Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah
Ramban on Genesis 47:9/רמב"ן על בראשית מ״ז:ט׳
אמְעַט וְרָעִים הָיוּ יְמֵי שְׁנֵי חַיַּי לֹא יָדַעְתִּי טַעַם הַזָּקֵן אָבִינוּ, מָה מוּסָר הוּא שֶׁיִּתְאוֹנֵן אֶל הַמֶּלֶךְ, וּמָה טַעַם לֵאמֹר "וְלֹא הִשִּׂיגוּ אֶת יְמֵי שְׁנֵי חַיֵּי אֲבֹתַי", כִּי אוּלַי עוֹד יַשִּׂיגֵם וְיִחְיֶה יוֹתֵר מֵהֶם. וְנִרְאֶה לִי כִּי יַעֲקֹב אָבִינוּ זָרְקָה בּוֹ שֵׂיבָה וְהָיָה נִרְאֶה זָקֵן מְאֹד, וּפַרְעֹה תָּמַהּ עַל זִקְנוּתוֹ, כִּי אֵין רֹב אַנְשֵׁי זְמַנּוֹ מַאֲרִיכִים יָמִים כָּל כָּךְ, שֶׁכְּבָר קָצְרוּ שְׁנוֹתָם, וְלָכֵן שָׁאַל לוֹ "כַּמָּה יְמֵי שְׁנֵי חַיֶּיךָ", כִּי לֹא רָאִיתִי כְּמוֹתְךָ זָקֵן בְּכָל מַלְכוּתִי. אָז עָנָה יַעֲקֹב כִּי יָמָיו שְׁלֹשִׁים וּמְאַת שָׁנָה, וְאַל יִתְמַהּ בָּהֶם כִּי מְעַט הֵם כְּנֶגֶד שְׁנוֹת אֲבוֹתָיו שֶׁחָיוּ יוֹתֵר, אֲבָל מִפְּנֵי הֱיוֹתָם רָעִים בְּעָמָל וַאֲנָחָה זָרְקָה בּוֹ שֵׂיבָה וְנִרְאָה זָקֵן מְאֹד:
1FEW AND EVIL HAVE BEEN THE DAYS OF THE YEARS OF MY LIFE. I know no reason for this comment by our aged patriarch. Is it ethical for a person to complain to the king? And what sense is there in saying, and they have not attained unto the days of the years of the life of my fathers? He may yet possibly attain them and live even longer than they did!It appears to me that our father Jacob had turned gray, and he appeared very old. Pharaoh wondered about his age, for most people of his time did not live very long as the lifespan of mankind had already been shortened.236 He therefore asked him, “How many are the days of the years of thy life,237 as I have not seen a man as aged as you in my entire kingdom?” Then Jacob answered that he was one hundred and thirty years of age, and that he should not wonder at the years he had lived for they are few when compared with the lifespans of his fathers who had lived longer. However, on account of their having been hard years of toil and groaning, he had turned gray and he appeared extremely old.