Commentary on the Torah by RaNban (Nachmanides).
THERE SHALL STEP FORTH A STAR OUT OF JACOB. Because the Messiah will gather together the dispersed of Israel from all the corners of the earth, Balaam compares him [metaphorically] to a star that passes through the firmament from the ends of heaven, just as it is said about [the Messiah]: and behold, there came with the clouds of heaven, one like unto a son of man etc.246Daniel 7:13. Balaam thus said that he saw that at a distant time a star would pass from the ends of heaven, and there would rise out of it the sceptre of a ruler, and he shall smite through the corners of Moab, and break down all the sons of Seth, the son of Adam,247Genesis 5:3. who was the father of all the nations.248See Ramban ibid., Vol. I, p. 98. He mentioned the corners of Moab in order to inform Balak that his people would not fall into the hand of Israel now, but in the end of days239Verse 14. Moab will not be saved from the hand of the ruling king [in Israel]. And the meaning of ‘the corners’ of Moab is that this ruler [in Israel] will break down all the sons of Seth, and they [Moab] will not be saved, even though they are cut off on ‘the corner,’249Jeremiah 9:25. This is an epithet for certain Arabian tribes, who had the corners of their hair clipped. Ramban here uses this term metaphorically, in its literal sense of “cut off in the corner”, to refer to a people who live in the remotest corners of the world. and have no name among the nations, and will not fight against Israel.
Mishneh Torah, Kings and Wars
The King Messiah (the anointed) will restore the kingdom of David to its former position and splendour. He will cause the temple to be built and the dispersed Israelites to be assembled; all our laws will in his age come in force again as they used to be; sacrifices will again be offered; the year of release and the jubilee will be again observed, with all precepts relating thereto. He who does not believe in, or hopes not for, the advent of the Messiah, denies not only the prophets, but even the laws of Moses; because it distinctly mentions the restoration of our people; for it is said: That then the Lord thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, and any of thine be driven out to the utmost parts of heaven, from thence will the Lord thy God gather thee, (Deut. 30. 3). This subject which is so clearly pointed out in the Pentateuch comprises all the prophecies of the subsequent prophets; even in the section containing the blessings of Balaam it is indicated, and there he prophesied of two Messiahs, the first Messiah alluding to David, who saved Israel from their adversaries; and of the last Messiah descending from David’s offspring, who will deliver Israel from the sons of Esau; for it is said: I shall see him but not now, (Numbers 24. 17); alluding to David, I shall behold him but not nigh! (Numbers 24. 17), indicating the King Messiah. There shall come a star out of Jacob, (Numbers 24. 17), meaning David; and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel, (Numbers 24. 17), forshadowing the Messiah; and shall smite the corners of Moab, (Numbers 24. 17), intimating David; for it is said: and he smote Moab and measured them with a line, (II Samuel 8. 2). And destroy all the children of Seth, (Numbers 24. 17), points to the King Messiah; for it is said: And his dominion shall he even from sea to sea, (Zachariah 9. 10). And Edom shall be a possession, (Numbers 24. 18), refers to David; for it is said: And all they of Edom became David’s servants, (II Samuel 8. 14); Seir also shall be a possession for his enemies, (Numbers 24. 17) relates to Messiah; for it is said: And Saviours shall come up on Mount Zion to judge the Mount of Esau.
But we must not suppose that the Messiah need perform miracles and wonders, (or exhibit any novelty in the world, or cause the resurrection of the dead, as some silly people imagine), which is not the case. For rabbi Akiba was renowned as an eminent scholar among the scholars of the Mishna, and he was the arm bearer of Ben Cusiba or Bar Cochba, and asserted that this warrior was the Messiah, and all other contemporaneous sages were of the same opinion, until he (Ben Cusiba) was unfortunately slain in the war. Our sages never required from him any sign to confirm his mission. But the principle of this matter is, that the law with all its statutes and judgments are permanent, nothing must be added thereto or diminished therefrom, (whoever acts the reverse, or gives a gloss to any passage by which he distorts and perverts the literal meaning of any precept), is surely a wicked and heretical innovator.
If there should arise a king from the house of David who would study the law, perform the precepts as his progenitor David, quite in unison with both the written and oral law, and would enforce Israel to observe it and strengthen every breach, and fight the battles of the Lord, then he can claim the title of Messiah, provided he prospers and rebuilds the temple on its spot and causes the dispersed Israelites to be gathered.
But in the event of his not succeeding to the extent mentioned, or he being slain, then we may be confident that he was not the Messiah whom the Lord promised; but he is considered like all other pious and upright kings of that family, and the Lord only raised him to tempt the multitude; for it is said: And some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them and to purge, and to make them white, even to the time of the end, because it [is yet for a time appointed, (Daniel 11. 35).
Even he who pretended to be the Messiah. Daniel has already prophesied of him, for it is said: The forward of thy people shall exalt themselves to establish the vision, but they shall fall, (Dan. 11. 14). Has there been a greater fall than that stated above? For all prophets coincide that the Messiah will prove the deliverer of Israel and their Saviour, who will gather the dispersed and confirm the precepts; but the one mentioned was quite the reverse: he caused Israel to be massacred, scattered and degraded.
But no human being has the capacity to comprehend the designs of the Creator; for their ways are not His ways, and His thoughts are not their thoughts. All these events even those of him who succeeded the one stated, will ultimately pave the way for the King Messiah; it will eventually reform mankind to worship the true and only God; for it is said: For then will I turn to the people a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the Lord to serve him with one consent, (Zephaniah 3. 9).
How will this be effected? The world has been already made acquainted with the coming of Messiah, and with the records of the law and its precepts. These subjects have been already propagated to the utmost isles, among various gentiles of uncircumcised heart and flesh. They discuss those matters which apparently contradict the law. Some advance those precepts were true. but they had been already abrogated and are no more in force; but others assert the precepts had some mysterious signification, and the expected king already had risen and had revealed the mystery.
But when the true Messiah will rise and prosper, exalted and elevated, then they will all acknowledge that their assertion is not correct.
