Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Genesis 47:11/רמב"ן על בראשית מ״ז:י״א

אוְטַעַם וַיּוֹשֵׁב יוֹסֵף וַיִּתֵּן לָהֶם אֲחֻזָּה וְגוֹ' שֶׁהוֹשִׁיב אוֹתָם בְּמֵיטַב הָאָרֶץ וּבַאֲחֻזָּה שֶׁנָּתַן לָהֶם, כִּי לֹא רָצָה שֶׁיִּהְיוּ כְּגֵרִים בָּאָרֶץ וְקָנָה לָהֶם בָּתִּים וְנַחֲלַת שָׂדֶה וְכֶרֶם נָתַן לָהֶם, וְזֶה מֵרְשׁוּת פַּרְעֹה, כִּי הֵם אָמְרוּ "לָגוּר בָּאָרֶץ בָּאנוּ", לֹא לָדוּר, וּכְשֶׁיַּעֲבֹר הָרָעָב נָשׁוּב לְאַרְצֵנוּ, וּפַרְעֹה אָמַר לְיוֹסֵף "הוֹשֵׁב אֶת אָבִיךָ", שֶׁיּוֹשִׁיבֵם כְּאַנְשֵׁי הָאָרֶץ הַתּוֹשָׁבִים בְּאֶרֶץ גֹּשֶׁן:

1AND JOSEPH SETTLED HIS FATHER AND HIS BRETHREN AND GAVE THEM A POSSESSION, etc. The meaning thereof is that he settled them in the choicest land and with the possession which he gave them since he did not want them to be as strangers in the land. Thus he bought them houses and gave them an inheritance of fields and vineyards.²³⁸ This he did with the permission of Pharaoh because they had said, “To sojourn in the land are we come,²³⁹ not to live, and when the famine will pass we will return to our land.” But Pharaoh said to Joseph, Settle thy father,²⁴⁰ meaning that he settle them in the manner of citizens of the land who reside in the land of Goshen.