Commento su Esodo 33:11

ודבר ה׳ אל משה פנים אל פנים AND THE LORD SPAKE UNTO MOSES FACE TO FACE — Here too (as in v. 9) in spite of the fact that the text states “face to face” the Targum is: ומתמלל עם משה‎.

AND HIS MINISTER JOSHUA, ‘BIN’ (THE SON OF) NUN, ‘NA’AR’ (A LAD). Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra wrote: “Joshua lived a hundred and ten years,⁴⁵⁵Joshua 24:29. and the Sages say⁴⁵⁶Arakhin 13a. that it took him seven years to conquer the Land [of Israel] and seven years to apportion it amongst the tribes. If so, he was now fifty-six years old,⁴⁵⁷The forty years of the wilderness plus the fourteen years in the Land of Israel, make a total of fifty-four years. Subtract these from a hundred and ten, and you are left with fifty-six. Yet Scripture calls him na’ar (lad)! and how does Scripture call him na’ar (lad)? We must therefore say that this is the meaning thereof: and his minister Joshua the son of Nun rendered him such service as can be given only by a youthful attendant.”
In my opinion it is the way of the Sacred Language to call any attendant [regardless of age] na’ar, for the person of high office is called ish (man),⁴⁵⁸See Ramban Genesis 9:20, Vol. I, p. 141. and [with respect to him] his attendant is called na’ar. Thus: Gehazi ‘na’aro’ (his attendant);⁴⁵⁹II Kings 4:12. Let ‘ha’ne’arim’ (the attendants), I pray thee, arise and play before us.⁴⁶⁰II Samuel 2:14. Similarly, and ten ‘ne’arim’ (attendants) that bore Joab’s armor,⁴⁶¹Ibid., 18:15. and Joab [David’s commander-in-chief] would surely only turn over his armor to valiant men who stood near him! And it is also written, And Joshua said unto the two ‘men’ that had spied out the land,⁴⁶²Joshua 6:22. and yet it is written there, and ‘ha’ne’arim’ the spies went in etc!⁴⁶³Ibid., Verse 23. [Thus we must say that the] term [ha’ne’arim] is used because they were servants of the congregation, acting for them as spies. There are many similar instances. So also, the ‘na’arei’ of the king that ministered unto him,⁴⁶⁴Esther 2:2. [the second half of the phrase being in apposition,] explaining that they were the servants who attended the king personally, and not the attendants of the court. And if so, our verse is stating: and his minister Joshua the son of Nun was always in attendance, and never departed out of the tent.

פנים אל פנים, as opposed to נופל וגלוי עינים, (Numbers 24,4) as Bileam described his visions which came to him only when he had lost control over his own senses.