Commentaire sur Les Nombres 12:6
וַיֹּ֖אמֶר שִׁמְעוּ־נָ֣א דְבָרָ֑י אִם־יִֽהְיֶה֙ נְבִ֣יאֲכֶ֔ם יְהוָ֗ה בַּמַּרְאָה֙ אֵלָ֣יו אֶתְוַדָּ֔ע בַּחֲל֖וֹם אֲדַבֶּר־בּֽוֹ׃
et il dit: "Ecoutez bien mes paroles. S’il n’était que votre prophète, moi, Éternel, je me manifesterais à lui par une vision, c’est en songe que je m’entretiendrais avec lui.
Rashi on Numbers
שמעו נא דברי HEAR, I PRAY YOU, MY WORDS — The word נא is always an expression of entreaty (Sifrei Bamidbar 103).
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Ramban on Numbers
IF THERE BE ‘NEVI’ACHEM’ [literally “your prophet”] - if there be a prophet “among you,” as Onkelos rendered it [“if there be prophets among you”]. And Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra commented that the meaning thereof is: “if there be among you a prophet, a prophet of the Eternal,283The Hebrew text reads: Im yih’yeh nevi’achem Hashem. Ibn Ezra explains it by adding the word navi (prophet), which is in construct with Hashem — “the prophet of the Eternal.” The reason why Ibn Ezra is forced to do so is because when a noun is in construct it cannot have a pronoun as a suffix, and here it says nevi’achem Hashem, the word nevi’achem having such a pronoun as a suffix. Hence Ibn Ezra adds the word navi (the prophet of), to be in construct with the noun Hashem. The sense of the verse is thus: Im yih’yeh nevi’achem ‘nevi’ Hashem. as in [the expression] and the prophecy of Oded the prophet.”284II Chronicles 15:8. The meaning thereof is: “and the prophecy, a prophecy of Oded the prophet.” The point here is that a noun which is in the construct cannot have the prefix hei, which indicates the definite article. Here it is stated: v’hanevua Oded. Hence Ibn Ezra explains it by adding the word nevuath (a prophecy of), making the sense of the phrase: “and the prophecy, a prophecy of Oded the prophet.” He has explained it well. Thus the meaning of the verse is that “even if there is a prophet among you who is a [true] prophet of the Eternal, he can only prophesy by My Great Name through a vision or in riddles.” He mentions this [“if he be a true prophet of the Eternal”] because many prophets did not attain even this [stage], but were prophets by virtue of the Holy Spirit, as it is said, The spirit of the Eternal spoke by me,285II Samuel 23:2. this being the “hand” mentioned in connection with Ezekiel,286Ezekiel 1:3. [and the hand of the Eternal was there upon him] etc. as is explained in the words of Zechariah.287“Most of his messages were in riddles and parables and through an angel; but he was nonetheless a prophet as he attained to Divine vision” (Abusaula).
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Sforno on Numbers
אם יהיה נביאכם, if Moses were a prophet on the same spiritual level as you presumed when you said: “G’d spoke to us also,”
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