וַיֹּ֣אמֶר ל֗וֹ אֱמָר־נָ֣א אֵלֶיהָ֮ הִנֵּ֣ה חָרַ֣דְתְּ ׀ אֵלֵינוּ֮ אֶת־כָּל־הַחֲרָדָ֣ה הַזֹּאת֒ מֶ֚ה לַעֲשׂ֣וֹת לָ֔ךְ הֲיֵ֤שׁ לְדַבֶּר־לָךְ֙ אֶל־הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ א֖וֹ אֶל־שַׂ֣ר הַצָּבָ֑א וַתֹּ֕אמֶר בְּת֥וֹךְ עַמִּ֖י אָנֹכִ֥י יֹשָֽׁבֶת׃
Kata Elisa kepada Gehazi: “Katakanlah kepadanya: ‘Engkau sudah bersusah payah untuk kami dengan segala kerepotan ini. Apa yang dapat kami lakukan untukmu? Adakah sesuatu yang perlu kami bicarakan untukmu kepada raja atau kepada panglima tentara?’” Jawab perempuan itu: “Aku tinggal di tengah-tengah kaumku sendiri.”
Chizkuni
ועפרון יושב בתוך בני חת, “Efron was sitting among the Hittites (as if he were also a Hittite), like the Shunammite in II Kings 4.13.”
Rav Hirsch
חרטומי, von חרט: das Werkzeug zum Schreiben, daher: Schriftkundige. Es braucht nicht eben Bilderschrift zu sein. Der Begriff Bild liegt nicht in חרט, und es gab auch in Ägypten eine Kursivschrift. Nur scheint man irrtümlich in חרט einen Schreibgriffel zum Eingraben in Stein, wie חרת, zu finden. Es ist nicht gut denkbar, daß man sich zur gewöhnlichen Schrift des langsamen Eingrabens in Stein bedient habe. Schrieb man doch größtenteils auf Papyrusrollen. Jesaias 8, 1 wird ja חרט geradezu zum Schreiben auf eine Rolle gebraucht, wo doch unmöglich an ein Eingraben gedacht werden kann. חרט kann in Verwandtschaft mit חרד stehen, welches nicht nur eine heftige Gemütsbewegung wegen etwas zu Erwartenden, sondern auch eine starke innere und äußere Tätigkeit für die Ausführung eines Zweckes bedeutet. חרדת אלינו את כל החרדה הזאת (Kön. II. 4, 13), חרדים אל דברו ,חרד על דברי (Jes. 66, 2 u. 5). Es kann daher vielleicht den Schreibgriffel als den emsigen, rasch sich bewegenden Diener des menschlichen Gedankens bezeichnen. (So ist im rabbinischen חרטה synonym mit חרדה als innere Gemütsbewegung.) —
Kli Yakar
It seems appropriate to resolve all this, through what is said and on the day that I visit, I will visit their sin upon them (Exodus 32:34). What does on the day that I visit mean? It indicates that the sin of the Golden Calf was not forgiven except because the sinners were many, and mercy is abundant for many, because the Holy One, blessed be He, has special compassion for the multitude, as it is written Behold, God is mighty, and does not despise, mighty (Job 36:5) [here understood as He does not despise the mighty community] and as it is written Should I not have pity on Nineveh, which has more than 12 myriads (Jonah 4:11), etc. And so it is concluded in the Gemara (Avodah Zarah 4b): Rabbi Yochanan said in the name of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, “David was not fit for that deed [with Bathsheba], nor were Israel fit for that deed [of the Golden Calf]. Why then did they do it? To teach repentance to the penitent.” And this was necessary, for if we had only been told about the many [Israel], I would say it was because mercy is abundant, etc.
According to this, this atonement only serves in a time when each person is sitting among their people, as the Shunammite woman said I dwell among my people (Second Kings 4:13). But in a time when they are counted one by one, there is concern that the counting will cause each individual to be remembered above on his own, and his record will be examined for all his merits and debts. Perhaps his merits will not outweigh his debts, and for this reason the sin of the Golden Calf, which had already been forgiven, will be remembered against him, for it was only forgiven to the many, not to individuals, and counting causes each individual to be remembered separately.
Therefore it says, on the day that I visit [pokdi], which is an expression of counting, meaning when they are counted for some purpose, then the memory of each individual person will rise before Me, and then I will visit their sin upon them, for the sin returns and awakens. Therefore, He commanded here about this ransom for his soul to atone for the deed of the Golden Calf at the time of counting, because each and every one’s place will be visited [examined]. For this reason our Sages said (Avot 2:8), “Do not separate yourself from the community.”
Therefore, those younger than 20 years old, who were not included in this count, were always dwelling among their people. That is why it says, When you lift up the head, because when the memory of each head comes before the Holy One, blessed be He, individually, therefore each man shall give, each particular man for whom there is concern that his record will be examined and it will be found that he had a part in that disgraceful act; therefore, at that time, he shall give a ransom for his soul.
According to this, this atonement only serves in a time when each person is sitting among their people, as the Shunammite woman said I dwell among my people (Second Kings 4:13). But in a time when they are counted one by one, there is concern that the counting will cause each individual to be remembered above on his own, and his record will be examined for all his merits and debts. Perhaps his merits will not outweigh his debts, and for this reason the sin of the Golden Calf, which had already been forgiven, will be remembered against him, for it was only forgiven to the many, not to individuals, and counting causes each individual to be remembered separately.
Therefore it says, on the day that I visit [pokdi], which is an expression of counting, meaning when they are counted for some purpose, then the memory of each individual person will rise before Me, and then I will visit their sin upon them, for the sin returns and awakens. Therefore, He commanded here about this ransom for his soul to atone for the deed of the Golden Calf at the time of counting, because each and every one’s place will be visited [examined]. For this reason our Sages said (Avot 2:8), “Do not separate yourself from the community.”
Therefore, those younger than 20 years old, who were not included in this count, were always dwelling among their people. That is why it says, When you lift up the head, because when the memory of each head comes before the Holy One, blessed be He, individually, therefore each man shall give, each particular man for whom there is concern that his record will be examined and it will be found that he had a part in that disgraceful act; therefore, at that time, he shall give a ransom for his soul.