Komentaryong Sumisipi para sa Mga Hukom 14:20

ואבימלך...ואחוזת מרעהו, Avimelech had a powerful minister whose name was Achuzat (Bereshit Rabbah 64,9) The Massoretes claim that the word is not the name of a human being. Accordingly, the word מרעהו would have to be understood as similar to Kings I 4,5 רעה המלך, “a companion of the king, a close friend.” The leading minister, comparable to a prime minister in a constitutional monarchy, always had the title רע המלך, “the King’s closest associate.” The letter מ in the word מרעהו belongs to the groups of letters known as אותיות א-מ-ת-י-ן which often are used as additional letters. For instance, we find this extraneous letter מ in connection with רע also in Judges 14,20 ותהי אשת שמשון למרעהו אשר רעה לו, “Shimshon’s wife then married one of those who had been his wedding companion.” Onkelos translates the words אחוזת מרעהו as “a group of his supporters.” Accordingly, the verse means that Avimelech took with him a number of his close advisers, friends. According to Onkelos the meaning of the letter מ in the word מרעהו is a mem hashimush, a formative letter varying pronoun endings, etc., so that the word רעהו would be the same as רעיו, His companions, and the unusual plural ending, the same as in Nachum 2,4 מגן גבוריהו, “his warriors’ shields.” The word גבוריהו is an alternate for גבוריו.

מרעהו, a friend of Avimelech; the letter מ in this word would then be part of his name; an example of something similar is found in Judges 14,20: ויתנה לרעהו, “he (the father of Shimshon’s wife gave her to someone by the name of מרעהו.” (Pessikta zutrata) The word: אחוזת would then not be a personal name.

And Hushai the Archite - Heb. קִרְיַת סֵפֶר (Jos. 15:15, Jud. 1:11) is translated by the Targum as קִרְיְתָא דְּאַרְכֵי. In Midrash Rabbah we find that when David sinned with Bathsheba, he asked Hushai the Archite whether, if he would repent, the Holy One, blessed be He, would accept his repentance to grant him an extension for his sin, and he said, “Yes.” the king’s companion His best man (Jud. 14: 20): “to his companion (לְמֵרֵעֵהוּ), who had accompanied (רֵעָה) him,” written regarding Samson; it is translated by the Targum: שׁוֹשְׁבִינֵיהּ his best man.