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Ramban on Numbers 20:19/רמב"ן על במדבר כ׳:י״ט
אבַּמְסִלָּה נַעֲלֶה – הִנֵּה מִתְּחִלָּה הָיוּ אוֹמְרִין לָבֹא בֶּעָרִים, רַק יִשְׁתַּמְּרוּ שֶׁלֹּא יִכָּנְסוּ בְּשָׂדֶה וּבְכֶרֶם, כְּדֶרֶךְ מַחֲנוֹת עַם רַב שֶׁשּׁוֹלְלִים אֶת הַגְּרָנוֹת וְנִכְנָסִים בַּכְּרָמִים. אֲבָל יֵלְכוּ בְּדֶרֶךְ הַמֶּלֶךְ שֶׁהִיא דֶּרֶךְ הָרַבִּים, לֹא דֶּרֶךְ הַיָּחִיד. וְהָיוּ אוֹמְרִים שֶׁלֹּא יִשְׁתּוּ כְּלָל הַמַּיִם אֲשֶׁר לָהֶם בַּבְּאֵרוֹת לְצָרְכָּם. אַחֲרֵי כֵן שָׁלְחוּ לָהֶם שֶׁלֹּא יִקְרְבוּ לֶעָרִים כְּלָל, אֲבָל יֵלְכוּ בַּמְסִלָּה הָעוֹלָה לְאֶרֶץ כְּנַעַן שֶׁהִיא סְלוּלָה וּכְבוּשָׁה לַכֹּל, וְאִם יִשְׁתּוּ מֵימֵי הַנְּהָרוֹת בַּדְּרָכִים הֵם וְהַבְּהֵמוֹת בְּעָבְרָם בַּנָּהָר יִתְּנוּ דְמֵיהֶם שֶׁנֶּהֱנוּ מֵהֶם. עַל כֵּן אָמַר ״רַק אֵין דָּבָר״ - שֶׁאֵין בָּזֶה הֶפְסֵד שׁוּם דָּבָר. וַאֲחֵרִים פֵּרְשׁוּ ״לֹא נִשְׁתֶּה מֵי בְאֵר אִם לֹא בְּדָמִים״, וְאֵינֶנּוּ נָכוֹן, כִּי לָמָּה יַחֲזֹר לִשְׁלֹחַ לוֹ מַה שֶׁלֹּא רָצָה בַּתְּחִלָּה. וּמִדְרָשׁוֹ (תנחומא חקת יב) ״לֹא נִשְׁתֶּה מֵי בְאֵר שֶׁלָּנוּ וְנִקַּח מִכֶּם״ כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתַב רַשִׁ״י (רש״י על במדבר כ׳:י״ז). וְאָמְרוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל לֶאֱדוֹם ״עַד אֲשֶׁר נַעֲבֹר גְּבוּלֶךָ״ וְלֹא הִזְכִּירוּ לוֹ אֶל הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר ה' אֱלֹהֵינוּ נֹתֵן לָנוּ, שֶׁלֹּא יְקַנֵּא בָּהֶם עַל הָאָרֶץ לֵאמֹר כִּי לָהֶם הָיְתָה לוּלֵי שֶׁלָּקַח בְּכוֹרָתוֹ וּבִרְכָתוֹ בְּמִרְמָה. אֲבָל לְסִיחוֹן הִזְכִּירוּ ״עַד אֲשֶׁר אֶעֱבֹר אֶת הַיַּרְדֵּן אֶל הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר ה' אֱלֹהֵינוּ נֹתֵן לָנוּ״ כְּמוֹ שֶׁהִזְכִּיר מֹשֶׁה בְּמִשְׁנֵה תּוֹרָה (דברים ב כט):
1AND THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL SAID UNTO HIM: ‘WE WILL GO UP BY THE HIGHWAY.’ At first they had said202 that they would come into the cities, but would take care not to enter fields and vineyards as armies [consisting of] many people are wont to do, in order to plunder the threshing-floors and to invade the vineyards. Instead, they [promised] to go along the king’s highway,202 which is a public thoroughfare,203 (the king’s highway) is explained as a definite official highway which followed the eastern bank of the Jordan. Ramban’s interpretation is thus unlike Ibn Ezra’s who explains it to mean the way which the king of Edom will specify for their passage. not a private road. Furthermore they said [at first] that they would not drink any of the water which they [the Edomites] have in their wells for their own needs. Afterwards the Israelites sent them a message [saying] that they would not [even] approach the cities at all, but they would go by the highway which leads up to the land of Canaan, which is a paved road traversed by all people, and if they or their animals drink [even] of the waters of the rivers on the way, whilst passing through the rivers, they would pay them for the benefit they derived from them. Therefore Moses said [here in Verse 19] there is no hurt, meaning that in [passing through their land] there would be no damage of any sort. Other scholars204 explain [that they meant to say] we shall not drink of the water of the wells202 unless we pay for it. But this is not correct, for [if so] why would he [Moses] propose to them again that which he [the king of Edom] had already refused at the beginning? [as explained in Verses 17-18]. The Midrashic interpretation205 12. According to this explanation Moses was offering to buy from the Edomites their water, although the Israelites could have drunk freely from Miriam’s Well. is: “We shall not drink of the waters of [our own] well,206 but instead we will buy from you,” as Rashi wrote.Israel said to Edom, until we have passed thy border207 and they did not say to him [“and we will reach] the Land which the Eternal our G-d giveth us” [as they told Sihon king of Heshbon],208 in order that Edom should not be jealous of them [taking possession] of the Land, and [should not] claim that it would be theirs [the Edomites’], had not [Jacob] taken [Esau’s] birthright and blessing from him with guile.209 But to Sihon they did mention, until I shall pass over the Jordan into the Land which the Eternal our G-d giveth us,208 as Moses stated in the Book of Deuteronomy.