Commentaire sur Le Deutéronome 29:10
טַפְּכֶ֣ם נְשֵׁיכֶ֔ם וְגֵ֣רְךָ֔ אֲשֶׁ֖ר בְּקֶ֣רֶב מַחֲנֶ֑יךָ מֵחֹטֵ֣ב עֵצֶ֔יךָ עַ֖ד שֹׁאֵ֥ב מֵימֶֽיךָ׃
vos enfants, vos femmes et l’étranger qui est dans tes camps, depuis le fendeur de bois jusqu’au puiseur d’eau,
Rashi on Deuteronomy
מחטב עציך FROM THE WOODCUTTER [UNTO THE DRAWER OF THE WATER] — This teaches that some of the Canaanites came in Moses' days to become proselytes just as the Gibeonites came in the days of Joshua, — and this is the meaning of what is stated of the Gibeonites, (Joshua 9:4) “And they also acted cunningly”; — and Moses made them woodcutters and drawers of water (cf. Midrash Tanchuma, Nitzavim 2).
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Sforno on Deuteronomy
טפכם נשיכם, people who normally require the consent of their husbands or fathers to do what they do.
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Siftei Chakhamim
This teaches that Canaanites came to convert during the days of Moshe, etc. It does not mean to say that they deceived Moshe as they [later] deceived Yehoshua, for God forbid that they deceived the one [i.e., Moshe] of whom it says In My entire house he is trusted (Bamidbar 12:7). Rather, they came to him to make peace with him, but he did not receive them [by making a covenant with them], rather he assigned them to serve as wood cutters and water drawers. And the explanation of they too, etc, is that they came, but not that they were able to deceive him.
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