Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Genesis 4:17/רמב"ן על בראשית ד׳:י״ז

אוְטַעַם וַיְהִי בֹּנֶה עִיר וַיִּקְרָא שֵׁם הָעִיר כְּשֵׁם בְּנוֹ חֲנוֹךְ כִּי מִתְּחִלָּה הָיָה חוֹשֵׁב לִהְיוֹת עֲרִירִי בַּעֲוֹנוֹ, וְאַחֲרֵי שֶׁנּוֹלַד לוֹ זֶרַע הֵחֵל לִבְנוֹת עִיר לִהְיוֹת בְּנוֹ יוֹשֵׁב בָּהּ, וּבַעֲבוּר כִּי הוּא אָרוּר וּמַעֲשָׂיו לֹא יַצְלִיחוּ קְרָאוֹ "חֲנוֹךְ", לְהַגִּיד כִּי לֹא בְּנָאָהּ לְעַצְמוֹ כִּי הוּא אֵין לוֹ עִיר וּמוֹשָׁב בָּאָרֶץ כִּי נָע וָנָד הוּא, אֲבָל יִהְיֶה הַבִּנְיָן לַחֲנוֹךְ, וּכְאִלּוּ חֲנוֹךְ בְּנָאָה לְנַפְשׁוֹ. וּמִפְּנֵי שֶׁלֹּא אָמַר "וַיִּבֶן עִיר" כַּאֲשֶׁר יֹאמַר "וַיִּבֶן אֶת נִינְוֵה" (בראשית י':י"א) "וַיִּבְנוּ בְנֵי גָד אֶת דִּיבֹן" (במדבר לב לד), יוֹרֶה כִּי הָיָה כָּל יָמָיו בּוֹנֶה הָעִיר, כִּי מַעֲשָׂיו אֲרוּרִים, יִבְנֶה מְעַט בְּטֹרַח וְעָמָל, וְיָנוּעַ וְיָנוּד מִן הַמָּקוֹם הַהוּא, וְיַחְזֹר שָׁם וְיִבְנֶה מְעַט, וְלֹא יַצְלִיחַ אֶת דְּרָכָיו. וְנִכְתְּבוּ תּוֹלְדוֹת קַיִן וּמַעֲשָׂיו לְהוֹדִיעַ כִּי הַשֵּׁם אֶרֶךְ אַפַּיִם, וְהֶאֱרִיךְ לוֹ כִּי הוֹלִיד בָּנִים וּבְנֵי בָנִים, וְהִזְכִּיר כִּי פֹּקֵד עֲוֹן אָבוֹת עַל בָּנִים וְנִכְרַת זַרְעוֹ. וְרַבּוֹתֵינוּ אָמְרוּ (שמות רבה לא יז) שֶׁחָיָה שָׁנִים רַבּוֹת וּמֵת בַּמַּבּוּל, וְלֹא הוֹרִיד שֵׂיבָתוֹ בְּשָׁלוֹם שְׁאוֹל, רַק רָאָה בְּהִכָּרֵת הוּא וְכָל זַרְעוֹ אִתּוֹ. וְהַקָּרוֹב כִּי לֹא הָיוּ תּוֹלְדוֹתָיו רַק שִׁשָּׁה דּוֹרוֹת עַד הַמַּבּוּל, וְהָיוּ בְּתוֹלְדוֹת שֵׁת שְׁנֵי דּוֹרוֹת יוֹתֵר, אוֹ שֶׁלֹּא הָיָה צָרִיךְ לְסַפֵּר בָּהֶם וְסִפֵּר בְּאֵלֶּה, לְהוֹדִיעַ מִי הָיוּ הַמַּתְחִילִים בְּבִנְיַן הֶעָרִים וּבְמִרְעֶה הַצֹּאן וְחָכְמַת הַנִּגּוּן וּמְלֶאכֶת הַמַּתָּכוֹת, וְכָתַב תּוֹכַחַת לֶמֶךְ עִם נָשָׁיו לְהַגִּיד כִּי הוֹלִיד הוּא אַךְ בָּנָיו נִכְרְתוּ טֶרֶם הוֹלִידָם:

1AND HE BUILDED A CITY, AND CALLED THE NAME OF THE CITY AFTER THE NAME OF HIS SON ENOCH. For at first Cain thought that he would be childless on account of his sin, but after a child was born to him he began to build a city for his son to dwell therein. But because he himself was cursed and his works would not prosper, he called the city “Enoch,” thus proclaiming that he did not build it for himself since he has no city or dwelling place in the land because he was a fugitive and wanderer; rather, the building would be for Enoch, and it is as if Enoch had built it for himself.Now since it does not say vayiven ir (and he built a city) — [but rather, vayehi boneh ir, which literally means “and he was building a city,”] as it says elsewhere, vayiven (and he builded) Nineveh;⁴⁴⁶ And the children of Gad built Dibon⁴⁴⁷ — it indicates that he was building the city all his days because his works were cursed. Thus he would build a little with effort and toil, and then move and wander off from that place and return there and build a little more, but he would not prosper in his ways.The descendants of Cain and his works were recorded in Scripture in order to make known that G-d is long-suffering and that He prolonged the time of his punishment,⁴⁴⁸ for he begot children and children’s children, and then it relates how He visited the iniquity of the fathers upon the children,⁴⁴⁹, Verse 7. and his descendants perished. Our Rabbis say⁴⁵⁰ that Cain lived many years and that he died in the flood. Thus his hoary head did not go down to the grave in peace,⁴⁵¹ rather he saw his destruction and all his seed with him.⁴⁵²It would appear that Cain’s descendants consisted of only six generations⁴⁵³ until the flood, while among the descendants of Seth [the third son of Adam] there were an additional two generations before the flood.⁴⁵⁴ [It may be that Cain’s descendants consisted of more than six generations before the flood, but Scripture] had no need to relate anything concerning them. It recorded only the names of those who began the building of cities, the grazing of sheep, the art of music, and the skill of working with metals. Scripture also recorded Lamech’s chastisement of his wives in order to tell us that he did beget children but his sons perished before they begot offspring.