם מֻנָּחִים בּוֹ לַמִּקְרִים עַד בֹּא עֵת פְּקֻדָּתָם, אֲבָל בַּחֲסִידָיו יָשׂוּם אֵלָיו לִבּוֹ לָדַעַת אוֹתוֹ בִּפְרָט, לִהְיוֹת שְׁמִירָתוֹ דְּבֵקָה בּוֹ תָּמִיד, לֹא תִּפָּרֵד הַיְּדִיעָה וְהַזְּכִירָה מִמֶּנּוּ כְּלָל, כְּטַעַם "לֹא יִגְרַע מִצַּדִּיק עֵינָיו" (איוב לו ז). וּבָאוּ מִזֶּה פְּסוּקִים רַבִּים, כְּדִכְתִיב (תהלים לג יח) "הִנֵּה עֵין ה' אֶל יְרֵאָיו" וְזוּלַת זֶה:

1FOR I HAVE KNOWN HIM (‘YEDATIV’), TO THE END (‘LEMA’AN’) THAT HE MAY COMMAND HIS CHILDREN. Rashi comments: “For I have known him, as the Targum takes it, is an expression denoting affection, just as A kinsman (‘moda’) of her husband’s;¹²⁰ And I know thee.¹²¹ Still the main connotation of all these expressions is that of knowing, for he who holds a person in affection and draws him to himself knows him well and is familiar with him. But if you explain it as the Targum does — i.e., “I know that he will command his children” — then the word lema’an (to the end) does not fit into the sense.”¹²²It is possible that the word yedativ means “I have raised him and elevated him so that he shall command his children after him to do that which is right before Me, and therefore I will make him a great and mighty nation so that he should serve Me. In a similar sense are the verses: I know thee (‘yedaticha’) by name;¹²³ What is man, that Thou knowest htm?¹²⁴ Or the verse may be stating, I know that he will command,¹²⁵ does not fit the context. Ramban proceeds to show from Exodus 23:12 that the words lema’an yanuach mean she’yanuach (that he may rest); here likewise, lema’an asher yetzaveh means she’yetzaveh (that he will command). Thus, the word lema’an is seen to fit into the context. and in a similar sense is the verse, So that thine ox and thine ass may have rest (lema’an yanuach),¹²⁶ meaning that he may have rest.The correct interpretation appears to me to be that the word yedativ literally means “knowing.” He is thus alluding that G-d’s knowledge, which is synonymous with His Providence in the lower world, is to guard the species, and even the children of men are subject despite it to the circumstantial evil occurrences until the time of their visitation comes. But as regards His pious, He directs His Providence to know each one individually so that His watch constantly attaches to him, His knowledge and remembrance of him never departs, as it says: He withdraweth not His eyes from the righteous.¹²⁷ There are many verses on this theme, as it is written, Behold, the eye of the Eternal is toward them that fear Him,¹²⁸ and other verses besides.