Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah
Ramban on Genesis 32:23/רמב"ן על בראשית ל״ב:כ״ג
אוַיִּקַּח אֶת שְׁתֵּי נָשָׁיו וְאֶת שְׁתֵּי שִׁפְחֹתָיו אֵין מֻקְדָּם וּמְאֻחָר בַּפָּסוּק הַזֶּה לַהַצָּלָה, אֲבָל אָמַר שֶׁאָסַף נָשָׁיו וְשִׁפְחוֹתָיו וִילָדָיו אֶל שְׂפַת הַנַּחַל, וְעָבַר הוּא לְבַדּוֹ אֶת מַעֲבַר יַבּוֹק לִרְאוֹת אִם גָּבְהוּ הַמַּיִם, וְשָׁב וּלְקָחָם עִמּוֹ כֻּלָּם כְּאֶחָד וַיַּעֲבִירֵם אֶת הַנַּחַל, וְאַחֲרֵי כֵן וַיַּעֲבֵר אֶת אֲשֶׁר לוֹ מִקְנֵהוּ וּרְכֻשׁוֹ:
1AND HE TOOK HIS TWO WIVES, AND HIS TWO HANDMAIDS. There is no significance to being mentioned earlier or later in this verse with respect to rescue work. [Hence even though his wives are mentioned here first, from which you might infer that they appeared before Esau first, Scripture later states — 33:6 — that the handmaids came first.] Instead, Scripture states that he gathered his wives and handmaids and children at the edge of the brook, and he alone traversed the ford of the Jabbok to see if the waters were high, and then he returned and took them all with him at one time and made them pass the brook,52 and after that he made pass that which was his,52 namely, his camp and his belongings.