In your letter you have adverted to the computations of the date of the Redemption and R. Saadia's opinion on the subject. First of all, it devolves upon you to know that no human being will ever be able to determine it precisely as Daniel has already intimated, "For the words are shut up and sealed." (Daniel 12:9). Indeed many hypotheses were advanced by scholars, who fancied that they have discovered the date, as was anticipated in Scripture, "Many will run to and fro, and opinions shall be increased." (Daniel 12:9). That is, there shall be numerous views concerning it. Furthermore we have a Divine communication through the medium of the prophets that many persons will calculate the time of the advent of the Messiah but will fail to ascertain its true date. We are cautioned against giving way to doubt and distrust because of these miscalculations. The longer the delay, the more fervently shall you hope, as it is written, "And it declareth of the end and doth not lie, though it tarry, wait for it, because it will surely come, it will not delay." (Habakkuk 2:3). Remember that even the date of the termination of the Egyptian Exile was not precisely known and gave rise to differences of opinion, although its duration was fixed in Scripture, where we read, "and they shall serve them and afflict them four hundred years" (Genesis 15:13). Some reckoned the period of four hundred years from the time of Jacob's arrival in Egypt, others dated it from the beginning of Israel's bondage, which happened seventy years later, while still others computed it from the time of the Covenant of the Pieces when this matter was Divinely predicted to Abraham. At the expiration of four hundred years after this event, and thirty years before the appearance of Moses, a band of Israelites left Egypt because they believed that exile had ended for them. They were subdued and slain by the Egyptians. The lot of the Israelites who remained was consequently aggravated as we learn from our sages, the teachers of our national traditions. David already alluded to the vanquished Israelites who miscalculated the date of the redemption in the verse, "The children of Ephraim were as archers handling the bow that turned back in the day of battle" (Psalms 78:9). In truth, the period of four hundred years commences with the birth of Isaac the seed of Abraham, par excellence, as may be gathered from the verse, "For in Isaac shall seed be called to thee" (Genesis 21:12), and the verse, "Thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, they shall serve them, and afflict them four hundred years" (Genesis 15:13). In exile, they would rule, enslave and maltreat them, this is the implication of this text. The four hundred years mentioned in this verse refer to the duration of the exile, and not [solely] to the Egyptian bondage. This fact was misunderstood until the great prophet (Moses) came, when it was realized that the four hundred years mentioned in this verse refer to the duration of the exile, and not [solely] to the Egyptian bondage. This fact was misunderstood until the great prophet (Moses) came, when it was realized that the four hundred years dates back precisely to the birth of Isaac. Now, if so much uncertainty prevailed in regard to the date of the emancipation from Egyptian bondage, the term of which was fixed, how much more would it be the case in respect to the date of the final redemption, the prolonged and protracted duration of which appalled and dismayed our inspired seers, so that one of them was moved to exclaim, "Wilt Thou be angry with us forever? Wilt Thou draw out Thine anger to all generations?" (Psalms 85:6). Isaiah, too, alluding to the long drawn out exile, declared: "And they shall be gathered together as prisoners are gathered in the dungeon, and shall be shut up in prison, and after many days shall they be released" (24:22). Inasmuch as Daniel has proclaimed the matter a deep secret, our sages have interdicted the calculation of the time of the future redemption, or the reckoning of the period of the advent of the Messiah, because the masses might be mystified and bewildered should the Messiah fail to appear as forecast. The rabbis invoked God to frustrate and destroy those who seek to determine precisely the advent of the Messiah, because the masses might be mystified and bewildered should the Messiah fail to appear as forecast. The rabbis invoked God to frustrate and destroy those who seek to determine precisely the advent of the Messianic era, because they are a stumbling block to the people, and that is why they uttered the imprecation "May the calculators of the final redemption come to grief" (Sanhedrin 97b). As for R. Saadia's Messianic calculations, there are extenuating circumstances for them though he knew they were disallowed. For the Jews of his time were perplexed and misguided. The Divine religion might well nigh have disappeared had he not encouraged the pusillanimous, and diffused, disseminated and propagated by word of mouth and pen a knowledge of its underlying principles. He believed, in all earnestness, that by means of the Messianic calculations, he would inspire the masses with hope for the truth. Verily all his deeds were for the sake of heaven. Consequently, in view of the probity of his motives, which we have disclosed, one must not decry him for his Messianic computations. I note that you are inclined to believe in astrology10 and in the influence of the past and future conjunctions of the planets upon human affairs. You should dismiss such notions from your thoughts. Cleanse your mind as one cleanses dirty clothes.11 Accomplished scholars whether they are religious or not, refuse to believe in the truth of this science. Its postulates can be refuted by real proofs on national grounds. But this is not the place to enter into a discussion of them. Mark well, however, what Scripture has to say about the astrologers. At the time when Moses rose to leadership the astrologers had unanimously predicted that our nation would never be freed from bondage, nor gain their independence, but fortune smiled upon Israel, for the most exquisite of human beings appeared and redeemed them at the very time which was supposedly most inauspicious for them. Furthermore, Egypt was smitten with the plagues at the very time for which the astrologers foretold an epoch of wholesome climate, abundance, and prosperity for its inhabitants. To the failure of their vaticination, Isaiah alludes when he says "Where are they then thy wise men? and let them tell thee now, and let them know what the Lord of Hosts hath purposed concerning Egypt. (Isa. 19:12). Similarly the pundits, astrologers, and prognosticators were all of one mind that the administration of Nebuchadnezzar, the wicked, marked the beginning of an era of enduring prosperity. Forsooth, his dynasty was extinguished and destroyed, as was divinely forecast by Isaiah. He derided them for pretending to fore-knowledge, and held up to scorn the state which fancied itself in possession of sapient folk versed in futurity, as we read "Let now the astrologers, the star-gazers, the monthly prognosticators, stand up and save thee" (47:13). They are likewise wrong in their predictions concerning the era of the Messiah, may he speedily come. For while the Gentiles believe that our nation will never constitute an independent state, nor will they even rise above their present condition, and all the astrologers, diviners, and augurs concur in this opinion, God will prove false their views and beliefs, and will order the advent of the Messiah. Again it is Isaiah who makes reference to this event in the verse: "That frustrate the tokens of the impostors, and maketh the diviners mad, that turneth wise men backward, and maketh their knowledge foolish, that confirmeth the word of his servant, and performeth the