AND SHALL CAST OUT. The nun in ve-nashal (and shall cast out) is a root letter. It is related to the word yishal (shall drop off)¹. in for thine olives shall drop off (Deut. 28:40).

footnotes: ¹ Which comes from the root nun, shin, lamed

FOR HE WILL TURN AWAY THY SON. The reference². is to “his son” mentioned earlier.³ That is, do not give your daughter to his son⁴ or do not take the daughter⁵ mentioned.⁶

footnotes: ² That is, He will turn away ³ In the previous verse. ⁴ The son of the Canaanites mentioned in the previous verse will turn aside your son, that is, his brother-in-law, from following the Lord. ⁵ Of the Canaanite. ⁶ In the previous verse, for she too will turn your son away from Me. For other interpretations, see Krinsky, Meijler, and Filwarg.

BUT THUS. Ki im ko ta’asu la-ham means but thus⁷, means but thus. Ki literally means but, for, when; im means if. Thus ki im literally means but if. Hence I.E.’s comment that ki im should be rendered but thus. shall ye deal with them⁸ because thou art a holy people (v. 6) and should not defile yourself with pagan images drawn on pillars, or with asherim.⁹

footnotes: ⁷ In other words, ki im ⁸ You shall destroy their images. ⁹ Sacred trees (Rashi).

HIS OWN TREASURE. I have already explained the meaning of the word segullah (treasure).¹⁰ It means a desirable thing to which nothing comparable is to be found any-where. Segullat (treasure)¹¹ in and treasure such as kings…have as their own (Eccles. 2:8) is similar.

footnotes: ¹⁰ See I.E. on Ex. 19:5 (Vol. 2, p. 375). ¹¹ Literally, treasure of.

SET HIS LOVE UPON YOU, NOR CHOOSE YOU. You and not anyone else.

AND BECAUSE HE WOULD KEEP. U-mi-shomro (and because he would keep) is an infinitive.

HE IS GOD. This means this is truly the God who has the power and is faithful. And is faithful refers to the oath which God took. Scripture says that God is powerful and faithful, because there are others who are faithful but lack the power to keep their oaths and others who are powerful but are unfaithful.

WHO KEEPETH COVENANT AND MERCY WITH THEM THAT LOVE HIM. There are none higher then they.¹²

footnotes: ¹² That love God.

AND KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS. After them.¹³ Or its meaning is, them that love Him in their hearts, they are the ones who keep His commandments verbally and in practice.

footnotes: ¹³ The future generations. God’s oath is conditional upon their keeping of His commandments.

TO A THOUSAND GENERATIONS. The one who says that the sphere of the constellations¹⁴ completes its cycle at the end of thirty-six thousand years¹⁵ errs, for we find it moving one degree in seventy years.¹⁶ The meaning of a thousand is, endless.¹⁷

footnotes: ¹⁴ Which contains 360 degrees and moves one degree in 100 years. ¹⁵ After which this world ends (Krinsky). According to this interpretation God says that he will keep his oath until the end of time. This interpretation says that a generation lasts for 36 years and a thousand generations is 36,000 years. ¹⁶ Thus it completes its cycle once in 25,200 years. ¹⁷ A thousand generations means endless generations.

AND REPAYETH THEM THAT HATE HIM…TO DESTROY THEM.¹⁸, (literally, to destroy him). To destroy each individual that hates Him.¹⁹ Compare, But righteous people is secure as a young lion²⁰ (Prov. 28:1).²¹

footnotes: ¹⁸ Hebrew, le-ha’avido ¹⁹ Hence the combination of the singular with the plural. See Vol. 1, p. XVII. ²⁰ Translated literally. ²¹ Each one of the righteous people is secure as a young lion. Here too we have a combination of the singular with the plural.

TO THEIR FACE. Be-fanav (to their face) means to him.²² Others say that el panav (their face) has the meaning of befanav, that is, because of His anger.²³ is to be rendered His anger. See I.E. on Deut. 4:37. Its means that God will repay the wicked because they hated the truth.²⁴

footnotes: ²² To the previous person. Face is not to be taken literally. ²³ In other words, panav ²⁴ And thereby angered God.

TO DESTROY THEM; HE WILL NOT BE SLACK TO HIM THAT HATETH HIM. Some say that the meaning of our verse is that God rewards the wicked for his good deeds in this world and does not wait to reward him in the world to come.²⁵, 22a; Onkelos and Rashi. However, it appears to me that our verse contrasts the righteous²⁶ who will exist²⁷ for a thousand generations with the wicked²⁸ who will be destroyed. Scripture reads, He will not be slack because the wicked person thinks that his son or grandson shall live,²⁹ as in [visiting the iniquity of the fathers] upon the children, and upon the children’s children (Ex. 33:7).³⁰

footnotes: ²⁵ See Erubin ²⁶ Literally, ones who love God. ²⁷ By living on through their children. ²⁸ Literally, ones who hate Him. ²⁹ And receive the punishment due him. ³⁰ Hence the Torah states that the wicked themselves shall receive the punishment due them.

THOU SHALT THEREFORE KEEP. It means as God keeps the covenant so shall you keep His commandments.

