וַיִּסְפֹּ֣ר שְׁלֹמֹ֗ה כָּל־הָאֲנָשִׁ֤ים הַגֵּירִים֙ אֲשֶׁר֙ בְּאֶ֣רֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל אַחֲרֵ֣י הַסְּפָ֔ר אֲשֶׁ֥ר סְפָרָ֖ם דָּוִ֣יד אָבִ֑יו וַיִּמָּצְא֗וּ מֵאָ֤ה וַחֲמִשִּׁים֙ אֶ֔לֶף וּשְׁלֹ֥שֶׁת אֲלָפִ֖ים וְשֵׁ֥שׁ מֵאֽוֹת׃
Salomon fit le relevé de tous les individus étrangers établis dans le pays d’Israël et qui avaient déjà été recensés par son père David: ils s’élevaient au nombre de cent cinquante-trois mille six cents.
Rabbeinu Bahya
The author describes “wisdom” as “Sefer,” seeing that the generations pass from this earth and their wisdom disappears with them except for what has been committed to paper, i.e. a book, a “Sefer.”
“Sefor” is the בינה “insight,” employed by man when he counts. This we also know from Chronicles II 2,16: ויספר שלמה כל .האנשים הגירים אשר בארץ ישראל אחרי הספר אשר ספרם דוד אביו. ”Solomon counted all the aliens who were in the land of Israel, besides the census taken by his father David.
The word “Sippur” refers to all the other countings and numbers that man can achieve and talk about. You should be aware that the word “Sefer” represents the letter י of the three letters י-ה-ו, whereas the word “Sefor” represents the letter ה in that sequence; finally, the word “Sippur” represents the letterו in that sequence. This is what is meant by תפארת which is the sixth of the emanations. You are also aware that the mumerical value of the wordספר is 340. In view of this, the three times we encounter the word ספר are three different names for שכל , intelligence. Although “intelligence” is multifaceted, and of different strengths, these three aspects of intelligence are the major ones,. Similarly, the above-mentioned three letters of the Holy Name of G’d are the principal ones. They are all derived from the same root, the One who has stamped the world with His imprint, the כתר, crown, which is also known as אין סוף “The Infinite One.”
You need to appreciate that the words in Exodus 15,25 שם שם לו חק ומשפט ,“there He gave them statutes and social laws,” is an allusion to this wisdom . (According to a Kabbalistic text called Ginat Egoz, the fact that the letters of the word שם appears three times in the above-mentioned verse may be the reason for this comment in the ספר היצירה).
“Sefor” is the בינה “insight,” employed by man when he counts. This we also know from Chronicles II 2,16: ויספר שלמה כל .האנשים הגירים אשר בארץ ישראל אחרי הספר אשר ספרם דוד אביו. ”Solomon counted all the aliens who were in the land of Israel, besides the census taken by his father David.
The word “Sippur” refers to all the other countings and numbers that man can achieve and talk about. You should be aware that the word “Sefer” represents the letter י of the three letters י-ה-ו, whereas the word “Sefor” represents the letter ה in that sequence; finally, the word “Sippur” represents the letterו in that sequence. This is what is meant by תפארת which is the sixth of the emanations. You are also aware that the mumerical value of the wordספר is 340. In view of this, the three times we encounter the word ספר are three different names for שכל , intelligence. Although “intelligence” is multifaceted, and of different strengths, these three aspects of intelligence are the major ones,. Similarly, the above-mentioned three letters of the Holy Name of G’d are the principal ones. They are all derived from the same root, the One who has stamped the world with His imprint, the כתר, crown, which is also known as אין סוף “The Infinite One.”
You need to appreciate that the words in Exodus 15,25 שם שם לו חק ומשפט ,“there He gave them statutes and social laws,” is an allusion to this wisdom . (According to a Kabbalistic text called Ginat Egoz, the fact that the letters of the word שם appears three times in the above-mentioned verse may be the reason for this comment in the ספר היצירה).
Ramban
COME, LET US DEAL WISELY WITH HIM. Pharaoh and his wise counsellors27See Isaiah 19:11. did not see fit to slay them by the sword, for it would have been a gross treachery to smite without reason a people that had come into the land by command of a former king. The people of the country also would not give the king consent to commit such perfidy since he took counsel with them,28As it says in Verse 9: And he said unto his people… and all the more so since the children of Israel were a numerous and mighty people and would wage a great war against them. Rather, Pharaoh said he would do it wisely so that the Israelites would not feel that it was done in enmity against them.