counsel of his messengers, that saith of Jerusalem, "She shall be inhabited, and of the cities of Judah, They shall be built, and I will raise up the waste places thereof." (44:25-26). This is the correct view that every Israelite should hold, without paying any attention to the conjunctions of the stars, of greater or smaller magnitude. I have observed your statement, that science is little cultivated, and that learning does not flourish, in your country, which you attribute to the influence of the conjunctions in the earthly trigon.12 Remember that this low state of learning and science is not peculiar too your country, but is widely prevalent in Israel today. Indeed, a Divine premonition of such a state of affairs is contained in a verse in Isaiah which reads, "Therefore, behold, I will again do a marvelous work among this people, even a marvelous work, and a wonder, and the wisdom of the wise men shall perish, and the prudence of the prudent men shall be hid." (29:14). This condition is not due to the earthly or fiery trigon, as is proven by the fact that Solomon, King of Israel, lived during the earthly trigon, and yet Scripture testifies that "he was wiser than all men." (I Kings 5:11). So did Abraham of blessed memory, who was designated the Pillar of the World, discover the First Cause of the entire universe, and demonstrated the central importance of the principle of the Unity of God for all mankind. He, Isaac and Jacob, all three of them, carry the throne of glory in their hearts, to make use of a rabbinical metaphor "The patriarchs are the chariots," (Genesis Rabbah 82:7), which in turn was suggested by the verse, "And God rose up over him." (Genesis 35:13). The meaning is that they have attained a true conception of the Deity. Now the three patriarchs lived during the earthly trigon.This matter will become clear if the following facts are borne in mind. There is first, the smaller conjunction, that is, the meeting of Saturn with Jupiter, which occurs once in approximately twenty solar years. These conjunctions continue to take place twelve times within the same trigon, covering a period of two hundred and forty years. Then conjunctions take place in the second trigon, which occur every two hundred and forty solar years. The shift to the next trigon is known as the medium conjunction. According to this calculation an interval of nine hundred and sixty years will elapse between the first and second meeting of two planets in the same point of the Zodiac.13 This is termed the great conjunction, and occurs once in nine hundred and sixty years. This is the time that must elapse between the first and second meeting of Saturn and Jupiter in the same degree of Aries. If you will calculate back, you will understand my statement above that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as well as David lived during the earthly trigon. My purpose in going into details was to dispel any suspicion of yours that the trigon exercises any influence upon human affairs. Furthermore you write that some people have calculated the forthcoming conjunction and have determined that all the seven planets will meet in one of the constellations of the Zodiac. This forecast is untrue, for no meeting of the seven planets will occur in the next conjunction, nor in the following ones. For such an event will not happen even in ten thousand years, as is well known to those who are familiar with the astronomical law of equation. Verily this is the calculation of an ignorant person, as is evinced by other remarks of his, quoted by you, to the effect that there will be a deluge of air and of dust. It is essential for you to know that these and similar assertions are fabricated and mendacious. Do not consider a statement true because you find it in a book, for the prevaricator is as little restrained with his pen as with his tongue. For the untutored and uninstructed are convinced of the veracity of a statement by the mere fact that it is written; nevertheless its accuracy must be demonstrated in another manner. Remember that a blind person submits to an individual having power of sight for intelligent direction knowing that he lacks the vision to guide him safely; and an ailing person, unskilled in the art of medicine, and uninformed as to matters detrimental to or beneficial for his health, defers to a physician for guidance and obeys him implicitly. Just so is it indispensable for the laity to yield unswervingly to the prophets, who were men of true insight, and to confide in them in respect to matters affecting the truth or the error of a given teaching. Next in importance are the sages who have studied day and night the dogmas and doctrines of our faith and have learned to distinguish between the genuine and the spurious. After this exposition you may trust me that the statements you have previously quoted are inaccurate and this applies equally to similar views which you heard expressed in conversation or met with in books. For the author of such sayings is either ignorant, a mountebank, or seeks to destroy the law and to demolish its bulwarks. Do you perceive the brazenness of these people who assert that there will be a deluge of air, and dust, and fire, in order to deceive and delude others to believe that the Deluge in the time of Noah was merely due to a concentration of water, and was not a Divine punishment for the immorality of the time, as is explicitly stated in Scripture that guides us against error and fallacy. Similarly Sodom, and the other cities were not destroyed because of the unbelief and wickedness of their inhabitants in direct contradiction to the Bible which says, "I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it which is come to me." (Genesis 18:21). Thus whatever happens in this world through Divine intervention, they say is the inevitable consequence of the planetary conjunctions. They have affirmed the truth of their propositions in order to undermine the principles of our religion, and to give free reign to their animal instincts and passions as do the beasts and the ostriches. We were divinely admonished against those views in Scripture to the following effect: "If you rebel against Me so that I bring disaster upon you as a punishment for your misdeeds, but you ascribe your reverses to chance rather than to your guilt, then shall I increase your afflictions and make them more grievous." This is the intent of the verse in the Chapter of Admonition, If you will walk with me 'bekeri' I shall walk with you in the wrath of 'keri'" (Leviticus 26:21, 24). Now "keri" signifies chance, hazard. Scriptures means to say if you regard My chastisement as a fortuitous event, then shall I bring the most severe calamities upon you "sevenfold for your sins." (Leviticus 26:24). These foregoing remarks have made it abundantly clear that the advent of the Messiah is in no way subject to the influence of the stars. Indeed one of our keen minds in the province of Andalusia, calculated by means of astrology the date of the final redemption and predicted the coming of the Messiah in a particular year. Every one of our distinguished scholars made little of his declaration, discounted what he did and censured him sharply for it. But grim fate dealt with him more sternly than we could have. For at the very time when the Messiah was supposed to arrive, a rebel leader appeared in Maghreb who issued an order of conversion as you are well aware. The event proved to be a great debacle for the partisans of this prognosticator. Indeed the hardships experienced by our people in the diaspora are responsible for these extravagances, for a drowning man catches at a straw. Therefore, my co-religionists, "be strong and let your heart take courage, all you that wait for the Lord." (Psalms 31:25). Strengthen one another, affirm your faith in the Expected One, may