BECAUSE. Ekev (because) has the same meaning as ekev (reward) in For ever, reward³¹ (Ps. 119:112). It means the reward which will be given at the end. The meaning of who keepeth covenant in the previous verse (v. 9) is that God kept the covenant with Abraham. If you will be among those that love Him, then He will continue to keep the covenant.³² in our verse is, God will continue to keep the covenant if you love him. If you will be among those who love Him, then He will love thee, and bless thee, and multiply thee (v. 13). This is the meaning of the covenant and the mercy (v. 12).

footnotes: ³¹ Translated according to I.E. ³² In other words, the meaning of that the Lord thy God shall keep with thee the covenant

THY BODY. Thy children.³³ means your children. Bitnekha (thy body)³⁴ is a euphemism.³⁵

footnotes: ³³ That is, the fruit of thy body ³⁴ Literally, your belly. ³⁵ For the sexual organ.

AND THE FRUIT OF THY LAND. Scripture mentions com, wine, and oil because they are the most important foods.

THE INCREASE. I have already explained the meaning of shegar (the increase of).³⁶

footnotes: ³⁶ I.E. renders it as flock in his short commentary on Ex. 13:12. See also his long commentary on Ex. 13:12 (Vol. 2, p. 263).

THY KINE. The word alafekha (thy kine) is similar to the word alufenu (oxen) in Whose oxen are well laden (Ps. 144:14).

AND THE YOUNG OF. Ashterot (and the young of) means and the flocks of. There was a great commentator in Spain³⁷ who explained why the Hebrews referred to cattle as alef³⁸ (thy kine) and in alufenu (oxen). and to sheep and goats as ashterot. He similarly explained the ba’alim and the ashtaroth (Jud. 10:6) as referring to the lord of the flowering constellation³⁹, p. 202). This constellation is the first (alef) in the sky and its ruling planet, its lord (ba’al) was believed to have a powerful affect on fertility. and that of the tenth.⁴⁰, and adar when most of the sheep and cattle are born. Scripture goes on to say God will not only bless the fruit of your body but there will not be a barren male, that is, one whose seed is infertile, among you or among your cattle. Furthermore, you will be healthy and avoid all sorts of well-known illnesses which normally befall people. You will similarly avoid abnormal, evil diseases.⁴¹

footnotes: ³⁷ I.E. does not identify the commentator. ³⁸ As in alafekha ³⁹ The planet which rules over “the ascent, the zodiacal sign appearing on the eastern horizon at a certain moment” (I. Efros, Studies in Medieval Jewish Philosophy ⁴⁰ The tenth constellation, Capricorn, which rules during the months of tevet, shevat ⁴¹ Hence the mention of the diseases of Egypt.

AND THOU SHALT CONSUME. This is a commandment to consume them as one consumes bread, as thine eye shall not pity them proves.

FOR THAT WILL BE A SNARE UNTO THEE. The reference is to each one of their gods.⁴²

footnotes: ⁴² Our verse literally reads, “Neither shalt thou serve their gods; for he will be a snare unto thee.” To be consistent, our verse should have read, neither shalt thou serve their gods; for they will be a snare unto thee. Hence I. E.’s interpretation.

THE HORNET. Ha-tzirah (the hornet) refers to an illness which afflicts the body. It is related to the word tzara’at (leprosy).

THOU SHALT NOT BE AFFRIGHTED AT THEM. Only fear the Lord, who is great and awful.

LEST THE BEASTS OF THE FIELD INCREASE UPON THEE. The Gaon says that this is a sign regarding the time that they shall be victorious over them.⁴³ There is no need for the Gaon’s interpretation.⁴⁴ I have already explained it.

footnotes: ⁴³ When Israel will so increase that there will be no danger that the beasts of the field will overwhelm them, then they will know that it is time to drive out the Canaanites. See I.E. on Ex. 23:29 (Vol. 2, p. 519). ⁴⁴ For the meaning of our verse is that God will not drive out the Cananites in one year because the Land of Israel was too large for those who left Egypt to settle all of it. See I.E. on Ex. 23:29 (Vol. 2, p. 519).

THOU HAST DESTROYED THEM. Hishmidekha (thou has destroyed them) is an infinitive even though it is vocalized with a chirik.⁴⁵ beneath the heh. Hishmidekha is a hifil. In such cases the heh is normally vocalized with a pattach in the infinitive. Compare, hashmid. The word hishir⁴⁶ (left him remaining) in until there was none left him remaining (Num. 22:35) is most likely similar to it. The word otam (them), which is the object,⁴⁷. proves that hishmidekha is an infinitive.⁴⁸ is a third person (hishmid) plus the second person pronoun. Its meaning is, he destroyed you. However, with the word otam following, it is an infinitive, meaning you destroy them.

footnotes: ⁴⁵ Rather than with a pattach ⁴⁶ Which is a hifil. ⁴⁷ Of hishmidekha ⁴⁸ Hishmidekha

THE SILVER OR THE GOLD THAT IS ON THEM. Alehem is to be rendered, that is on them. Or the meaning of our clause is, you shall not take money to leave them.⁴⁹ means for them, and the meaning of our clause is, you shall not take a bribe of money to leave them alone.

footnotes: ⁴⁹ In this case, alehem

SNARED. The vav in tivvakesh (snared) is in place of a yod.⁵⁰ is yod, kof, shin. Compare, yakoshti⁵¹ is yod, kof, shin. lakh (I have laid a snare for thee).

footnotes: ⁵⁰ The root of tivvakesh ⁵¹ The root of yakoshti