Commentary for Joshua 17:15
וַיֹּ֨אמֶר אֲלֵיהֶ֜ם יְהוֹשֻׁ֗עַ אִם־עַם־רַ֤ב אַתָּה֙ עֲלֵ֣ה לְךָ֣ הַיַּ֔עְרָה וּבֵרֵאתָ֤ לְךָ֙ שָׁ֔ם בְּאֶ֥רֶץ הַפְּרִזִּ֖י וְהָֽרְפָאִ֑ים כִּֽי־אָ֥ץ לְךָ֖ הַר־אֶפְרָֽיִם׃
And Joshua said unto them: ‘If thou be a great people, get thee up to the forest, and cut down for thyself there in the land of the Perizzites and of the Rephaim; since the hill-country of Ephraim is too narrow for thee.’
Rashi on Joshua
If you are indeed such a multitude of people— then you have the strength to cut down forests and to clear them, as expressed in old French, essarter, and there you will be able to build cities.10Yehoshua obviously could not change the portion that had been alloted to them in accordance with the method with which the Ribono Shel Olam had commanded him to distribute the land. He therefore suggested that they clear the forest in the mountains, which would give them sufficient land to settle their families and to build cities for them. This land was unclaimed and could be theirs after clearing it and settling there.
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Rashi on Joshua
And cut out— This is an expression of cutting, as stated, “And they will cut them down with their swords,”11Yechezkeil 23:47. essarteras-in Old French,
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Rashi on Joshua
Crowded—dense [or stress].
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