he speedily appear in your midst. "Strengthen ye the weak hands and make firm the tottering knees." (Isaiah 35:3). Remember! Isaiah, the herald of Israel's redemption predicted that the prolongation of the adversities of exile will impel many of our people to believe that God has relinquished and abandoned us (far be it from Him), as we read "But Zion said: 'the Lord hath forsaken me, And the Lord hath forgotten me'." (49:14). But he was given the Divine assurance that such is not the case, to quote the following, "Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, these may forget, yet I will not forget thee." (49:15). In truth, this Divine promise had already been divulged by the First Prophet, who declared: "For the Lord thy God is a merciful God. He will not fail thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he swore unto them." (Deuteronomy 4:31). "Then the Lord thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion on thee, and will return and gather thee from all the peoples whither the Lord thy God hath scattered thee." (Deuteronomy 30:3). It is, my co-religionists, one of the fundamental articles of the faith of Israel, that the future redeemer of our people will spring only from the stock of Solomon son of David.14 He will gather our nation, assemble our exiles, redeem us from our degradation, propagate the true religion, and exterminate his opponents as is clearly stated in Scripture "I see him but not now, I behold him but not nigh, there shall step forth a star out of Jacob, and a scepter shall arise out of Israel. And shall smite through the corners of Moab, and break down all the sons of Seth. And Edom shall be a possession, Seir also, even his enemies, shall be a possession, while Israel doeth valiantly." (Numbers 24:17-18). He will be sent by God at a time of great catastrophe and dire misfortune for Israel as was predicted in the verse "There will be none remaining, shut up or left at large" (Deuteronomy 32:36). And when he appears, he will fulfill the promises made in his behalf. A later prophet too was alluding to the Messianic tribulations when he declared "But who can endure the day of his coming" (Malachi 3:2). This is the proper understanding of this article of faith. From the prophecies of Daniel and Isaiah and the statement of our sages it is clear that the advent of the Messiah will take place some time subsequent to the universal expansion of the Roman empire and Arabic rule, which is an actuality today. This fact is true beyond question or doubt. Daniel in the latter part of his vision alludes to the Kingdom of the Arabs, to the rise of Mohammed and then to the arrival of the Messiah. Similarly Isaiah intimated that the coming of the Messiah will occur after the rise of the Madman, in the verse "A man riding on an ass, a man riding on a camel, and two men riding on horses." (21:7). Now "the man riding on an ass" is a symbolical reference to the Messiah as is evident from another verse which describes him as "lowly and riding on an ass" (Zechariah 9:9). He will follow the "man riding on the camel" that is, the Arabic kingdom. The statement "two men riding on horses" refers to both empires, the Roman and the Arabian. A similar interpretation of Daniel's vision concerning the image and the beasts is correct beyond doubt. They are conclusions derived from the plain meaning of the text. The precise date of the messianic advent cannot be known. But I am in possession of an extraordinary tradition which I received from my father, who in turn received it from his father, going back to our early ancestors who were exiled from Jerusalem, and who were mentioned by the prophet in the verse, "And the exiles of Jerusalem that are in Spain" (Obadiah 20). According to this tradition there is a covert indication in the prediction of Balaam to the future restoration of prophecy in Israel. Incidentally it may be stated that there are other verses in the Torah which contain cryptic allusions in addition to their simple meaning. For example, the word "r'du" in the remark of Jacob to his sons, "r'du Shamah," "Get you down thither" (Genesis 42:2), has the numerical value of 210, and contains a hint to the length of Israel's stay in Egypt. Likewise, the statement of Moses our Teacher, "When thou shalt beget children, and children's children and ye shall have been long in the land," (Deuteronomy 4:25), embodies a reference to the duration of Israel's stay in Palestine, from the date of their arrival to the exile in the time of Jehoiakim, which was eight hundred and forty years, corresponding to the numerical value of the word NoSHaNTeM. Similarly, many other verses could be cited. To come back to Balaam's prophecy, the verse "After the lapse of time, one will tell Jacob and Israel what God hath wrought," (Numbers 23:23), contains a veiled allusion to the date of the restoration of prophecy to Israel. The statement means that after the lapse of an interval equal to the time that passed from the Six Days of Creation to Balaam's day, seers will again tell Israel what God hath wrought. Now Balaam uttered his prediction in the thirty-eighth year after the Exodus which corresponds to the year 2485 after the Creation of the World, for the Exodus took place in the beginning of the year 2448. According to the interpretation of this chronology, prophecy would be restored to Israel in the year 4976 after the creation of the world. It is doubtless true that the reappearance of prophecy in Israel is one of the signs betokening the approach of the Messianic era as is intimated in Scripture "And your sons and your daughters shall prophecy ... And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth ... Before the great and terrible day of the Lord come" (Joel 3:1, 3, 4). This is the most genuine tradition concerning the Messianic advent. We were admonished against, and strictly prohibited form blazening it abroad, lest some folk deem it unduly postponed. We have already apprised you concerning it, but God knows best what is true. Your statement that Jeremiah alludes to the advent of the Messiah in the verse "It is a time of trouble unto Jacob" (30:7) is incorrect, for it needs must refer to the war of Gog and Magog which will take place some time after the arrival of the Messiah. Neither the fall of Giron Gate16 nor similar omens portent the oncoming of the Messiah. Some of the supposed prophetic signs are mistakenly ascribed to the sages, while others owe their origin to figures of speech and enigmatic sayings of the rabbis, which should not be taken literally.
COMENTARIO DE RASHI
I SEE HIM — I see the preeminence of Jacob and his greatness, but it is not now (ולא עתה), but will be after some time.
דרך כוכב A STAR COMETH OUT [OF JACOB] — Understand this as the Targum does (“a king will arise from Jacob”). The word דרך has the same meaning as in (Lamentations 2:4): “He has bent (דרך lit., trodden) his bow; this expression is used because the star shoots across [the heavens] as an arrow does when the bow is trodden. In O. F. destent. It is as much as to say, “Prosperity (a good fortune) will rise”.
וקם שבט AND A שבט RISES [OUT OF ISRAEL] — a king, who chastises with the rod (שבט) and has sovereign power.
ומחץ פאתי מואב AND PIERCETH THE CORNERS OF MOAB — This is a reference to David of whom it is stated, (II Samuel 8:2) “[And he smote Moab] … making them to lie down on the ground and he measured two lines to put to death etc.”.
וקרקר AND UNDERMINETH — This is an expression denoting “digging”, as in (2 Kings 19:24): “I have dug (קרתי)”; (Isaiah 51:1): “The hole of the pit from which you were dug out (נקרתם); (Proverbs 30:17) “The ravens of the valley shall dig it out (יקרהו)". In O. F. forer.
כל בני שת ALL THE CHILDREN OF SETH — i.e., all nations, because all of them issued from Seth, the son of Adam, the first man (cf. Onkelos).
