Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Genesis 49:17/רמב"ן על בראשית מ״ט:י״ז

אשְׁפִיפוֹן שֵׁם לַנָּחָשׁ שֶׁיָּשׁוּף עָקֵב, וְנִכְפְּלָה בּוֹ הָעַיִ"ן. וְאָמְרוּ בַּיְּרוּשַׁלְמִי בְּמַסֶּכֶת תְּרוּמוֹת (פ"ח מ"ג), מִין קָטָן הוּא וּשְׁפִיפוֹן שְׁמוֹ, וְדוֹמֶה לְשַׂעֲרָה, וְנִתְּנָה רְשׁוּת לָאָרֶץ לִבָּקַע מִפָּנָיו. וְדִמָּה שִׁמְשׁוֹן לְנָחָשׁ בַּעֲבוּר שֶׁלֹּא הָיָה שִׁמְשׁוֹן בָּא עַל אוֹיְבָיו בַּמִּלְחָמָה כַּאֲשֶׁר הַשּׁוֹפְטִים אוֹ הַמְּלָכִים, רַק הוּא לְבַדּוֹ יוֹצֵא עֲלֵיהֶם כְּמוֹ צִפְעוֹנִי הַיֹּצֵא מִמְּאוּרָתוֹ עַל הוֹלְכֵי דֶּרֶךְ, אוֹ הַמִּין הַקָּטָן שֶׁבַּנְּחָשִׁים שֶׁאֵינוֹ נִכָּר כְּלָל לְהוֹלְכֵי אֹרַח:

1SH’PHIPHON (SERPENT)¹⁹². is the name of a snake which bites at the heel, with the second root-letter¹⁹³. being doubled.¹⁹⁴ is shapha which means “hissing while biting,” except that the letter pei is here doubled. In the Jerusalem Talmud, Tractate Terumoth¹⁹⁵ the Rabbis said, “It is a small kind of serpent, its name is sh’phiphon, and it is as thin as a hair,” with the earth being permitted to crack before it. Samson is compared to a snake because Samson did not wage war against his enemies as did the other judges and kings. Rather he alone went out against them, just as the viper which leaves his hole to attack travellers on the road, or the small species of serpent of which the traveller is not at all aware.

בוְטַעַם הַנּוֹשֵׁךְ עִקְּבֵי סוּס רֶמֶז לִשְׁנֵי הָעַמֻּדִים אֲשֶׁר הַבַּיִת נָכוֹן עֲלֵיהֶם (שופטים טז כט), וּשְׁלֹשֶׁת אֲלָפִים אֲשֶׁר עַל הַגָּג (שם פסוק כז) הֵם הָרוֹכֵב הַנּוֹפֵל אָחוֹר, כַּאֲשֶׁר יִשֹּׁךְ הַנָּחָשׁ בְּעִקְבֵי הַסּוּס יַגְבִּיהַּ הַסּוּס רֹאשׁוֹ וְרַגְלָיו הָרִאשׁוֹנִים, וְיִפּוֹל רוֹכְבוֹ אָחוֹר:

2THAT BITETH THE HORSE’s HEEL.¹⁹². This alludes to the two pillars¹⁹⁶ upon which the house of Dagan, the Philistine god, rested, whereas the three thousand people who were upon its roof¹⁹⁷, Verse 27. are “the rider that falleth backward,”¹⁹⁸ for when the snake bites the horse’s heels, the horse lifts its head and his forefeet, causing the rider to fall backward.