Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Genesis 36:24/רמב"ן על בראשית ל״ו:כ״ד

אוְאֵלֶּה בְנֵי צִבְעוֹן וְאַיָּה וַעֲנָה הַוָּי"ו יְתֵרָה, וְכֵן "עֶבֶד אָבִיךָ וַאֲנִי מֵאָז וְעַתָּה וַאֲנִי עַבְדֶּךָ" (שמו"ב טו לד) דִּין שְׁנֵיהֶם אֲנִי, "וְאֵלֶּה רָאשֵׁי בֵית אֲבוֹתָם וְעֵפֶר וְיִשְׁעִי" (דהי"א ה כד), וּכְמוֹהֶם רַבִּים. וְהִנֵּה צִבְעוֹן זֶה הוּא הַבֵּן הַשְּׁלִישִׁי לְשֵׂעִיר הַחוֹרִי, וְהוֹלִיד שְׁנֵי בָּנִים אֵלּוּ, אַיָּה וַעֲנָה, וְסִפֵּר הַכָּתוּב כִּי עֲנָה זֶה בֶּן צִבְעוֹן הוּא אוֹתוֹ עֲנָה שֶׁמָּצָא הַיֵּמִם בַּמִּדְבָּר בִּרְעוֹתוֹ הַחֲמוֹרִים שֶׁל צִבְעוֹן אָבִיו, לְהַבְדִּיל בֵּינוֹ וּבֵין עֲנָה דּוֹדוֹ אֲחִי צִבְעוֹן אָבִיו, וְזֶה עֲנָה בֶּן צִבְעוֹן הוּא חָמִיו שֶׁל עֵשָׂו:

1AND THESE ARE THE CHILDREN OF ZIBEON: AND AJAH, AND ANAH. The letter vav in the word v’ayah — (and Ajah) is redundant. Similarly: Thy father’s servant ‘va’ani’ (and I) have been in time past, so ‘va’ani’ (and I) will now be thy servant.²⁹⁰ In both cases the vav is redundant, and the meaning of the word is ani (I). And there were the heads of their fathers’ houses: ‘va’epher’ (and Epher), and Ishi²⁹¹ — here too the vav is redundant. And there are many others like them.Now this Zibeon was the third son of Se’ir the Horite,²⁹² and he begot these two children, Ajah and Anah, and Scripture relates that this Anah, Zibeon’s son, was that same Anah who found the mules in the desert as he fed the asses of Zibeon his father, to differentiate between him and his uncle Anah,²⁹² the brother of his father, Zibeon. This Anah, Zibeon’s son, was Esau’s father-in-law.²⁹³.

באֲשֶׁר מָצָא אֶת הַיֵּמִם כְּדַעַת מִקְצָת רַבּוֹתֵינוּ בַּתַּלְמוּד (פסחים נד) הֵם הַפְּרָדִים, וְזֶה הָאִישׁ מָצָא כִּי יוֹלִידוּ מִין שֶׁלֹּא בְּמִינוֹ, וְאֵין כֵּן בִּשְׁאָר מִינֵי הַכִּלְאַיִם. וְאָמַר "בַּמִּדְבָּר בִּרְעוֹתוֹ הַחֲמוֹרִים", כִּי הָיוּ לוֹ שָׁם בַּמִּדְבָּר חֲמוֹרִים רַבִּים תּוֹבְעִים אֲתוֹנוֹת, וְהִרְבִּיעָם עִם הַסּוּסִיּוֹת וְהוֹלִידוּ. וְנִרְאֶה שֶׁנֶּחְשַׁב לוֹ בְּדוֹרוֹ לְחָכְמָה, כִּי הִכִּיר בְּמִינֵיהֶם שֶׁהֵם קְרוֹבִים בַּטֶּבַע וְיוֹלִידוּ, וְהָיָה נוֹדָע בַּמַּעֲשֶׂה הַהוּא, וְעַל כֵּן יְתָאֲרֵהוּ בּוֹ. וְאוּנְקְלוֹס (תרגום אונקלוס על בראשית ל"ו:כ"ד) תִּרְגֵּם "גִּבָּרַיָּא", וְהַנִּרְאֶה מִסְּבָרָתוֹ כִּי עֲנָה זֶה בָּאוּ עָלָיו מִן הָאֻמָּה הַנִּקְרֵאת אֵימִים לְפָנִים עַם גָּדוֹל וָרָם כַּעֲנָקִים (דברים ב י), וְרָצוּ לִגְזֹל מִמֶּנּוּ הַחֲמוֹרִים שֶׁל צִבְעוֹן אָבִיו, וְהוּא הָיָה בַּמִּדְבָּר וְאֵין עוֹזֵר לוֹ, וַתִּמְצָא יָדוֹ לָהֶם וְהִצִּיל מִיָּדָם, וְהוּא מִלְּשׁוֹן "תִּמְצָא יָדְךָ לְכָל אֹיְבֶיךָ" (תהלים כא ט), "וְלֹא הִמְצִיתִךָ בְּיַד (שאול) דָּוִד" (שמואל ב ג ח). אוֹ יֹאמַר שֶׁמָּצָא אוֹתָם וְנִצַּל וְהָיָה נוֹדָע בַּגְּבוּרָה הַזֹּאת, וְנָכוֹן הוּא:

2WHO FOUND THE ‘YEIMIM’ IN THE DESERT. In the opinion of some of our Rabbis in the Talmud,²⁹⁴ the yeimim are mules, and this man discovered that an ass and a mare, even though they were unlike species, could breed together as opposed to other unlike species. Scripture says that he found them in the wilderness as he fed the asses, for he had there in the desert many asses seeking she-asses and he mated them with mares, and they begot offspring. It would appear that in his generation it was accounted to him as an act of wisdom in that he knew the various species which are nearly alike in nature and thus can produce offspring by cross-breeding. He was thus known by this deed, and therefore Scripture described him by it. And Onkelos translated yeimim as valiant men. It would appear from his opinion that this Anah was attacked by people from a nation called Emim, as it is said, The Emim… a people great, and many and tall as the Anakim,²⁸³ and they wished to rob him of the asses of Zibeon his father. He was in the desert with no one to help him, but he overtook them and saved the asses from their hand. The word matza in matza eth hayeimim is thus to be associated with these expressions: Thine hand ‘timtza’ (shall overtake) all thine enemies;²⁹⁵ And I have not delivered thee into the hand of Saul.²⁹⁶ It may be that the word matza means that he found them and they were thus saved, and he came to be known for this prowess. This is correct.