והיה ירשה שעיר איביו SEIR ALSO SHALL BE A POSSESSION [FOR HIS ENEMIES] — for his enemy, Israel.
וירד מיעקב AND OUT OF JACOB ONE SHALL RULE — and there will be yet another ruler from Jacob,
והאביד שריד מעיר AND HE WILL DESTROY THE REMNANT OF THE CITY — the most important city of Edom, and that is Rome. It is of King Messiah that he is thus speaking, of whom it is said, (Psalms 72:8) “And he shall have dominion (וירד) from sea to sea”; (Obadiah v. 18) “And there shall be no remnant (שריד) of the house of Esau".
וירא את עמלק AND HE SAW AMALEK — i.e. He perceived the retribution destined to befall Amalek.
ראשית גוים עמלק AMALEK WAS THE BEGINNING OF NATIONS — he was the first of them all to war against Israel; thus, too, does Onkelos translate it. ואחריתו BUT HIS LATTER END will be to be destroyed by their hands, as it is said, (Deuteronomy 25:19) “Thou shalt blot out the memory of Amalek”.
וירא את הקיני AND HE SAW THE KENITES — Because the Kenites were settled near the Amalekites — just as it is stated, (I Samuel 15:6) “And Saul said unto the Kenites, [Go, depart, get you down from among the Amalekites]’’ — he mentioned them immediately after the Amalekites. He beheld the greatness of the descendants of Jethro, of whom it is said, (I Chronicles 2:55) “The תרעתים, שמעתים, שוכתים" — [These are the Kenites] (see Sifrei Bamidbar 78:1 on Numbers 10:29; Sanhedrin 104a, 106a, Sotah 11a).
איתן מושבך FIRM IS THY DWELLING PLACE — “I wonder whence you merited this; for were you not with me in the advice we gave Pharaoh (Exodus 1:10): ‘Come, let us deal wisely with them’, and now you have a seat in the strength and power of Israel, (in the Sanhedrin)’’! (Sanhedrin 106a).
כי אם יהיה לבער קין וגו׳ FOR IF THE KENITES WILL BE REMOVED etc. — Happy are you that you have firmly settled yourself in such strength, to which I have referred, so that thou will therefore never be driven from the world. For even if you will in the future go into exile with the Ten Tribes and be removed from the place where you had settled, what does it matter?
עד מה אשור תשבך HOW FAR WILL ASSYRIA CARRY YOU AWAY CAPTIVE? Possibly as far as Chaloch and Chabor — this is not being driven from the world, but only being moved from place to place, and in the end you will return with the other exiles!
וישא משלו וגו׳ AND HE TOOK UP HIS PARABLE etc. — Because he mentioned the captivity into Assyria he exclaimed, אוי מי יחיה משמו אל, who is able to save himself alive, so that He who decrees (God) should not place upon him (משמו) these things (אל, the equivalent of אלה) — for Sannacherib, king of Assyria, shall rise up and bring all the nations into confusion. And further, there will come —
צים מיד כתים SHIPS FROM THE LAND OF CHITTIM and the people of Chittim — these are the Romans — will pass over in big ships against Assyria.
וענו עבר AND WILL AFFLICT THEM ON THE OTHER SIDE (עבר) of the river Euphrates.
וגם הוא עדי אבד BUT HE ALSO SHALL PERISH EVERLASTINGLY — (“He” means the Romans). And so, too, did Daniel expressly state, (Daniel 7:11) “until the beast (Rome) was slain and its body destroyed".
וצים means [AND] BIG SHIPS, as it is written (Isaiah 33:21) “A gallant ship (צי)", the Targum translation of which is “a big ship” (Yoma 77b).
Every adherent of the Law of Moses is obliged to believe in the coming of the Messiah, as we explained above. The Torah expressly commands us to believe the words of the prophet: “Unto him ye shall hearken.” But the prophets announced the coming of the Messiah, hence it is clear that any one who does not believe in the coming of the Messiah denies the words of the prophets and transgresses a mandatory precept. But the belief in the coming of the Messiah is not a fundamental principle, denial of which would nullify the entire Torah.
Belief in reward is indeed obligatory upon every adherent of a divine law, and he who denies it denies a fundamental principle. But if one beieves that the soul alone is rewarded in the future world or that reward is corporeal at the time of the resurrection, he does not deny a fundamental principle even though he does not believe in reward in this world, as long as he believes in the principle of reward and punishment generally, though he has a different opinion as to one of the kinds of reward. In fact some of the Rabbis say that there is no reward in this world for obedience to the commandments, believing that the principal reward is in the future world: “That it may go well with thee,” they say, means, “in the world which is wholly good;” and “that thy days may be long,” refers to “the world which is wholly long.”
We say, therefore, that belief in the coming of the Messiah is not such a fundamental principle that he who denies it should be called an infidel. But it is a true belief which every adherent of the Mosaic law must believe. We do not intend in this part of our treatise to mention the specific prophecies which refer to his coming, as that would take too long, for the commentators differ as to which are the Messianic prophecies, though they all agree that the Messiah will come. Some of the sages of the Gemara hold that all the prophecies which refer to the Messiah have already been fulfilled—according to some they were all fulfilled in the days of Hezekiah, king of Judah: “Israel has no Messiah, for they consumed him in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah.” Rab Ashi contradicts this opinion, and cites Zechariah in his favor: “Behold thy king cometh unto thee …,” but this was not at the time of the second temple. Since he does not cite Isaiah, it seems that according to Rab Ashi too there is no conclusive refutation of the former statement in the prophecies of Isaiah. Our Rabbis agree that the prophecies were said concerning Hezekiah, but were not fulfilled in him: “God wanted to make Hezekiah the Messiah, etc.” The passage in Ezekiel: “And I will make them one nation in the land, upon the mountains of Israel, and one king shall be king to them all,” is also interpreted as referring to the second temple. A proof of this is the statement by Rabbi Akiba that the ten tribes are not destined to return, etc. Now if the prophecy of Ezekiel referred to the distant future, how could R. Akiba say that the ten tribes will not return, when Ezekiel says the opposite? It seems, therefore, that R. Akiba referred the words of Ezekiel to the time of the second temple. The words: “And one king shall be king to them all,” may refer to Zerubbabel, the satrap of Judah, or to Nehemiah, if he was a different person from Zerubbabel, or to the Nasi, or to the reigning king of the Hasmoneans.
