Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Genesis 21:1/רמב"ן על בראשית כ״א:א׳

אוַה' פָּקַד אֶת שָׂרָה כַּאֲשֶׁר אָמָר בְּהֵרָיוֹן, "כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֵּר" בְּלֵדָה, לְשׁוֹן רַשִׁ"י (רש"י על בראשית כ"א:א'). וְאֵין "פְּקִידָה" אֶלָּא לְשׁוֹן זְכִירָה וְהַשְׁגָּחָה עַל הַנִּפְקָד, כְּגוֹן "פָּקֹד יִפְקֹד אֱלֹהִים אֶתְכֶם" (בראשית נ':כ"ה), "פָּקֹד פָּקַדְתִּי אֶתְכֶם וְאֶת הֶעָשׂוּי לָכֶם" (שמות ג טז), "וַיִּפְקֹד שִׁמְשׁוֹן אֶת אִשְׁתּוֹ בִּגְדִי עִזִּים" (שופטים טו א), אַף כָּאן "וַה' פָּקַד אֶת שָׂרָה" – זָכַר אֶת שָׂרָה וְעָשָׂה לָהּ כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֵּר. וְכֵן הַלָּשׁוֹן בְּכָל הָעֲקָרוֹת הַיּוֹלְדוֹת, בְּרָחֵל "וַיִּזְכֹּר אֱלֹהִים אֶת רָחֵל" (בראשית ל':כ"ב), וּבְחַנָּה "וַיִּזְכְּרֶהָ (אלהים) ה'" (שמואל א א יט). וְכָךְ אָמְרוּ פִּקְדוֹנוֹת הֲרֵי הֵן כְּזִכְרוֹנוֹת (ר"ה לב):

1AND THE ETERNAL ‘PAKAD’ (VISITED) SARAH AS HE HAD SAID. That is, by granting her pregnancy. And the Eternal did unto Sarah as He had spoken by granting her the birth of a son..Thus the words of Rashi.But the word pekidah is only an expression of remembrance and attention to the one who is remembered, such as: G-d will surely remember (‘pakod yiphkod’) you;³¹² I have surely remembered you;³¹³ And Samson remembered his wife by [bringing her] a kid.³¹⁴ Here, too, the sense of the verse is that the Eternal remembered Sarah, and He did to her as He had spoken. This expression is also found in connection with all barren women who later give birth. Thus, in the case of Rachel: And G-d remembered Rachel;³¹⁵ and in the case of Hannah: And G-d remembered her.³¹⁶ Similarly, the Rabb is said,³¹⁷ “Biblical verses which mention pikdonoth are equivalent to verses which mention Divine remembrances.”³¹⁸ is treated as one mentioning remembrance. Thus, Ramban proves that the word pakad in the verse here can mean “remembered,” and not as Rashi explained it as meaning “granting pregnancy.”