וַֽיְהִ֞י גְּב֤וּל הַֽכְּנַעֲנִי֙ מִצִּידֹ֔ן בֹּאֲכָ֥ה גְרָ֖רָה עַד־עַזָּ֑ה בֹּאֲכָ֞ה סְדֹ֧מָה וַעֲמֹרָ֛ה וְאַדְמָ֥ה וּצְבֹיִ֖ם עַד־לָֽשַׁע׃
Le territoire du peuple cananéen s’étendait depuis Sidon jusqu’à Gaza dans la direction de Gherar; jusqu’à Lécha, dans la direction de Sodome, Gomorrhe, Adma et Ceboïm.
Ramban
FROM THERE WERE PARTED THE INHABITANTS OF THE MARITIME SETTLEMENT OF THE NATIONS IN THEIR LANDS. The meaning of this is that the children of Japheth are those who dwell on the isles of the sea, and they are separated, each one of his sons residing singly on another isle, and their countries are far from each other. This was indeed the blessing of their father Noah, who said, May G-d enlarge Japheth,264Above, 9:27. meaning that they be numerous in the expanses of the earth. The sons of Ham, however, are all near one another as they dwell on the continents. Therefore Scripture said, And the boundary of the Canaanite was from Sidon…in their lands and in their nations.265Verses 19-20 here. The same is true of the sons of Shem.
Now Scripture narrates all this in order to inform us of Abraham’s lineage from Shem, and Ham’s descendants are mentioned to inform us of those nations whose lands Abraham was favored with on account of the sin of their fathers. Therefore it tells also of Japheth and of the dispersion266Genesis 11:1-9. in order to inform us of the cause of the difference in languages and the scattering of the nations to the ends of the earth in a short period of time after the first man. Moreover, this narration serves to let us know the kindness of G-d and His keeping the covenant He made with Noah that he would not destroy them.
The Rabbi267Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon (Rambam or Maimonides). See Seder Bereshith, Note 139. said in Moreh Nebuchim268III, 50. that the genealogy of the nations verifies to those that hear it the principle of the creation of the world.269“It is one of the fundamental principles of the Torah that the universe has been created out of nothing, and that of the human race, one individual being, Adam was created. As the time which elapsed from Adam to Moses was not more than about two thousand five hundred years, people would have doubted the truth of that statement if no other information had been added, seeing that the human race was apread over all parts of the earth in different families and with different languages, very unlike the one to the other. In order to remove this doubt the Law gives the genealogy of the nations [Genesis 5 and 10], and the manner how they branched off from a common root. It names those of them who were well known, and tells who their fathers were, how long and where they lived. It describes also the cause that led to the dispersion of men over all parts of the earth, and to the formation of their different languages, after they had lived for a long time in one place, and spoken one language [ibid., 11], as would be natural for descendants of one person.” (Ibid., Friedlander’s translation III, p. 273.) This also is true, for our father Abraham will command his children and his household after him270Genesis 18:19. and will affirm to them the narration concerning Noah and his sons who saw the flood and were in the ark. Thus he, [Abraham, not having seen the flood but hearing of it], was witness from mouth to mouth in the whole matter of the flood, and he was a fourth witness to creation since Noah saw his father Lamech who saw Adam. Isaac and Jacob saw Shem, the witness of the flood, and Jacob told all this to those that went down to Egypt, as well as to Pharaoh and the people of his generation. The people in every generation similarly know from their fathers who tell them the deeds and progeny of the four to five previous generations.
Now Scripture narrates all this in order to inform us of Abraham’s lineage from Shem, and Ham’s descendants are mentioned to inform us of those nations whose lands Abraham was favored with on account of the sin of their fathers. Therefore it tells also of Japheth and of the dispersion266Genesis 11:1-9. in order to inform us of the cause of the difference in languages and the scattering of the nations to the ends of the earth in a short period of time after the first man. Moreover, this narration serves to let us know the kindness of G-d and His keeping the covenant He made with Noah that he would not destroy them.
The Rabbi267Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon (Rambam or Maimonides). See Seder Bereshith, Note 139. said in Moreh Nebuchim268III, 50. that the genealogy of the nations verifies to those that hear it the principle of the creation of the world.269“It is one of the fundamental principles of the Torah that the universe has been created out of nothing, and that of the human race, one individual being, Adam was created. As the time which elapsed from Adam to Moses was not more than about two thousand five hundred years, people would have doubted the truth of that statement if no other information had been added, seeing that the human race was apread over all parts of the earth in different families and with different languages, very unlike the one to the other. In order to remove this doubt the Law gives the genealogy of the nations [Genesis 5 and 10], and the manner how they branched off from a common root. It names those of them who were well known, and tells who their fathers were, how long and where they lived. It describes also the cause that led to the dispersion of men over all parts of the earth, and to the formation of their different languages, after they had lived for a long time in one place, and spoken one language [ibid., 11], as would be natural for descendants of one person.” (Ibid., Friedlander’s translation III, p. 273.) This also is true, for our father Abraham will command his children and his household after him270Genesis 18:19. and will affirm to them the narration concerning Noah and his sons who saw the flood and were in the ark. Thus he, [Abraham, not having seen the flood but hearing of it], was witness from mouth to mouth in the whole matter of the flood, and he was a fourth witness to creation since Noah saw his father Lamech who saw Adam. Isaac and Jacob saw Shem, the witness of the flood, and Jacob told all this to those that went down to Egypt, as well as to Pharaoh and the people of his generation. The people in every generation similarly know from their fathers who tell them the deeds and progeny of the four to five previous generations.
Rashbam
בהפרידו בני אדם, after the death of Noach and the time of Avraham about which the Torah wrote (Genesis 10,5) “from this point on they separated, branched out by their respective lands, each with its language, etc.” יצב גבולות עמים, twelve descendants of Canaan (Genesis 10,6) mentioned in that context in that chapter of Genesis, corresponding to the eventual 12 tribes of Israel. Canaan and his 11 sons amounted to twelve. (Genesis 10,15-18) The Torah describes the boundaries of the Canaanites as extending from Tzidon in the north to Gerar, near Gaza in the south, and Sodom in the east. This entire region became the land of Israel during the conquest commencing in the days of Joshua, except for the coastal plains inhabited by the Philistines which was conquered many hundreds of years later, and Jerusalem which was captured by David. The Torah does not give details of the boundaries of the territories of any of the other sons of Noach. למספר בני ישראל, matching the number of the Children of Israel.
Rav Hirsch
V. 9. ונגשה .ונגשה יבמתו אליו Nifal. Während נגש im Kal auch als Ausdruck eines kecken Hintretens gebraucht wird, wie למלחמה (Richter 20, 23 und Jirmija 46, 3), גש פגע בו (Sam. II. 1, 15), מי בעל משפטי יגש אלי (Jesaias 50, 5), ויגש ויגש אל הפלשתי ,הפלשתי (Sam. I. 17. 16 u. 40) ויגש לשבר הדלת (Bereschit 10, 9) usw. ist הנגש im Nifal überwiegend ein bescheidenes, schüchternes Sichnähern. משה נגש אל הערפל (Schmot 20, 21), ונגש משה לכדו (daselbst 24, 2), והקרבתיו ונגש אלי (Jirm. 30, 21), ואחרי כן נגשו בני ישראל (Schmot 34, 32),ה׳ הכהנים הנגשים אל (daselbst 19, 22). In diesem ונגשה יבמתו אליו ist somit dem Akte von vornherein der Schein einer jeden gegensätzlichen, unfreundlichen Gesinnung genommen.