Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah
Ramban on Genesis 46:7/רמב"ן על בראשית מ״ו:ז׳
אוּבְנוֹת בָּנָיו שֶׂרַח בַּת אָשֵׁר וְיוֹכֶבֶד בַּת לֵוִי, לְשׁוֹן רַשִׁ"י (רש"י על בראשית מ"ו:ז'), וּמָה יְרַבֶּה בִּבְנוֹתָיו. אֲבָל דֶּרֶךְ הַכָּתוּב כְּשֶׁיְּדַבֵּר בְּיִחוּסֵי הָרַבִּים יֹאמַר בְּיָחִיד לְשׁוֹן רַבִּים, "וּבְנֵי דָּן חוּשִׁים" (בראשית מ"ו:כ"ג), "וּבְנֵי פַלּוּא אֱלִיאָב" (במדבר כו ח), וְכֵן "בְּנוֹתָיו" – דִּינָה, "וּבְנוֹת בָּנָיו" – סֶרַח בַּת אָשֵׁר, אֲבָל יוֹכֶבֶד לֹא יַזְכִּירֶנָּה הַכָּתוּב, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמַר "כָּל נֶפֶשׁ שִׁשִּׁים וָשֵׁשׁ", אֲבָל יִרְמֹז אֵלֶיהָ כְּדַעַת רַבּוֹתֵינוּ (ב"ב קכג):
1AND HIS SONS’ DAUGHTERS. These were Serah, the daughter of Asher, and Jochebed, the daughter of Levi. This is the language of Rashi. But what will Rashi include in the term, his daughters, [which is also plural, although Jacob only had one daughter, Dinah]? Rather, it is the way of Scripture, when mentioning the genealogy of many people, to refer to an individual in the plural form, as for example, And the sons of Dan: Hushim;181 And the sons of Palu: Eliab.182 The same is true here: “daughters” refer to Dinah. “His sons’ daughters” refers to Serah the daughter of Asher, but Jochebed [Moses’ mother] is not mentioned by Scripture [as being among the persons who went down to Egypt], as it is said, All the souls were threescore and six.183 She is, however, hinted at, according to the opinion of our Rabbis.184