Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah
Ramban on Numbers 33:41/רמב"ן על במדבר ל״ג:מ״א
אוַיִּסְעוּ מֵהֹר הָהָר וַיַּחֲנוּ בְּצַלְמֹנָה – הָיוּ אֵלּוּ הַמְּקוֹמוֹת צַלְמוֹנָה וּפוּנוֹן בְּדֶרֶךְ יַם סוּף סְבִיב אֶרֶץ אֱדוֹם, וַתִּקְצַר נֶפֶשׁ הָעָם בַּדֶּרֶךְ. וְהִנֵּה דִּבְּרוּ בֵּאלֹהִים וּבְמֹשֶׁה בַּדֶּרֶךְ, וְשָׁלַח בָּהֶם הַנְּחָשִׁים הַשְּׂרָפִים בְּלֶכְתָּם בַּדֶּרֶךְ וּבַחֲנוֹתָם בַּמַּחֲנֶה. וְעָשָׂה מֹשֶׁה נְחַשׁ נְחֹשֶׁת, וְהָיוּ מוֹלִיכִים אוֹתוֹ עַל הַנֵּס בְּכָל הַדֶּרֶךְ וּבַחֲנוֹתָם בְּצַלְמוֹנָה וּבְפוּנוֹן, וְלֹא סָרָה מֵהֶם עַד שֶׁחָנוּ בְּאוֹבוֹת. וְעַל כֵּן לֹא הִזְכִּיר הַכָּתוּב בַּמְּאוֹרָע הַהוּא שֵׁם מָקוֹם, וְאָמַר שָׁם: ״וַיִּסְעוּ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיַּחֲנוּ בְּאוֹבוֹת״ (במדבר כ״א:י׳), וְלֹא אָמַר "וַיִּסְעוּ מִמָּקוֹם פְּלוֹנִי וַיַּחֲנוּ בְּאוֹבוֹת" כַּאֲשֶׁר יֹאמַר בְּכָל הַמַּסָּעוֹת, כִּי בְּכָל הַדֶּרֶךְ הַזֶּה הָיָה הָעִנְיָן מִשֶּׁנָּסְעוּ מֵהֹר הָהָר עַד שֶׁחָנוּ בְּאוֹבוֹת. וְנָסְעוּ מֵאוֹבוֹת וְחָנוּ בְּעִיֵּי הָעֲבָרִים, וּמִשָּׁם נָסְעוּ וַיַּחֲנוּ בְּדִיבוֹן גָּד וּבְעַלְמוֹן דִּבְלָתַיְמָה וְהָרֵי הָעֲבָרִים, וְהֵם מְקוֹמוֹת בְּנַחַל זֶרֶד:
1AND THEY JOURNEYED FROM MOUNT HOR, AND PITCHED IN ZALMONAH. These places — Zalmonah and Punon15 — were by the way of the Red Sea circling the land of Edom, and the soul of the people became impatient because of the way,16 and they [therefore] spoke against G-d, and Moses17, Verse 5. on the way, and G-d sent against them the fiery serpents whilst they were travelling and when they rested in camp. Then Moses made the serpent of brass, which they carried upon a pole18, Verse 9. all the way, and [kept it] when they encamped in Zalmonah and Punon, and it was not removed from them until they pitched in Oboth.19 Therefore Scripture there, in narrating this episode [of the fiery serpents, above in Chapter 21], did not mention the name of the place [from which they set forth again, i.e., Zalmonah and Punon] and [merely] stated, And the children of Israel journeyed, and pitched in Oboth,20 without saying “and they journeyed from such-and-such a place and pitched in Oboth,” as it does with all the [other stages of their] journeyings. This is because the matter [of the brass serpent] continued throughout this way — from the time that they journeyed from Mount Hor until they pitched in Oboth, and they journeyed from Oboth and pitched in Ije-abarim.21, Verse 11. — Verse 44 here. From there they journeyed and they pitched in Divon-gad, and then in Almon-diblathaim, and [finally] in the mountains of Abarim,22 [all these] being places in the valley of Zered.23