Some of the commentators also say that all the prophecies of Isaiah were fulfilled at the time of the second temple, which Cyrus ordered to be built: “And let the expenses be given out of the king’s house.” The passage in Isaiah, beginning: “And kings shall be thy foster fathers …,” and the whole section there refers to Cyrus and the kings of Media and Persia. In the beginning of the second commonwealth they were poor, while later in the days of the Hasmoneans they became very rich, thereby fulfilling the prophecy: “For brass I will bring gold …” In the beginning they were so poor that they made the candelabrum of tin and covered it with brass, while the other vessels were made of brass. When they became rich, they made them of gold, as the Rabbis say about king Yannai that he ate with the Pharisees at tables of gold. In Herod’s temple, which was more beautiful than that of Solomon, was fulfilled the prophecy: “And I will make thy pinnacles of rubies …”
They also say that in the second commonwealth was fulfilled the prophecy: “And they shall bring all your brethren out of all the nations for an offering unto the Lord,” because Cyrus, king of Persia, commanded: “And whosoever is left, in any place where he sojourneth, let the men of his place help him with silver, and with gold …” Similarly, the words: “Shall all flesh come to worship before Me,” do not refer to all the nations, but only to Israel, as we explained above, where we discussed the different meanings of the word kol (= all). The words: “From one new moon to another,” do not denote infinite time, for if they did, then the sequel: “And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcasses of the men that have rebelled against Me; for their worm shall not die …,” would be a promise of eternal life to the worms. But the meaning is that the sinners of that generation will be a scorn and a mockery to their neighbors and to all that see them, so that all the men of that generation will profit by example when they see the punishment of those wicked men, hence they will come “from one new moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another,” to worship before the Lord.
R. Hayim Galipapa also writes in an epistle called, Epistle of Redemption, that all the prophecies of Daniel refer to the second temple only. The words in Daniel: “And [he] shall wear out the saints of the Most High; and he shall think to change the seasons and the law; and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and half a time,” all refer to Antiochus. Also the words: “But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom,” refer, he says, to the Hasmoneans. As for the words: “And possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever (‘ad ‘alma ve‘ad ‘alam ‘almaya),” he says that ‘olam means one jubilee, a short and definite time during which the Hasmoneans ruled. The words: “And one that was ancient of days did sit,” he refers to Mattathias the high priest, who was the head of the Hasmoneans, a very old man, all of whose sons reigned after him. He supports this interpretation by citing a statement of the Rabbis in reference to the words: “For the day of vengeance that was in My heart and My year of redemption are come”—“If the heart has not revealed it to the mouth, to whom can the mouth reveal it?” From this it appears that even the angels do not know when the redemption will come, because God did not reveal it to them; whereas in the words which the angel says to Daniel it seems that the angel knew the time, but Daniel did not understand him.
According to this writer’s words the four beasts which Daniel saw do not signify the things that all the commentators write about, but the first one denotes the kingdom of Babylon; the second the kingdom of Media; the third, Persia and Media; the fourth, the kingdom of Greece, all of which existed in the time of the second temple. Therefore it says in reference to the second beast: “And it raised up itself on one side and it had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth,” because Darius the Mede, who conquered Babylon and destroyed it, ruled only over Media, Babylonia and Assyria, which latter was under the power of Nebuchadnezzar, who conquered Nineveh and became king of Assyria, but Darius did not rule over Persia and all the kingdoms that were subject to Persia.
When Cyrus the Persian, the son-in-law of Darius, who was king of Persia, came to the throne and inherited the kingdom of Media from Darius, the reign of the third beast began, which embraced the whole world, as he says: “All the kingdoms of the earth hath the Lord, the God of heaven, given me.” In reference to the third beast it says: “Which had upon the sides of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads.” This is an allusion to the four kings who ruled over both Persia and Media, as the text itself says: “There shall stand up yet three kings in Persia; and the fourth shall be far richer than they all; and when he is waxed strong through his riches, he shall stir up all against the realm of Greece.”
Then began the kingdom of Greece, which is the fourth beast. The expressions in the text support this interpretation: “Then I desired to know the truth concerning the fourth beast, which was diverse from all of them, exceeding terrible …” This he refers to the rule of the Greeks, which began with Alexander of Macedon, concerning whom it is said: “And the rough he-goat is the king of Greece; and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king.” All that comes after is an account of the rule of the fourth beast in the time of the second commonwealth until the time of Antiochus.
These commentators, therefore, say that the belief in the Messiah is mainly traditional in character, and there is no prophecy in the Torah or in the Prophets which must necessarily refer to the Messiah, for they can all be interpreted in accordance with their context as referring to an event that is past. Thus the words: “The sceptre shall not depart from Judah,” may be interpreted: “The greatness and the dignity of the tribe will not depart from Judah,” for Judah will always be the first to fight the battles until Shiloh is destroyed. [The verb yabo in ki yabo shiloh, has the same meaning as in uba hashemesh vetaher, i. e. until the setting of Shiloh, namely its destruction.] The reason is because after the destruction of Shiloh, when Saul was anointed king, that rule departed from Judah, who no longer went first to battle. Hence the words: “Until the setting of Shiloh.” Or the words may be translated, “Until his son (shiloh) comes,” alluding to David [shiloh having the same meaning as ubeshilyatah (= after-birth)]. The meaning would then be, “The scepter will not come to Judah” [yasur having the same meaning as surah adonai surah elai—turn in, my Lord, turn in to me], i. e. the rule and the law-giver will not come from Judah until David comes, to whom all the tribes will gather [the word ‘ammim in the expression velo yikhat ‘ammim having the same meaning as in the phrase ‘ammim har yikrau, which Onkelos translates, “the tribes of Israel”]. And the words may be interpreted in still another way in agreement with the other interpretations, as Ibn Ezra explains it.
Similarly they refer the words: “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion, Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem; Behold, thy king cometh unto thee, he is triumphant and victorious, lowly, and riding upon an ass …,” to Zerubbabel, concerning whom it says: “Will I take thee, O Zerubbabel, My servant, the son of Shealtiel, … and will make thee as a signet; for I have chosen thee …” There are many such prophecies in Zechariah which, as the context shows, refer to him. Similarly the words of Malachi: “And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver; and there shall be they that shall offer unto the Lord offerings in righteousness. Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the Lord,” all refer to Ezra, who purged all the families and purified the priests and separated them and the Israelites from the daughters of the stranger.
