Komentaryong Sumisipi para sa Daniel 7:15

הרק אך במשה, “was it only to Moses?” Miriam meant that if Moses separated from his wife because of G’d communicating with him, there was no such law pertaining to prophets. The word הרק אך are a double negative, each word meaning a diminution of something. The expression Miriam used was meant sarcastically, just as when the Israelites had said to Moses in Exodus 14,11: “are there not enough graves in Egypt that you had to take us to the desert to die?” The word במשה must be understood as parallel to גם בנו “also with us” (Miriam and Aaron). The preposition ב instead of אל or something similar is in order, seeing that the prophet views himself as G’d’s vessel. The word במשה may therefore more accurately be translated as “within Moses,” and the words גם בנו as “within us.” One of the clearest examples of such a construction is found in Genesis 6,3 לא ידון רוחי באדם לעולם, “My spirit will not rule within man forever.” In that verse G’d made it plain that man’s body is to be perceived as a vessel for his spirituality. The word ידון is related also to the word נדנה which occurs in Daniel 7,15 where it means “sheath.” The body is the sheath of the spirit.

לא ידון רוחי באדם לעולם, “My spirit will not contend evermore concerning Man, etc.” Actually, the word ידון is derived from נדנה, a word which we encounter in Daniel 7,15 אנא דניאל בגוא נדנה, “I, Daniel, my spirit was uneasy in its sheath;” the sheath of a sword is called either נדנה or תיק. In a similar manner the body is the sheath of the soul. What our verse means is that “My Spirit,” i.e. the soul, will not ever find a permanent home within the body of Man. The composition of Man’s body after it had become corrupt is simply not fit to be a permanent home for such a lofty intelligent spirit as the soul.