Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Genesis 23:13/רמב"ן על בראשית כ״ג:י״ג

אאִם אַתָּה לוּ שְׁמָעֵנִי שִׁעוּרוֹ אִם אַתָּה אִם תִּשְׁמָעֵנִי, וְעִנְיָנוֹ כְּמוֹ אִם אַתָּה תִּשְׁמָעֵנִי. וּבָא הַכֶּפֶל לְנַחֵץ הָעִנְיָן, כְּמוֹ "סוּרָה אֲדֹנִי סוּרָה אֵלַי" (שופטים ד יח) "הֲטוֹב טוֹב אַתָּה" (שם יא כה), וְכֵן "וְלֵאמֹר עָלָיו לֵאמֹר" (דהי"ב לב יז), וְכֵן "וַאֲנִי אָנָה אֲנִי בָא" (בראשית ל"ז:ל'), "וּפָנִיתִי אֲנִי" "וְרָאִיתִי אָנִי" (קהלת ב יב יג), "כִּי כָל הָעֵדָה כֻּלָּם קְדֹשִׁים" (במדבר טז ג), כֻּלָּם רִדּוּף הָעִנְיָן. וְכֵן עַל דַּעְתִּי "אִם מִחוּט וְעַד שְׂרוֹךְ נַעַל וְאִם אֶקַּח" (בראשית י"ד:כ"ג), שִׁעוּרוֹ אִם מִחוּט וְעַד שְׂרוֹךְ נַעַל אֶקַּח מִכָּל אֲשֶׁר לָךְ. אוֹ יֹאמַר אִם אַתָּה כַּאֲשֶׁר אָמַרְתָּ כְּלוֹמַר שֶׁפִּיךָ וְלִבְּךָ שָׁוִים בָּעִנְיָן וְאִם תִּשְׁמָעֵנִי, וְכֵן "וַיֹּאמְרוּ לָהֶם אֲחֵיהֶם מָה אַתֶּם" (שופטים יח ח), וְדוֹמֶה לַלָּשׁוֹן הַזֶּה עַל דַּעְתִּי "לָמָּה זֶּה אָנֹכִי" (בראשית כ"ה:כ"ב). אוּלַי זֶה דַּעַת אוּנְקְלוֹס (תרגום אונקלוס על בראשית כ"ג:י"ג) שֶׁאָמַר "אִם אַתְּ עָבֵד לִי טֵיבוּ", שֶׁתַּעֲשֶׂה רְצוֹנִי כַּאֲשֶׁר אָמַרְתָּ:

1‘LU’ (IF) THOU WILT HEAR ME. This is equivalent to saying, “If you, if you will hear me,” and the purport thereof is like, “if you, if you would hear me,” the redundancy being for the purpose of emphasizing the matter. Similar cases are found in these verses: Turn in, my lord, turn in to me;³⁴ Art thou any better, better than Balak?³⁵, 11:25. And to speak against him, saying;³⁶ And as for me, whither shall I go?;³⁷ And I turned myself;³⁸ And I saw myself;³⁹, Verse 13. Seeing all the congregation are all holy.⁴⁰ All these are examples of expressions of synonimity. In my opinion, this is also the case in the verse, If from a thread even to a sandal tie, if I take (anything that is thine),⁴¹ which is equivalent to saying, “If, from a thread even to a sandal tie, I take anything that is yours.” It may be that [in the verse here before us the meaning is], “If you are as you have said.” that is, if you are speaking what is in your heart concerning the matter, and if you will listen to me and consummate the sale. A similar usage of a missing word is found in the verse, And their brethren said unto them, What are ye?⁴² [which means, “What are you saying?”] In my opinion, a similar case of such usage is the verse, Wherefore am I?⁴³ [meaning, “Wherefore am I in the world?”] Perhaps this is the opinion of Onkelos who translated here, “if you will do me a favor,” meaning, “if you will do my will as you have said.”