In the same way they explain all the prophecies in this manner and refer them to the past, maintaining that the belief in the coming of the Messiah is mainly traditional. Onkelos, the proselyte, a disciple of Shemayah and Abtalyon, who lived in the time of the second temple, refers the words: “The sceptre shall not depart from Judah …” to the Messiah. This is the traditional interpretation to this day and we can not deny tradition, because if we were to deny tradition, then we could deny even the fundamental principles of the faith and interpret the texts differently. But the basis of all is tradition.
Our opinion is, however, that if there is no conclusive evidence in the text, tradition alone is not decisive, because one may say that even though he had not yet come in the time of Onkelos, may be he came later, as the Rabbis say: “If they deserve it, he will come ‘with the clouds of heaven;’ if they do not deserve it, then, ‘Lowly and riding upon an ass.’ ” One might therefore say that he came after the time of Onkelos, but because of our sins the good things which were promised to come through him were not fulfilled and the people did not regard him as the Messiah.
The truth of the matter is that there are in the Torah and in the Prophets passages definitely indicating the growth of Israel’s dignity, which have never yet been fulfilled in whole or in part, for example: “There shall step forth a star out of Jacob, and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite through the corners of Moab, and break down all the sons of Seth.” The Rabbis say: “Shall smite through the corners of Moab,” refers to David; “and break down all the sons of Seth,” refers to the Messianic king. And their interpretation must be true, for David did not rule over all the sons of Seth and there has never been in all Israel a king who ruled over the whole world, who are the sons of Seth. Again, in Isaiah we read: “For this is as the waters of Noah unto Me; For as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth, so have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee …,” and yet we are still in exile to-day, which shows that the prophecy has not yet been fulfilled. We also read in Isaiah: “For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before Me, saith the Lord, so shall your seed and your name remain,” a promise which without doubt points to the permanent existence of the whole nation and to its ultimate grandeur.
There are nations, like the Philistines, the Ammonites, the Amalekites and others whose name has disappeared from the world, although their descendants are still existing, for there is no Philistine or Amalekite or Ammonite or Moabite nation. On the other hand, there are other nations whose name remains but not their descendants, like Egypt, which was destroyed several times, as Ezekiel prophesied. And when it was settled again, all those who came to live there were called Egyptians, although they were not of Egyptian descent—the name remained but not the race. There is no nation which continues to exist both in name and in race except that of Israel, of whom this thing was foretold: “Shall your seed and your name remain.” The prophet connects it with the continuance of the new heavens and the new earth, for otherwise one might say that everything that comes into existence also passes out of existence. The other nations came into being and then disappeared and Israel too will necessarily disappear, since it came into being. To anticipate this notion, he says that it is not necessarily true that whatever is subject to genesis is also subject to destruction, for the heavens and the earth are new, that is, have come into being, according, to the opinion of those who adhere to the Torah and believe in the creation of the world in time, and yet they exist before the Lord continually, i. e. they are eternal, as David says: “He hath also established them for ever and ever; He hath made a decree which shall not be transgressed.” Hence the seed of Israel as well as their name will also remain forever and will not disappear.
Jeremiah also says: “Thus saith the Lord, who giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night … If these ordinances depart from before Me, saith the Lord, Then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before Me for ever.” This is also a promise of Israel’s continuance and grandeur, for if the promise were that Israel will remain forever in exile, it would be a curse and not a blessing. The same thing applies to the prophecy of Ezekiel containing a description of the temple. Some portion of it was indeed fulfilled in the second temple, as appears from the words of the Rabbis in tractate Menahot. Commenting on the verse: “Thus saith the Lord God: In the first month, in the first day of the month, thou shalt take a young bullock without blemish; and thou shalt purify (vehitteta) the sanctuary,” they say, “Why a sin offering? It should be a burnt-offering.” Said R. Johanan, “Elijah will explain this passage,” thus indicating that it refers to the Messianic period. R. Ashi said: “They offered installation sacrifices in the days of Ezra as they offered them in the days of Moses,” indicating that this prophecy was fulfilled in the days of Ezra. In tractate “Middot”, it also appears that in building the second temple they followed Ezekiel as far as they were able. Nevertheless it is clear that there are many things in Ezekiel that were not fulfilled in the days of Ezra or in the second commonwealth, for example the division of the land into tribes was not carried out in the second commonwealth. They were all mixed up and there was no special possession for each tribe or prince as Ezekiel describes.
The prophecy concerning Gog was not fulfilled at any time. To judge from the account given by Joseph ben Gorion, the priest, of the war of Antiochus king of Greece against Jerusalem and his defeat by the Hasmoneans, it does not agree with the prophecy concerning Gog at all. We also find in Spanish history an account of the coming of the Goths, who are descendants of Gog, to Spain, having conquered Rome and all Italy from the Greeks. But the rule of the Goths did not extend at that time over Palestine, nor did they subdue it, nor did Israel dwell at that time in their own land, as is stated in the prophecy concerning Gog. The words of Jeremiah in Lamentations: “The punishment of thine iniquity is accomplished, O daughter of Zion, He will no more carry thee away into captivity,” must refer to the last exile, that is, the exile after the second temple, for after the Babylonian exile at the time of the first temple, we were exiled again by Titus. To this reference is made in the words: “He will punish thine iniquity, O daughter of Edom,” which surely refers to the Roman exile, which is the last one.
Although the Kittim are descendants of the Greeks, it is possible that they are the fourth beast, because they ruled the world after the Greeks. The Bible calls them, “Daughter of Edom,” because they were converted to their new faith by an Edomite priest. The Edomites were the first to accept the religion of Jesus, and all the other nations go by the name of that one with which they identify themselves [whose religion they adopt]. Thus those who are converted to the religion of Israel are called Israelites or Jews, although they come from other nations. In the same way the Romans are called Edomites, and those who adopted the faith of the Mohammedans are called Ishmaelites, because the first converts were descendants of Ishmael. The meaning of the text, therefore, is that after this last exile God will no more carry the daughter of Zion into captivity, but will punish Edom. In order to prevent the reader from referring this to the original Edom, who were then living in Mount Seir, the text says: “Daughter of Edom, that dwellest in the land of Uz,” the grandson of Shem. The Edom that dwelt in Mount Seir was destined to disappear before the exile of the second temple, having been destroyed by the Hasmoneans, just as the early kingdom of the Greeks was destroyed and its power passed to the Kittim, who are descendants of the Greeks and are now called the Edomite nation. Nor is it possible to refer all the statements mentioned in Daniel in connection with the rule of the fourth beast to any events in Israel’s past or to the sinners of Israel so as to account for all the details. And there are many other prophecies of the same kind that can not be referred to the past, especially that of Malachi, the last of the prophets, who says: “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord. And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers,” an event which has not been fulfilled.
