Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah
Ramban on Genesis 39:12/רמב"ן על בראשית ל״ט:י״ב
אוַיַּעֲזֹב בִּגְדוֹ בְּיָדָהּ לִכְבוֹד גְּבִרְתּוֹ לֹא רָצָה לְהוֹצִיאוֹ מִיָּדָהּ בְּכֹחוֹ הַגָּדוֹל מִמֶּנָּה, וְהֵסִיר אוֹתוֹ מֵעָלָיו כִּי הָיָה בֶּגֶד שֶׁיִּתְעַטֵּף בּוֹ כִּמְעִיל וְצָנִיף, וְהִיא בִּרְאוֹתָהּ כִּי הִנִּיחַ בִּגְדּוֹ בְּיָדָהּ פָּחֲדָה פֶּן יְגַלֶּה עָלֶיהָ לִבְנֵי הַבַּיִת אוֹ לַאֲדֹנָיו, וְהִקְדִּימַתּוּ אֲלֵיהֶם לֵאמֹר כִּי הִפְשִׁיט בִּגְדוֹ לִשְׁכַּב עִמָּהּ, וּבִרְאוֹתוֹ כִּי הֲרִימוֹתִי קוֹלִי נִבְהַל לִבְרֹחַ. וְזֶה טַעַם "וַיְהִי כִּרְאוֹתָהּ כִּי עָזַב בִּגְדוֹ", וְלָכֵן לֹא הִגִּידָה הִיא וַיַּעֲזֹב בִּגְדוֹ בְּיָדִי, רַק אָמְרָה לְאַנְשֵׁי בֵּיתָהּ וּלְבַעְלָהּ "וַיַּעֲזֹב בִּגְדוֹ אֶצְלִי":
1AND HE LEFT HIS GARMENT IN HER HAND. Out of respect for his mistress he did not wish to take the garment from her hand with his superior strength, and he removed it from upon himself, as it was a garment which one wears as a robe and headdress. But when she saw that he left his garment in her hands she feared lest he expose her to the people of the household or his master, and so she preceded him to them, saying that he had removed his garment to lie with her, but “when he saw that I screamed he fled in confusion.” This is the meaning of the verse, And it came to pass, when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand.231 This is also why she did not say, “And he left his garment in my hand,” but she instead told the men of her house and her husband, And he left his garment ‘etzli’ (with me).232 (with me) indicates that he himself had removed his garment, as explained above.