Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Genesis 4:16/רמב"ן על בראשית ד׳:ט״ז

אוְטַעַם וַיֵּצֵא קַיִן מִלִּפְנֵי ה' כִּי עוֹד לֹא עָמַד לְפָנָיו לְעוֹלָם, כַּטַּעַם שֶׁאָמַר "וּמִפָּנֶיךָ אֶסָּתֵר". וְטַעַם "וַיֵּשֶׁב בְּאֶרֶץ נוֹד", שֶׁלֹּא הָלַךְ בְּכָל הָעוֹלָם, אֲבָל בְּאוֹתָהּ הָאָרֶץ יָשַׁב נוֹדֵד תָּמִיד, לֹא יָנוּחַ בְּמָקוֹם מִמֶּנָּה כְּלָל, וְנִקְרֵאת "אֶרֶץ נוֹד" עַל שְׁמוֹ לְעוֹלָם:

1AND CAIN WENT OUT FROM THE PRESENCE OF THE ETERNAL. The sense thereof is that he never stood before Him any more, as he meant when he said, and from Thy face shall I be hid,⁴⁴¹ [as explained above].And he dwelt in the land of Nod. The sense thereof is that Cain did not traverse the entire world, but he dwelt in that land, perpetually wandering therein and not resting at all in any one place thereof, and so it was forever called “the land of Nod (wandering)” after him.