BOTH WE. It is Hebrew style to add gam¹ (also we), gam attah (also you), gam tappenu (also our little ones). (also) even to the first of a series of items.² means also. Hence it does not belong before the first of a series of items. Nevertheless, it is Hebrew style to place gam before the first particular in a series for purposes of emphasis (Weiser). Compare, Rule over us, also (gam) thou, also (gam) thy son, also (gam) thy son’s son (Jud. 8:22).

footnotes: ¹ The Hebrew literally reads: gam anachnu ² Gam

DO THIS. Do according to the following counsel.³ (this) is feminine. The question thus arises, why did Jacob use the feminine zot asu (do this) rather than the masculine zeh asu? I.E.’s solution is that the word zot refers to etzah (council) which is feminine. It should be noted that etzah is not in the Biblical text (Cherez).

footnotes: ³ Zot

OF THE CHOICE FRUITS OF THE LAND. Zimrat (choice fruits) refers to all types of praiseworthy things. It comes from the same root as zemirot (songs) (Is. 24:16).⁴

footnotes: ⁴ Things that one sings about, things that one praises. Krinsky explains I.E. as meaning the choicest fruits because of which the land is praised.

BALM AND…SPICERY. I have previously explained these terms.⁵

footnotes: ⁵ See I.E.’s comments on Gen. 37:25.

NUTS. Batenim does not appear elsewhere in Scripture.⁶ Some say it means nuts.

footnotes: ⁶ Hence we cannot be sure what it means.

DOUBLE. Mishneh means second.⁷

footnotes: ⁷ In addition to the money that you are returning, bring a second sum of money for the purchase of new food (Filwarg).

OVERSIGHT. Mishgeh (oversight) is a noun whose third root letter is a heh.⁸.

footnotes: ⁸ Its root is shin, gimel, heh

[AND GOD ALMIGHTY.] This phrase means the one who has the power to do all these things.

IF I BE BEREAVED. As I was bereaved by the death of Joseph, I think that I will be bereaved of all my children.⁹. The literal translation of the latter is, and as for me, as I was bereaved (shakholti), I was bereaved. I.E. explains that the second shakholti although a perfect, is to be rendered as an imperfect Thus our verse reads, and as for me, as I was bereaved, so will I be (I think I will be, I fear I will be) bereaved. He explains it to mean: as I was bereaved of Joseph, I now fear that I will be bereaved of all my children. Cf. I.E.’s commentary on Es. 4:16.

footnotes: ⁹ According to Krinsky. The verse reads, va-ani ka’asher shakholti shakholti

THAT HE MAY SEEK OCCASION AGAINST US. Le-hitgolel (that he may seek occasion) comes from the same root as bi-gelal¹⁰ in that for (bi-gelel) this thing (Deut. 15:10).

footnotes: ¹⁰ Hence it is similar in meaning to it He is seeking a cause, a reason.

AND FALL UPON US. As a man falls intentionally upon another and then says you tripped me.¹¹

footnotes: ¹¹ That is, he is seeking to blame us for something we are not guilty of.

OH. Bi adoni (Oh, my lord) is a supplicatory expression. I believe it is an abridged statement. It is like, bi ani adoni he-avon (upon me, my lord, upon me be the iniquity) (I Sam. 25:24). Avon (iniquity) here¹² (Filwarg). Or “here” refers to our verse in which the word avon is to be inserted (Weiser). has the same meaning as avon in My iniquity (avoni) is greater than I can bear (Gen. 4:13).¹³ (iniquity) means punishment. Cf. I.E. comments on Gen. 4:13. Thus bi adoni he-avon means, upon my lord be the punishment. The meaning of bi adoni he-avon is, do to me as you wish but first listen to me.

footnotes: ¹² “Here” refers to I Sam. 25:24 and by extension to our verse which is short for bi adoni he-avon ¹³ Where avon

HATH GIVEN YOU TREASURE IN YOUR SACKS. It is possible that someone had a treasure in his house, hid it among the wheat in his storehouse and then forgot about it, and it was placed in your sacks by chance.¹⁴ This must be the case because I have your money.

footnotes: ¹⁴ After it was delivered to the royal granaries.

INTO JOSEPH’S HOUSE. The heh at the end of betah (into the house of) means to. The latter is Hebrew style.¹⁵ suffixed to a noun has the same meaning as the preposition el (to) placed before it. Hence betah yosef means into Joseph’s house.

footnotes: ¹⁵ A heh

IS YOUR FATHER WELL, THE OLD MAN. Our verse has a noun (shalom) in place of an adjective (shalem).¹⁶ (is your father well). I.E. argues that according to the rule of Hebrew grammar the Bible should have read; ha-shalem avikhem and not ha-shalom avikhem since the former means, is your father well (shalem) while the latter means, is your father peace (shalom), an impossible statement. His solution is to suggest that ha-shalom avikhem is short for ha-shalom la avikhem. It is abridged, and should be read as if written, ha-shalom la-avikhem (is your father in peace). Ve-attah shalom (and peace be unto thee) (I Sam. 25:6) is similar.¹⁷. According to I.E. it should have read, ve-attah shalem (and thou art well) since shalem is an adjective while shalom is a noun. Hence here, too, the verse is abridged and should be read as if written ve-attah shalom lekha.

footnotes: ¹⁶ Our verse reads, ha-shalom avikhem ¹⁷ I Sam. 25:6 reads, ve-attah shalom

AND THEY BOWED THE HEAD. Va-yikkedu (and they bowed the head) means, and they placed their head to the ground. Thus va-yishtachavu (and made obeisance) means, and they had bowed.¹⁸. I.E. interprets va-yishtachavu as a pluperfect, they had bowed, since the bowing obviously preceded the placing of the head on the ground.

footnotes: ¹⁸ Scripture reads, va-yikkedu, va-yishtachavu

GOD BE GRACIOUS UNTO THEE. Yochnekhah (be gracious unto thee) does not fit into any paradigm.¹⁹. Had it followed the paradigm of Hebrew double ayin roots, it would have been written yechannekha; compare, yechannenu in Ps. 67:2 (Krinsky, Cherez). Perhaps it differs from the usual paradigms because of the chet which is a guttural.²⁰ was transferred from the chet to the yod and the dagesh dropped from the nun (Krinsky).

footnotes: ¹⁹ The word comes from chet, nun, nun ²⁰ To simplify its enunciation the kamatz

YEARNED. Nikhmeru (yearned) means burned and inflamed, as does nikhmeru (hot) in our skin is hot (nikhmoru) like an oven (Lam. 5:10).

AND PORTIONS WERE TAKEN. Masot (portions) means gifts.²¹

footnotes: ²¹ Not portions of food but gifts (Cherez).

TIMES. Yadot (times) means portions.

AS ANY OF THEIRS. Benjamin’s gifts were five times as great as the gift of any one of the brothers.²² It is far-fetched to believe that Joseph gave Benjamin five gifts for every gift that he gave to each one of his brothers.²³ (all of them) as meaning, as any of them.

footnotes: ²² He had five times as much as any individual, not five times as much as all of them together. ²³ For this would come to 50 gifts. I.E. comments thus because the Hebrew reads: and Benjamin’s portion was greater than the portions of all of them five times. He interprets kullam