כָּרַ֥ע בֵּל֙ קֹרֵ֣ס נְב֔וֹ הָיוּ֙ עֲצַבֵּיהֶ֔ם לַחַיָּ֖ה וְלַבְּהֵמָ֑ה נְשֻׂאֹתֵיכֶ֣ם עֲמוּס֔וֹת מַשָּׂ֖א לַעֲיֵפָֽה׃
Lumuhod si Bel, yumuko si Nebo; ang kanilang mga diyus-diyosan ay napasakay sa mga hayop at sa mga alagang hayop; ang mga dati ninyong binubuhat ay ikinarga na ngayon bilang pasanin, isang pabigat sa pagod na hayop.
Rabbeinu Bahya
עטרות ודיבון. These districts had been part of the lands of Sichon, the king of the Emorites. Some of the nine locations mentioned here used to be centers of idolatry such as Nevo and Baal Meon. We find that at least Nevo is mentioned in that context in Isaiah 46,1 when he describes these idols as collapsing. In Onkelos’ translation of this verse we find that he uses the word בית repeatedly. Presumably, this refers to the temples to these deities which had stood in those locations. Our sages in Shabbat 115 also refer to places where idolatry was practiced with the prefix בי, i.e. “house of.”
When the members of the tribe of Reuven rebuilt these towns they also renamed them to remove their stigma. This is the meaning of מוסבות שם in verse 38, i.e. the Torah tells us that these places had acquired new names. The names of the idolatry which had been practiced there should not be remembered.
When our sages said in Berachot 8 that each one of us should endeavor to complete reviewing the Torah portion read each week together with the congregation by reading the Hebrew text twice and the Targum once, even “Attarot and Divon,” they meant that it is in order to mention the original names of these locations. But for this statement by the sages we might have reasoned that seeing the Targum is only a translation of these names which we had already read twice in Hebrew it would be inappropriate to repeat the names of these centers of idolatry a third time in Aramaic.
When the members of the tribe of Reuven rebuilt these towns they also renamed them to remove their stigma. This is the meaning of מוסבות שם in verse 38, i.e. the Torah tells us that these places had acquired new names. The names of the idolatry which had been practiced there should not be remembered.
When our sages said in Berachot 8 that each one of us should endeavor to complete reviewing the Torah portion read each week together with the congregation by reading the Hebrew text twice and the Targum once, even “Attarot and Divon,” they meant that it is in order to mention the original names of these locations. But for this statement by the sages we might have reasoned that seeing the Targum is only a translation of these names which we had already read twice in Hebrew it would be inappropriate to repeat the names of these centers of idolatry a third time in Aramaic.
Rashi
and loads of silver - Heb. וְכֶסֶף מַשָּׂא, loads of silver. An example (Isa. 46:1): “נְשֻׂאתֵיכֶם עֲמוּסוֹת מַשָּׂא: the things that you carried are made a load.”
Rabbeinu Bahya
שקץ תשקצנו , “you shall surely abominate it.” The verse teaches that we must relate to idolatry with a very negative and disdainful attitude and when for some reason speaking about it always make plain how we detest it. We are not to refer to houses of pagan worship by the names they are usually referred to but by some name which belittles them, downgrades them. (Sanhedrin 63). We have a principle that unbecoming speech is forbidden unless such epithets are reserved for idolatry and places where such idolatry is practiced (compare Isaiah 46,1 where the prophet ridicules pagan deities in insulting language: “Bel is bowed, Nebo is cowering.”) The author quotes more such examples from the Talmud where pagan sites are referred to in a derogatory manner.