It is for this reason that he placed a levy upon them, as it was customary that strangers in a country contribute a levy to the king, as it is mentioned in the case of King Solomon.29II Chronicles 2:16-17. Afterwards he secretly commanded the midwives to kill the male children upon the birthstool30Verse 16. so that even the mothers should not know it. Following that, he charged all his people, Every son that is born, ye — yourselves — shall cast into the river.31Verse 22. Essentially, Pharaoh did not want to charge his executioners to slay them by the decree of the king or to cast them into the river. Rather, he said to the people that whoever would find a Jewish child should throw him into the river. Should the child’s father complain to the king or to the master of the city, they would tell him to bring witnesses and then they will exact vengeance [for the crime]. Now once the king’s restriction was removed,32Literally, “And when the king’s strap was untied.” In other words, when the government’s restraint against murder was removed, the Egyptians, etc. Ramban thus traces through the verses the gradual disintegration of the Israelites’ right to life in ancient Egypt. the Egyptians would search the houses, entering them at night, and indifferent [to the cries of the parents], would remove the children therefrom. It is therefore said, And when she could no longer hide him.33Further, 2:3.
It appears that this [decree to drown the Israelite children] lasted but a short time, for when Aaron was born [three years before Moses],34Ibid., 7:7. the decree was not yet in existence,35This would explain why his mother did not have to seek a way to preserve his life. and when [shortly after] Moses was born, it appears that the decree was revoked. Perhaps it was through Pharaoh’s daughter, who, in her compassion for the child Moses, said to her father that he should not act in that way. It may be that when it became known that this decree was enacted by the king, he revoked it, or again it may be that it was revoked on account of the astrologers, as is the opinion of the Rabbis,36“When Moses was thrown into the waters, the astrologers said to Pharaoh, ‘Their deliverer has already been cast into the waters.’ Immediately, they voided the decree” (Shemoth Rabbah 1:29). See also Rashi to Verse 22 here. since it was all done dexterously by them in order that the crime not be known. This is the meaning of the complaint made to Moses our teacher [by the officers of the children of Israel], Ye have made our savor to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to slay us,37Further, 5:21. meaning, “Now they will increase their hatred of us and find justification for saying that we rebel against the government, and they will then openly slay us by the sword without the necessity of doing it slyly.”
It is for this reason that he placed a levy upon them, as it was customary that strangers in a country contribute a levy to the king, as it is mentioned in the case of King Solomon.29II Chronicles 2:16-17. Afterwards he secretly commanded the midwives to kill the male children upon the birthstool30Verse 16. so that even the mothers should not know it. Following that, he charged all his people, Every son that is born, ye — yourselves — shall cast into the river.31Verse 22. Essentially, Pharaoh did not want to charge his executioners to slay them by the decree of the king or to cast them into the river. Rather, he said to the people that whoever would find a Jewish child should throw him into the river. Should the child’s father complain to the king or to the master of the city, they would tell him to bring witnesses and then they will exact vengeance [for the crime]. Now once the king’s restriction was removed,32Literally, “And when the king’s strap was untied.” In other words, when the government’s restraint against murder was removed, the Egyptians, etc. Ramban thus traces through the verses the gradual disintegration of the Israelites’ right to life in ancient Egypt. the Egyptians would search the houses, entering them at night, and indifferent [to the cries of the parents], would remove the children therefrom. It is therefore said, And when she could no longer hide him.33Further, 2:3.
It appears that this [decree to drown the Israelite children] lasted but a short time, for when Aaron was born [three years before Moses],34Ibid., 7:7. the decree was not yet in existence,35This would explain why his mother did not have to seek a way to preserve his life. and when [shortly after] Moses was born, it appears that the decree was revoked. Perhaps it was through Pharaoh’s daughter, who, in her compassion for the child Moses, said to her father that he should not act in that way. It may be that when it became known that this decree was enacted by the king, he revoked it, or again it may be that it was revoked on account of the astrologers, as is the opinion of the Rabbis,36“When Moses was thrown into the waters, the astrologers said to Pharaoh, ‘Their deliverer has already been cast into the waters.’ Immediately, they voided the decree” (Shemoth Rabbah 1:29). See also Rashi to Verse 22 here. since it was all done dexterously by them in order that the crime not be known. This is the meaning of the complaint made to Moses our teacher [by the officers of the children of Israel], Ye have made our savor to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to slay us,37Further, 5:21. meaning, “Now they will increase their hatred of us and find justification for saying that we rebel against the government, and they will then openly slay us by the sword without the necessity of doing it slyly.”
Rashi
Seventy thousand men who carried loads. To bring the stones from the mountain to the city, and there were [an additional] eighty thousand who quarried them from the mountain, totaling one hundred fifty thousand [workers]. And they were all proselytes who were drawn, [i.e.,] they converted because of Shlomo’s greatness and his hospitality. And it is likewise written in Divrei Hayomim, “And Shlomo counted all the proselytes and they were found a hundred and fifty thousand. And he made seventy thousand, etc.”20II Divrei Hayomim 2:17.