פירוש על בראשית 25:18

נפל (literally, he fell) means ‘‘he dwelt”, as (Judges 7:12) “Now the Midianites and the Amalekites and all children of the East dwelt (נופלים) in the valley.” Here it says “He fell” and there (16:12) it says “In the presence of all his brethren shall he dwell”. Bui it may be explained thus: before Abraham died it could be said “He would dwell in security: after he died, “he fell” (Genesis Rabbah 62:5).

THEY CAMPED [LIT.: FELL] ALONGSIDE ALL THEIR KINSMEN. They dwelt, as it is written (Gen. 16:12), "He will dwell alongside all his kinsmen."

וישכבו, the descendants of Ishmael mentioned by name in this paragraph resided in different regions extending from Chavilah as far as Shur, as these were the regions which became their ancestral holdings.

וישכנו, weniger als וישכנו, bezeichnet mehr ein vorübergehendes Niederlassen, ensprechend dem Nomadenleben der Ismaeliten. — ׳על פני כל אחיו וגו siehe Kap.16, 12. נפל irgendwo hinkommen, wohin man nicht gehört, wo man sich nicht in die übrigen natürlichen Verhältnisse als aus ihnen hervorgegangen einreiht, so גפילים, wie vom Himmel Gefallene. Also hier von Völkerschaaren, die ihre Wohnplätze wählen, wo es ihnen beliebt, "wie dahin geschneit".

על פני כל אחיו נפל, in accordance with the prediction of the angel in 16,12 foretold to his mother even before he had been born. We explained the meaning of the phrase there. The word ונפל is to be understood as similar in meaning to the same word in Judges 7,12, (נופלים) where it means “falling in battle.”