Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Genesis 36:31/רמב"ן על בראשית ל״ו:ל״א

אוְאֵלֶּה הַמְּלָכִים אֲשֶׁר מָלְכוּ בְּאֶרֶץ אֱדוֹם נִכְתַּב זֶה לְהַגִּיד כִּי נִתְקַיְּמָה בּוֹ בִּרְכַּת יִצְחָק שֶׁאָמַר לוֹ "וְעַל חַרְבְּךָ תִחְיֶה" (בראשית כ"ז:מ'), כִּי גָּבְרוּ עַל בְּנֵי שֵׂעִיר הַחוֹרִי וּמָלְכוּ עֲלֵיהֶם בְּאַרְצָם, וְאֵלֶּה הֶעָרִים מְדִינוֹת בְּאֶרֶץ אֱדוֹם, כִּי בָּצְרָה לֶאֱדוֹם הִיא, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב (ישעיהו לד ו) "כִּי זֶבַח לַה' בְּבָצְרָה וְטֶבַח גָּדוֹל בְּאֶרֶץ אֱדוֹם", וְכֵן אֶרֶץ הַתֵּימָנִי מֵאֱדוֹם, כְּמוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר בּוֹ (עובדיה א ט) "וְחַתּוּ גִבּוֹרֶיךָ תֵּימָן לְמַעַן יִכָּרֶת אִישׁ מֵהַר עֵשָׂו", וְכֻלָּם כָּךְ הֵמָּה. אֲבָל סִפֵּר הַכָּתוּב כִּי לֹא הָיוּ מֶלֶךְ בֶּן מֶלֶךְ כַּאֲשֶׁר הָיוּ בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל. וְלִפְנֵי מְלָךְ מֶלֶךְ, יָמִים רַבִּים קֹדֶם, וְאֵין טַעַם "לִפְנֵי מְלָךְ מֶלֶךְ" שֶׁנִּמְשְׁכָה מַלְכוּת אֵלֶּה עַד מַלְכוּת יִשְׂרָאֵל (ראה רש"י ורד"ק), אֲבָל לֵאמֹר כִּי אָז לֹא תִּהְיֶה לָהֶם מַלְכוּת, לְקַיֵּם "וְאֶת אָחִיךָ תַּעֲבֹד" (בראשית כ"ז:מ'). וְיִתָּכֵן שֶׁאֵלּוּ כֻּלָּם בִּימֵי מֹשֶׁה כְּבָר עָבְרוּ, כִּי הָיוּ זְקֵנִים בְּעֵת שֶׁהִמְלִיכוּ אוֹתָם וְלֹא הֶאֱרִיכוּ יָמִים:

1AND THESE ARE THE KINGS THAT REIGNED IN THE LAND OF EDOM. This was written in order to relate that the blessing of Isaac was fulfilled in Esau. He had said to him, And by thy sword shalt thou live,³⁰⁴ and they prevailed over the sons of Se’ir the Horite and reigned over them in their land. These cities mentioned here were provinces in the land of Edom, for Bozrah³⁰⁵ belonged to Edom, as it is written, For the Eternal hath a sacrifice in Bozrah, and a great slaughter in the land of Edom.³⁰⁶ Similarly, the land of the Temanites,³⁰⁷ is also of Edom, as it is said concerning it, And thy mighty men, O Teman, shall be dismayed, to the end that every one may be cut off from the mount of Esau,³⁰⁸ as are all the cities mentioned here. Scripture, however, relates that these kings did not succeed their fathers, as was the case in Israel.The expression, Before there reigned any king, means “many years before.” But before there reigned any king does not mean that these kingdoms of Edom continued to exist until the kingdom of Israel. Instead, it means to say that at that time the Edomites will not have sovereignty, in order to fulfill Isaac’s words, and thou shalt serve thy brother.³⁰⁴ It is possible that all these kings had already passed away in the days of Moses³⁰⁹, refers to Moses. This coincides with the opinion of Ibn Ezra expressed in his commentary on Verse 31. as they were old when they crowned them, and their lives were not prolonged.