Tafsiran yang Mengutip untuk Hakim-hakim 11:17

ויגר מואב, the leaders of Moav who had not allowed the Israelites to traverse their territory as reported in Judges 11,17 were now afraid,

AND MOAB WAS SORE AFRAID OF THE PEOPLE. The meaning of this is [that Moab stood in great fear] because they [the Israelites] were many,¹The Hebrew text reads: ki rav hu. This can be interpreted as “although they were many,” in which case the reference would be to the Moabites, [the word ki meaning “although”]. The meaning of the verse would thus be: “And Moab was sore afraid of the Israelites although they [the Moabites] were many, Ramban, wishing to exclude this interpretation, for the reason cited in the text, explains that the word ki here means “because”; hence the pronoun hu — “they” [they were many] refers to the Israelites. for Moab was small among the nations;²See Obadiah 1:2. and it was not an ancient people, like the Canaanites, the Amorites and other [nations of the] sons of Noah. Therefore they [the Moabites] were greatly afraid of the people who outnumbered them exceedingly, for they were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and waxed³Exodus 1:7. greater than the Moabites. And they were furthermore overcome with dread because of the children of Israel,⁴Verse 3 here. — Hence the double expression of the verse: And Moab was sore afraid … and Moab was overcome with dread. for they had heard of the great wonders that had happened to them and their fathers. Now Moab knew that Israel would not take their land from them, since they had sent to them [offering peace]⁵Judges 11:17: And in like manner he sent unto the king of Moab … just as they had sent to Sihon, [asking permission only to pass through their land], saying, until I shall pass over the Jordan into the Land which the Eternal our G-d giveth us.⁶Deuteronomy 2:29. Or it is also possible that they had heard of G-d’s prohibition, when He said to the Israelites, Be not at enmity with Moab.⁷Ibid., Verse 9. Therefore they said to the elders of Midian: “Even though the Israelites will not capture our land, they will lick up because of their great numbers all that is round about us, as the ox licketh up the grass of the field,⁸Verse 4 here. and they will capture all [the lands] that surround us, just as they did to the two Amorite kings, and they will make us servants to do taskwork.”⁹Joshua 16:10.

ממדבר צין FROM THE WILDERNESS OF ZIN which is next to Edom there begins the south-east comer of the land of the nine tribes. How is this so? Three lands are situated to the south of the Land of Israel, one next to the other; part of the land of Egypt, and the whole land of Edom, and the whole of the land of Moab. The land of Egypt is at the south-west comer, as it is said in this section, (v. 5) that the southern boundary shall pass “from Azmon unto the Brook of Egypt, and the goings out thereof shall be at the sea” (i.e., at the west). Now the Brook of Egypt ran along the whole land of Egypt — as it is said, (Joshua 13:3) “From the Shihor which is before Egypt”, and divided the land of Egypt from the land of Israel. The land of Edom is next to it on its east. The land of Moab is next to the land of Edom at the end of the south side of Palestine at the east (i.e., the south eastern corner). — When Israel came out of Egypt if the Omnipresent had wished to bring about their entry into the Land quickly, he would have led them over the Nile northwards and they would have so come into the Land of Israel; but He did not do so. This is what is stated, (Exodus 13:17) “And God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines” who dwelt by the sea in the west of the land of Canaan — just as it is said of the Philistines, (Zephaniah 2:5) “inhabitants of the sea-coast, the nation of the Cherethites”. — However, He did not lead them by that route, but He made them travel round, and brought them out by a southern route into the wilderness. It is that which Ezekiel (Ezekiel 20:35) calls “the wilderness of the peoples”, because several peoples dwelt beside it. Then they proceeded along the south always from the west to the east, until they came to the south of the land of Edom. They asked of the king of Edom that he should permit them to pass by way of his land and to enter the land of Palestine along its (Edom’s) breadth. He, however, refused, and they were compelled to travel along the whole south of Edom until they came to the south of the land of Moab, as it is said, (Judges 11:17) “And also to the king of Moab he sent, but he refused”. Therefore they proceeded along the whole south of Moab unto its very end, and from there they turned their faces to the north until they had gone along its entire eastern boundary along its breadth. Wien they arrived to the end of its eastern side, they came upon the land of Sihon and Og who dwelt at the east of the land of Canaan with the Jordan dividing them (dividing the land of Sihon and Og from Canaan). This is what is stated in the history of Jephthah, (Judges 11:18) “Then he (Israel) went through the wilderness and compassed the land of Edom and the land of Moab and came by the east of the land of Moab”. They subdued the land of Sihon and Og which was on the north of Moab and they approached right up to the Jordan, which was opposite the north-west corner of the land of Moab. It follows therefore that the part of the land of Canaan which was on the west side of the Jordan had its south-east corner next to Edom. (This explains the words והיה לכם פאת נגב … על ידי אדום in our text.)

היצא מגבל האמרי [ARNON WHICH IS IN THE WILDERNESS] THAT COMETH OUT OF THE BOUNDARY OF THE AMORITES — a strip of land jutted out from the territory of the Amorites — it belonged to the Amorites — and entered into the territory of Moab extending unto the Arnon which is the boundary of Moab. It was there that the Israelites encamped and thus they did not pass into the territory of Moab, כי ארנון גבול מואב, FOR ARNON IS THE BOUNDARY OF MOAB, and they did not grant them permission to pass through their land. And although Moses did not state this plainly, Jephtha plainly stated it], as Jephtha said, (Judges 11:17) "And in like manner he sent unto the king of Moab, out he would not permit him to pass through his territory”. Moses, however, made an allusion to it when he stated, (Deuteronomy 2:29) “As the children of Esau that dwell in Seir, and the Moabites that dwell in Ar, did unto me”. What was the case with these (the children of Esau)? They did not permit them to pass through their land, but they made them travel right round it! Similarly, too, Moab did!

וישלח ישראל מלאכים AND ISRAEL SENT MESSENGERS — But in another passage it attributes this embassy to Moses, as it is said, (Deuteronomy 2:26), “And ‘I’ sent messengers from the wilderness of Kedemoth [to Sihon king of Heshbon]”! And so, too, it states, (Numbers 20:14), “And Moses sent messengers to the king of Edom”; whilst in the story of Jephtha, it says, (Judges 11:17) “And Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom, etc.”. Each of these pairs of verses is necessary one to the other (i.e., they supplement each other): one keeps back information and the other discloses it, (more lit., one locks up and the other opens) — you may gather from them that Moses is Israel and Israel is Moses, thus telling you that the prince of any generation is the equal of the whole generation, for the prince is the whole (Midrash Tanchuma, Chukat 23).