Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah
Ramban on Numbers 2:4/רמב"ן על במדבר ב׳:ד׳
אוְטַעַם וּצְבָאוֹ וּפְקוּדֵיהֶם וְכָל הַפְּקוּדִים לְמַחֲנֵה יְהוּדָה, וְכֵן כֻּלָּם - הֵם דִּבְרֵי ה' אֶל מֹשֶׁה, נִמְשָׁךְ אֶל ״וַיְדַבֵּר ה' אֶל מֹשֶׁה וְאֶל אַהֲרֹן״ (במדבר ב':א'), כִּי לֹא מְנָאוּם עַתָּה פַּעַם אַחֶרֶת. וְכֵן טַעַם אֵלֶּה פְקוּדֵי בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל (במדבר ב':ל״ב), בַּעֲבוּר שֶׁאָמַר (שם) כָּל פְּקוּדֵי הַמַּחֲנוֹת לְצִבְאוֹתָם. וְהִזְכִּיר כָּל זֶה לְהוֹדִיעַ שֶׁמִּיּוֹם הַמִּנְיָן וְעַד שֶׁנִּתְקְנוּ הַמַּחֲנוֹת וְחָנוּ כֵן לְדִגְלֵיהֶם וְכֵן נָסָעוּ, לֹא נִפְקַד מֵהֶם אִישׁ. וְזֶה מַעֲשֵׂה נֵס שֶׁיִּהְיוּ עֶשְׂרִים יוֹם שֶׁלֹּא יָמוּת אֶחָד מִכָּל הָעָם הַגָּדוֹל הַזֶּה. הַשִּׁנּוּי בְּשֵׁם אֲבִי הַנָּשִׂיא לִבְנֵי גָד, בַּעֲבוּר כִּי הַמִּנְהָג בִּלְשׁוֹן הַקֹּדֶשׁ לְשַׁנּוֹת הַשֵּׁמוֹת בְּטַעַם שָׁוֶה, כְּמוֹ זֶרַח (במדבר כ״ו:י״ג) וְצֹחַר (בראשית מ״ו:י') מִלְּשׁוֹן "כְּצֶמֶר צָחַר" (ראה יחזקאל כ״ז:י״ח). וְנִקְרָא דְּעוּאֵל שֶׁיָּדַע אֶת הָאֵל - רְעוּאֵל, שֶׁשָּׂם רַעְיוֹן לִבּוֹ בָּאֵל, כְּמוֹ ״וְלִי מַה יָּקְרוּ רֵעֶיךָ אֵל״ (תהלים קל״ט:י״ז), ״בַּנְתָּ לְרֵעִי מֵרָחוֹק״ (שם פסוק ב'). וְהָיוּ קוֹרְאִים הָאִישׁ הַהוּא בִּשְׁנֵי שֵׁמוֹת, וּלְכָךְ תַּזְכִּירֶנּוּ הַתּוֹרָה בִּשְׁנֵיהֶם:
1AND HIS HOST, AND THOSE THAT WERE NUMBERED OF THEM. The meaning thereof, as well as of all that were numbered of the camp of Judah,132 and so also all [such verses in this chapter], is that these are the words of G-d to Moses, connected with [the opening statement], And the Eternal spoke unto Moses and unto Aaron,133 since they did not count them now a second time. This is also the sense of the verse, These are they that were numbered of the children of Israel,134 because He stated [in that same verse] all that were numbered of the camps according to their hosts [which indicates that He is referring to a census which had previously taken place, and not to a new census]. He mentioned all this in order to tell us that from the day of the census [which was on the first of Iyar]135 until the camps were established [according to the four standards] and they so pitched by the standards, and so they set forward136 [which was on the twentieth of Iyar],137, 10:11, and see Taanith 29a [“on that day they turned aside” and hence they became subject again to death] not one man was missing. This was miraculous, in that not one person of this great multitude died [in the period of twenty days].The change in the name of the father of the prince of the children of Gad [who is called Deuel above in 1: 14, and here in Verse 14 is referred to as Reuel], is because it is customary in the Sacred Language to change names of the same meaning, such as Zerah138 [one of the sons of Shimon], and Zohar139 [referring to the same son of Shimon, both names meaning “brightness”], of the expression as ‘tzachar’ (white) wool.140 Now [the father of the prince of the children of Gad] was called “Deuel” [of the root dei’ah, “knowledge”] because he “knew” G-d, [and he was also called] “Reuel” [of the root ra’ayon, “thoughts,” or re’uth, “longing” “striving”] because “he set all the thoughts of his heart on G-d,” similar to the expression in these verses: How weighty also are ‘rei’echa’ (Thy thoughts) unto me, O G-d;141 Thou understandest ‘l’rei’i’ (my thought) afar off.142, Verse 2. Since people used to call that person by two names [e.g. Deuel and Reuel], therefore the Torah mentioned both of them.