וְהָ֣יוּ לִ֗י אָמַר֙ יְהוָ֣ה צְבָא֔וֹת לַיּ֕וֹם אֲשֶׁ֥ר אֲנִ֖י עֹשֶׂ֣ה סְגֻלָּ֑ה וְחָמַלְתִּ֣י עֲלֵיהֶ֔ם כַּֽאֲשֶׁר֙ יַחְמֹ֣ל אִ֔ישׁ עַל־בְּנ֖וֹ הָעֹבֵ֥ד אֹתֽוֹ׃
“At sila'y magiging Akin, isang natatanging kayamanan,” wika ng Walang-Hanggan ng mga Hukbo, “sa araw na Aking gagawin; at kaaawaan Ko sila, gaya ng pagkaawa ng isang tao sa kanyang anak na naglilingkod sa kanya.”
Ramban
NEITHER SHALT THOU SPARE because of the close [family] relationship as mentioned,170Verse 7: If thy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy son, or thy daughter … as it is said, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.171Malachi 3:17.
Ramban
THAT THY SEED SHALL BE A STRANGER. This is a verse that is to be transposed, its purport being that “thy seed shall be a stranger for four hundred years in a land that is not theirs, and they shall enslave them, and they shall afflict them.” He has thus not specified the length of the period of servitude and affliction.
There are many cases in Scripture where verses must be transposed if they are to be interpreted properly. Thus: There came unto me the Hebrew servant, who thou hast brought unto us, to mock me;281Further, 39:17. The meaning being: “There came unto me to mock me the Hebrew servant.…” And all countries came into Egypt to buy corn to Joseph;282Ibid., 41:57. The meaning being: “And all countries came into Egypt to Joseph.…” For whosoever eateth leavened bread, that soul shall be cut off from Israel, from the first day until the seventh day;283Exodus 12:15. The meaning being: “For whosoever eateth leavened bread, from the first day until the seventh day, that soul.…” In that day a man shall cast away his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which they made for themselves to worship, to the moles and to the bats;284Isaiah 2:20. The meaning being: “In that day a man shall cast away to the moles and to the bats his idols.…” Come, and hearken, and I will declare, all ye that fear G-d, what He hath done for my soul;285Psalms 66:16. The meaning being: “All ye that fear G-d, come.…” They cry unto Me, My G-d we Israel know Thee;286Hosea 8:2. The meaning being: “Unto Me crieth Israel, ‘My G-d, we know Thee.’” And they shall be Mine, saith the Eternal of hosts, in the day that I do make, even Mine own treasure, and I will spare them.287Malachi 3:17. The meaning being: “And they shall be Mine treasure, saith the Eternal.…” There are many other such verses.
The sense of the verse is: “Even though I tell you that I have given this land to your children, you should surely know that before I give it to them they shall be strangers for four hundred years in a land not belonging to them, and they shall also enslave them and afflict them.”
Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra said [that the verse should be interpreted as follows]: “You should surely know that your children shall be strangers in servitude and affliction until the end of a four hundred year period commencing from this day of the covenant.” If so, G-d informed Abraham of the time of the redemption, but He did not inform him of the exact length of the exile. This too is correct.
There are many cases in Scripture where verses must be transposed if they are to be interpreted properly. Thus: There came unto me the Hebrew servant, who thou hast brought unto us, to mock me;281Further, 39:17. The meaning being: “There came unto me to mock me the Hebrew servant.…” And all countries came into Egypt to buy corn to Joseph;282Ibid., 41:57. The meaning being: “And all countries came into Egypt to Joseph.…” For whosoever eateth leavened bread, that soul shall be cut off from Israel, from the first day until the seventh day;283Exodus 12:15. The meaning being: “For whosoever eateth leavened bread, from the first day until the seventh day, that soul.…” In that day a man shall cast away his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which they made for themselves to worship, to the moles and to the bats;284Isaiah 2:20. The meaning being: “In that day a man shall cast away to the moles and to the bats his idols.…” Come, and hearken, and I will declare, all ye that fear G-d, what He hath done for my soul;285Psalms 66:16. The meaning being: “All ye that fear G-d, come.…” They cry unto Me, My G-d we Israel know Thee;286Hosea 8:2. The meaning being: “Unto Me crieth Israel, ‘My G-d, we know Thee.’” And they shall be Mine, saith the Eternal of hosts, in the day that I do make, even Mine own treasure, and I will spare them.287Malachi 3:17. The meaning being: “And they shall be Mine treasure, saith the Eternal.…” There are many other such verses.
The sense of the verse is: “Even though I tell you that I have given this land to your children, you should surely know that before I give it to them they shall be strangers for four hundred years in a land not belonging to them, and they shall also enslave them and afflict them.”
Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra said [that the verse should be interpreted as follows]: “You should surely know that your children shall be strangers in servitude and affliction until the end of a four hundred year period commencing from this day of the covenant.” If so, G-d informed Abraham of the time of the redemption, but He did not inform him of the exact length of the exile. This too is correct.