Komentaryong Sumisipi para sa Jeremias 46:20

For the Precentor: 'al muth labben: A Psalm of David. – The majority of the interpreters (Rabbi Dunash the Levite and Ibn Ezra) say that David uttered it with reference to one of his enemies who died, one of the princes of the heathen, who oppressed Israel and whose name was Labben; and that when he died David uttered this Psalm. Some also say (Ibn Ezra, ad loc.) that Labben (לבן) is an inversion of Nabal (נבל), and they say that David uttered this Psalm when Nabal the Carmelite died. But this is very far-fetched; for the subject-matter of the Psalm tells of a man who did evil to Israel, while Nabal did no harm to anyone, but simply was avaricious. And some say (ibid.) that לבן is to be read as if written with a yodh (לבין), and then the reference is to Goliath, who is called a champion (הַבֵּנַיִם אִישׁ); and when David had killed him he uttered this Psalm. My revered father, of blessed memory, has (also) written that this Psalm was (originally) uttered with reference to Goliath; but he explained לבן (as referring) to a singer whose name was Ben (בֵּן), as it is written in Chronicles (I Chron. 15:1 8): “and with them their brethren of the second degree, Zechariah, Ben, and Jaaziel;” and he explained מות על, which is two words [= on the death of], as one word, עלמות, from (the expression) שׁיר עלמות; and similar instances of words divided into two, but with the significance of a single word, are קוח פקח (= release, Is. lxi. 1), פיה יפה (= very fair, Jer. 46:20), and יונים לגאי (= proud, Ps. 123:4). And although the lamedh of לַבֵּן, is vocalised with the vowel pathah, and this is not in accordance with usage in the case of a man's name – for you do not say ליצחק, לַידותון, because the article is not employed with a proper name – nevertheless the article here is employed to indicate that he speaks with reference to Ben the singer; for if he had said לְבן (pointed) with sheva it would not have been clear that he was speaking of the singer whose name was Ben. At all events, it is admissible to interpret the subject-matter of the Psalm as having reference to Goliath the Philistine.

Midrash Pessikta d’Rav Kahana (volume I page 75 edition by Dov Mandelbaum) comments as follows: The word פרה, cow, is a reference to Egypt, compare Jeremiah 46,20: “Egypt is a handsome heifer.” The word אדומה, red, is a reference to Babylon, compare Daniel 2,38: “you are the head of gold (red).” The word תמימה, unblemished, is a reference to the kingdom of the Medes as we know from Rabbi Chiyah bar Aba who described the kings of that kingdom as תמימים, unblemished. The only complaint G’d had against these kings was that they practiced idolatry, a tradition they had carried on from their forefathers. The words: “which does not have a blemish,” refer to Alexander the great. When Alexander came face to face with the High Priest Shimon Hatzadik he got off his horse and stood at attention in greeting him. He said: “blessed be the G’d of Shimon Hatzadik.” His adjutants asked him why he showed such deference to a mere Jew? He explained to them that before every victorious battle the image of this man had appeared to him. The words: "“which has not worn a yoke,” refer to the kingdom of Edom (Rome). This kingdom completely rejected obeisance to G’d even blaspheming Him, as we know from Psalms 73,25: “Whom else have I in heaven? And having you I want no one else on earth.” [This Midrash attributes these blasphemous words quoted by the psalmist to the kingdom of Edom. Ed.]. The words: “and you shall give her to Eleazar the priest and he will take it outside the camp, etc.,” are an allusion to the future when the protective angel of that kingdom will be expelled from the celestial regions. G’d will slaughter this angel representing Edom. We know this from Isaiah 34,6: “for the Lord holds a sacrifice in Bozrah, a great slaughter in the land of Edom.” Rabbi Berechyah commented on that verse and on our verse (5) “he shall burn the cow in front of his eyes,” that this corresponds to Daniel 7,11: “I watched till the beast was slain and its body destroyed, and consigned to the fire’s burning.” The words: “its skin, its flesh and its blood with its dung shall he burn,” are an allusion to what we read in Ezekiel 27,27: “your wealth, your wares, your merchandise, your sailors and your pilots, the men who made your repairs those who carried on your traffic, and all the fighting men within you, all the multitude within you, shall go down into the depths of the sea on the day of your downfall.” Thus far Midrash Pessikta d’Rav Kahana.

נקרצת – it is cut and severed and its example we taught in Talmud Yoma (31b): “he cut [the windpipe and the gullet] and another priest completed the slaughtering on his behalf” and in the Bible (Jeremiah 46:20): “a butcher from the north is coming.”