NONE WAS LEFT TO HIM.¹ (he [Israel] left him). Each of the Israelites [left none to him].² (none was left) is in the singular. Thus our verse literally reads, and we smote him until he left him with no one remaining. I.E. renders this, and we smote him until each one of the Israelites left him no one standing. Hishir is in the perfect.

footnotes: ¹ Hebrew, hishir ² Hishir

THE REGION OF ARGOB. The words of the Aramaic translator³ are known.⁴ as tarchona, i.e., Trachonites. Trachonites is a district on the Golan heights. Some say that Argob is the name of a person who possessed this region as an inheritance from his father. Some go far afield and say that the alef of Argob is superfluous and that Argob is related to the word regavim (clods) in And the clods cleave fast together (Job 38:38).⁵ Argob as the district of clods.

footnotes: ³ Onkelos. ⁴ Onkelos renders chevel ⁵ They render chevel

AFTER THE CUBIT OF A MAN. After the cubit of a normal person. Observe, Og was double in size.⁶ It is unlikely that the Torah is speaking of Og’s cubit,⁷ for if this were so, then what is Scripture trying to teach?⁸ Furthermore, he would not have the image of a person at all.⁹

footnotes: ⁶ Og was double the size of a normal person. I Sam. 17:4 tells us that Goliath’s height was six cubits and a span. This is about twice the height of a normal person. Goliath was of the Rephaim (I Chron. 20: 4-8), as was Og. Hence I.E.’s reasoning (Weiser). ⁷ According to Rashi, Scripture speaks of Og’s cubit when it describes his bed. ⁸ Since we do not know Og’s span, Scripture’s statement that Og’s bed was nine cubits long and four cubits wide is meaningless. ⁹ If we assume that Og’s span was twice that of a normal person, then his bed indicates that Og’s dimensions were way beyond that of a human being. I.E. did not believe that such giants existed.

JAIR THE SON OF MANASSEH. I have already explained that he came from the tribe of Judah.¹⁰

footnotes: ¹⁰ See I.E. on Num. 32:41 (Vol. 4, p. 254).

THE GESHURITES AND THE MAACATHITES. Two nations.

TO MACHIR. This was explained.¹¹

footnotes: ¹¹ It means to the children of Machir. See I.E. on Num. 32:40 (Vol. 4, p. 254).

THE MIDDLE OF THE VALLEY FOR A BORDER.¹² The word u-gevul (for a border)¹³ is be rendered, and its border.¹⁴ So too u-gevul (the border thereof) in the Jordan being the border thereof (v. 17).¹⁵

footnotes: ¹² Literally, the middle of the valley and border. ¹³ Literally, and border. ¹⁴ According to I.E. our clause should be rendered, the middle of the valley and its border. ¹⁵ Literally, the Jordan and boundary. I.E. believes that this should be rendered, the Jordan and its boundary.

AND I COMMANDED YOU. Moses speaks to the children of Gad and Reuben.¹⁶ He uses the term you, not them,¹⁷ because they are included among the Israelites. The reverse is true with, that Moses commanded the Levites…Take this book of the law…For I know thy rebellion (Deut. 31:25-27).¹⁸ Moses did not address the Levites.¹⁹ On the contrary, he spoke to all of Israel.²⁰ He addressed the Levites²¹ because they are included in all of Israel.

footnotes: ¹⁶ Even though he was addressing all the Israelites. ¹⁷ Since Moses spoke to Israel, he should have used the term them when referring to Reuben and Gad. ¹⁸ Here Moses is addressing the Levites, but part of what he says is directed to Israel. ¹⁹ When he said, For I know thy rebellion… ²⁰ When he said, For I know thy rebellion… ²¹ The point is that some of what Moses said when he spoke to the Levites was directed specifically at the Levites, but the rest was directed to all of Israel. Moses could address Israel while speaking to the Levites because the Levites are part of Israel.

The meaning of va-etchannan (and I besought) is, and I had already besought.²² When Moses mentioned Joshua and said, And I commanded Joshua, etc. (v. 21) because I am not passing over with you, he had already asked the Lord to be allowed to pass over with the Israelites; for God’s greatness is unsearchable (Ps. 145:3) and They are new every morning; Great is Thy faithfulness (Lam. 3:23).²³

footnotes: ²² Before charging Joshua. He would not beseech God to pass over the Jordan after telling Joshua that he would lead Israel into Canaan. ²³ Hence Moses thought that God might relent and permit him to enter Canaan.

THOU HAST BEGUN. The wisest of the wise²⁴ said: Thou hast begun to show Thy servant Thy greatness, in heaven and on earth,²⁵ i.e., the manner in which You conduct the world.

footnotes: ²⁴ Moses. ²⁵ I.E.’s paraphrase of the second part of our verse.

AND THY STRONG HAND. Via the signs performed through Moses so that the world learned that there is no God but the Lord. The meaning of El²⁶ (God) is mighty. IN HEAVEN. Wherein are the angels and the hosts.²⁷ OR ON EARTH. Wherein are the beasts and human beings.

footnotes: ²⁶ The term for God in our verse. ²⁷ The stars.

ACCORDING TO THY WORKS. All of which are governed by wisdom.

MIGHTY. In ability.²⁸ This section was written to instill a love of the Land of Israel. If they love the land, they will observe God’s commandments so that they will not be exiled from the land.

footnotes: ²⁸ God has the might to execute His will.

GET THEE UP INTO THE TOP OF PISGAH. The reference is to the valley that is in the field of Moab, the top of Pisgah.²⁹

footnotes: ²⁹ See I.E. on Num. 21:18 (Vol. 4, p. 172).

SO WE ABODE IN THE VALLEY. The meaning is, and we had already stayed in this valley, which is the top of Pisgah,³⁰ for from there³¹ they journeyed to the plains of Moab.³² The valley is in the mountains of Abarim, for the latter is clearly stated.³³ (Num. 33:48). Moses now commenced to speak about the commandments. He began with idol worship because they were near Bethpeor.³⁴

footnotes: ³⁰ Before coming to the plains of Maob, where they presently were. ³¹ Mount Abiram. ³² Where they now were. ³³ And they journeyed from the mountains of Abarim, and pitched in the plains of Moab ³⁴ Where Israel worshipped Baal of Peor. See Num. 25:3.