וַיֹּ֕אמֶר אִם־יָב֥וֹא עֵשָׂ֛ו אֶל־הַמַּחֲנֶ֥ה הָאַחַ֖ת וְהִכָּ֑הוּ וְהָיָ֛ה הַמַּחֲנֶ֥ה הַנִּשְׁאָ֖ר לִפְלֵיטָֽה׃
און ער האָט געזאָגט: אױב עֵשָׂו װעט קומען אױף אײן מחנה, און װעט זי שלאָגן, װעט די איבעריקע מחנה אַנטרונען װערן.
Ramban
AND THE ANGELS OF G-D MET HIM. Rashi comments: “The angels who minister in the Land of Israel came to meet him. And he called the name of that place Mahanaim: the plural form implies two camps, one consisting of the angels ministering outside of the Land of Israel who had accompanied him thus far, the other consisting of those ministering in the Land of Israel who had come forth to meet him.”
But I wonder at this, for Jacob had not yet reached the Land of Israel and was still distant from there for he sent messengers to Esau from afar. And then it says there, And he passed over the ford of the Jabbok,256Further, 32:23. which is the river Jabbok which is the border of the children of Ammon.257Deuteronomy 3:16. This is to the southeast of the Land of Israel, and he still had to pass the boundary of the children of Ammon and Moab, and then the land of Edom, and his first entry into the Land was at Shechem, as it is said, And Jacob came in peace to the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan.258Further 33:18. This poses a difficulty to Rashi’s interpretation of “Mahanaim.” Instead, we must say this vision came to Jacob as he arrived in enemy territory in order to inform him that “they that are with him are more than they that are with them.”259See II Kings 6:16. And the name of the place was called “Mahanaim” in the plural, for such is the way of Scripture with names.260For a single event or person, a plural name is given, as for example, “Mitzraim”. It may be that “Mahanaim” refers to His camp and the camp of the higher beings,261In that case the plural in the word Mahanaim is naturally justified. that is to say that His camp on earth is as the camp of the angels, all of them being camps of G-d, blessing Him and confessing His Unity, may His name be blessed forever.
But I wonder at this, for Jacob had not yet reached the Land of Israel and was still distant from there for he sent messengers to Esau from afar. And then it says there, And he passed over the ford of the Jabbok,256Further, 32:23. which is the river Jabbok which is the border of the children of Ammon.257Deuteronomy 3:16. This is to the southeast of the Land of Israel, and he still had to pass the boundary of the children of Ammon and Moab, and then the land of Edom, and his first entry into the Land was at Shechem, as it is said, And Jacob came in peace to the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan.258Further 33:18. This poses a difficulty to Rashi’s interpretation of “Mahanaim.” Instead, we must say this vision came to Jacob as he arrived in enemy territory in order to inform him that “they that are with him are more than they that are with them.”259See II Kings 6:16. And the name of the place was called “Mahanaim” in the plural, for such is the way of Scripture with names.260For a single event or person, a plural name is given, as for example, “Mitzraim”. It may be that “Mahanaim” refers to His camp and the camp of the higher beings,261In that case the plural in the word Mahanaim is naturally justified. that is to say that His camp on earth is as the camp of the angels, all of them being camps of G-d, blessing Him and confessing His Unity, may His name be blessed forever.
Chizkuni
אשר כמוהו לא נהיתה, “the like of which had never occurred and will never occur again.” [The following is a comment on the grammatical incongruity in this verse where masculine and feminine constructions have been used inconsistently. Ed.] We find this kind of incongruity not only here but also in Leviticus 6,9: והרים ממנו בקומצו, as well as in Leviticus 27,9. Compare also Genesis 32,9. A different explanation: the word כמוהו, does not refer to the outcry of the Egyptians but to the night, לילה, which is masculine also. In chapter 11 verse 4, G-d had said that He would go out during that night. In our verse here the reference is to that night.
Rashi
and behold, etc. Some things adopt both masculine and feminine gender, such as (Gen. 19:23): “The sun had risen (יָצָא) [msc.] over the earth, etc.”; (Mal. 3:20), “And for you who fear My name, shall the sun of mercy rise (וְזָרְחָה) [fem.]), etc.” [Likewise] (Gen. 32:9), “If Esau comes to the one camp (הָאַחַת) [fem.] and strikes it (וְהִכָּהוּ) [msc.].