MIDRASH TANJUMA
(Deut. 2:5:) DO NOT ENGAGE THEM IN BATTLE, FOR I WILL NOT GIVE YOU ENOUGH OF THEIR LAND FOR ('ad) <EVEN> THE SOLE OF A FOOT TO TREAD (rt.: DRK) ON. R. Meir says: Until ('ad) his (the Holy One's) feet stand on that day (upon the Mount of Olives).23See Zech. 14:4.: Thus R. Meir would understand Deut. 2:5 to mean: DO NOT ENGAGE THEM IN BATTLE, FOR I WILL NOT GIVE YOU ANY OF THEIR LAND UNTIL THE SOLE OF A FOOT GAINS A FOOTHOLD. R. Samuel says: Until ('ad) that one comes of whom it is written (in Numb. 24:17): A STAR SHALL COME (DRK) OUT OF JACOB.24See Deut. R. 1:20. This refers to the messianic King. The Holy One said to them: In this world you have no property on this mountain, but in the world to come you shall be redeemed. Then you shall claim it and take possession of it.25Buber suggests emending TAKE POSSESSION OF TO TREAD UNDER FOOT. It is so stated (in Obad. vs. 19): THE NEGEB SHALL TAKE POSSESSION OF THE MOUNTAIN OF ESAU. It is also written (in vs. 21): FOR SAVIORS SHALL GO UP ON MOUNT ZION TO JUDGE THE MOUNTAIN OF ESAU, AND THE KINGDOM SHALL BELONG TO THE LORD.
IBEN EZRA
I SEE HIM, BUT NOT NOW. It appears to me that this prophecy refers to King David. Balaam said but not now, for it referred to an event four hundred years later.
I BEHOLD HIM, BUT NOT NIGH. Scripture repeats itself.37I behold him, but not nigh repeats, I see him, but not now. The star and the sceptre are the parable.
THERE SHALL STEP FORTH A STAR. There are images of stars that step forth in the sky that never existed and were never known.38New stars appear that were never known. I.E. is probably referring to comets. His point is that the king referred to in our verse shall suddenly appear.
AND A SCEPTRE39Hebrew, shevet (a rod). Hence I.E.’s comment. SHALL ARISE. The reference is to a royal sceptre.I believe that shall step means that the star shall be seen making its way, as in The stars in their courses (Jud. 5:20). Many explained that the reference is to the messiah. The ancients said that Sanherib40An Assyrian king who lived in the eighth century. mixed up the nations.41See Yoma 54a. However, note that Scripture speaks of Moab, Amalek, and Asshur.42Thus our verse deals with the pre-Sanherib period. Therefore it cannot pertain to the messiah. Furthermore, why does Balaam conclude with and shall afflict Eber (v. 24)?43Eber refers to the Israelites. If Balaam’s prophecy refers to the messiah, why does he conclude with the affliction of Israel? Israel will not be afflicted in the messianic era. On the contrary, Balaam should have ended his parable with There shall step forth a star out of Jacob.44For that is what will take place in the messianic era after Israel is afflicted. Those who lack intelligence think that anyone who explains that There shall step forth a star refers to King David denies the coming of the messiah.45For “those who lack intelligence” believe that this verse is necessary for belief in the coming of the messiah. Therefore one who interprets this verse as referring to King David denies the coming of the messiah. Far be it, far be it, for the messiah is clearly stated in the prophecy of Daniel. I have already explained that Daniel first mentions the coming into existence of the Greek kings46The kingdoms of the Greeks. and the arising of the Hasmoneans. He mentions the existence of the second temple, the years of the siege, the exile, and the salvation. He notes these things in order. There is no conceivable need for another prophet,47We would know about the coming of the messiah even if we did not have the Book of Daniel. since we have the words of Moses, who is the most important prophet: If any of thine that are dispersed be in the uttermost parts of heaven… the Lord thy God will bring thee (Deut. 30:4,5).48Back to the Land of Israel. In other words, although our verse does not allude to the messiah, Deuteronomy does. I.E. notes this because he wants to show that Moses predicted the coming of the messiah.
AND SHALL SMITE THROUGH THE CORNERS OF MOAB. This is what David did.49See II Sam. 8:2.
AND BREAK DOWN. The word karkar (break down) is similar to mekarkar kir (Is. 22:5), the meaning of which is, breaking the wall. It is similar to the word mesa’ef (shall lop) (Is. 10:33).50In that the verbal form of the noun means to destroy what the noun stands for. See I.E. on verse 8 and the notes thereto.
THE SONS OF SETH. People. Seth was the most important son of Adam, for Noah was descended from him. Yitzchaki51See I.E. on Gen. 36:31 and the notes thereto. says that the reference is to the Amonites and the Moabites, and that Scripture repeats itself.52Sons of Seth is another term for the Moabites. He also says that the word Seth is derived from the word shet (buttocks) in and with buttocks uncovered (Is. 20:4) and that it alludes to the daughters53The ancestresses of the Moabites and the Ammonites. See Gen. 19:37,38. of Lot.54Their father, whose nakedness his daughters uncovered. See Gen. 19:30-38. However, this appears to me to be farfetched, for shet refers to the backside,55While Lot’s daughters uncovered his front. The point is, Scripture would not allude to intercourse by employing the phrase “uncovering the buttocks.” which is the foundation of the body.56In other words, the basic meaning of shet is foundation, not buttock. Compare, ki ha-shatot yeharesun (When the foundations are destroyed) (Ps. 11:3). Many others have explained that the word shet (Seth) in all the sons of Seth, is related to the word ha-shatot (foundations) in When the foundations are destroyed. It means that the cities will be destroyed.57According to this interpretation, ve-karkar kol bene shet (and break down all the sons of Seth) means: and will break down all foundations. This interpretation is not far-fetched.
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