Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah
Ramban on Numbers 32:29/רמב"ן על במדבר ל״ב:כ״ט
אוְטַעַם אִם יַעַבְרוּ בְנֵי גָד וּבְנֵי רְאוּבֵן וְגוֹ' וּנְתַתֶּם לָהֶם אֶת אֶרֶץ הַגִּלְעָד, כִּי עַתָּה לֹא מָסַר לָהֶם מֹשֶׁה כָּל אֶרֶץ סִיחוֹן וְעוֹג, רַק קְצָת עָרִים בְּאֶרֶץ גִּלְעָד שֶׁהוּא מְקוֹם הַמִּקְנֶה, וְהֵם עֲטָרוֹת וְדִיבוֹן וְהַנִּזְכָּרִים כָּאן (במדבר ל״ב:ל״ד-ל״ח) שֶׁבָּנוּ בָּהֶם מִבְצָרִים לָשֶׁבֶת בָּהֶם טַפָּם וּמִקְנֵיהֶם, וּשְׁאָר הָאָרֶץ הִנִּיחוּהָ חֲרֵבָה. וּלְכָךְ צִוָּה לִיהוֹשֻׁעַ וְהַנְּשִׂיאִים: אִם יַעַבְרוּ אִתְּכֶם, תְּנוּ לָהֶם כָּל הָאָרֶץ לַאֲחֻזַּת עוֹלָם, וְאִם לֹא יִרְצוּ לַעֲבֹר אִתְּכֶם, תִּקְחוּ מֵהֶם כָּל הָאָרֶץ הַזֹּאת וּתְגָרְשׁוּ מִשָּׁם נְשֵׁיהֶם וְטַפָּם, וְתִתְּנוּ לָהֶם אֲחֻזָּה הָרְאוּיָה לָהֶם בְּאֶרֶץ כְּנַעַן שֶׁיִּכְבְּשׁוּ אוֹתָהּ לָהֶם כַּאֲשֶׁר יַעַבְרוּ שָׁם. וְר״א אָמַר (אבן עזרא על במדבר ל״ב:ל׳): וְאִם לֹא יַעַבְרוּ בִּרְצוֹנָם, תּוֹלִיכוּם עִמָּכֶם בְּעַל כָּרְחָם וְיֵאָחֲזוּ שָׁם בְּתוֹכְכֶם:
1[AND MOSES SAID UNTO THEM]: ‘IF THE CHILDREN OF GAD AND THE CHILDREN OF REUBEN WILL PASS WITH YOU etc. THEN YE [Joshua and the princes] SHALL GIVE THEM THE LAND OF GILEAD FOR A POSSESSION.’ The reason for this [command that then ye shall give them …] is that Moses did not give them now all the land of Sihon and Og, but only a few cities in the land of Gilead which was a place fit for cattle, namely Ataroth, and Dibon, etc.123 and those mentioned here,124 in which they built fortifications to settle their children and cattle therein, but the rest of the land they left waste. Therefore [Moses] commanded Joshua and the princes: “If they will pass over [the Jordan] with you, you shall give them all the land as a perpetual inheritance. But if they will not want to pass over with you,125 you should take away from them all this land and drive out from it their wives and children, and give them an inheritance fitting for them in the land of Canaan, which they shall conquer for themselves when they cross over [the Jordan].” And Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra commented: “But if they will not pass over125 of their own free will, you shall take them with you against their will, and they shall take their possession there [in the land of Canaan] together with you.”