This chapter deals with the tribes of the eastern bank of the Jordan - Reuven, Gad, and the half-tribe of Menashe: their dwelling places, their family heads, their expansion beyond their original borders, and the wars they fought against the Hagrites. In the section before us, we continue from the descendants of Reuven to the descendants of Gad, to the genealogical enrollment conducted in the days of Yosam and the days of Yarov'am, and to the great war in which the few defeated the many - not in the natural way, but because "the war was from God."
וּבְנֵי־גָד לְנֶגְדָּם יָשְׁבוּ בְּאֶרֶץ הַבָּשָׁן עַד־סַלְכָה׃ - And the children of Gad lived opposite them in the land of Bashan as far as Salchah.
"Opposite them" (lenegdam) means near them, beside them, facing them - like "I will walk opposite you" (elechah lenegdecha), meaning alongside you or facing you. The Malbim explains that the children of Gad, like the children of Reuven, also expanded beyond their borders east of Gilad, and they too received a portion of the land of Menashe, as explained earlier: they received a share in Bashan extending as far as Salchah. This was part of the new division that took place, through which the children of Gad also gained new territory.
יוֹאֵל הָרֹאשׁ וְשָׁפָם הַמִּשְׁנֶה וְיַעְנַי וְשָׁפָט בַּבָּשָׁן׃ - Yoel was the chief, Shafam the second, and Yanai and Shafat in Bashan.
Yoel was the chief of the children of Gad, and these four mentioned here were renowned family heads who governed in Bashan. The Malbim explains: during that period Yoel was the head of the tribe, and he is the Yoel mentioned in verse 4, from whom the chieftainship continued generation after generation until Be'erah. Shafam was second to him. As for what we saw in verse 7, "And his brethren by their families, when the genealogy of their generations was reckoned" - the Malbim explains that this was in the days of Yosam, when their genealogical records were organized, and at that time the chief was Ye'iel. Here, by contrast, it refers to the era when Yoel was the tribal head - two different time periods. The Malbim further notes that Yoel here was not a prince of the whole tribe, as the count of tribal princes continued until Be'erah, but rather a family head, just as we saw that at a certain point tribal princes became family heads. Yanai and Shafat were leaders in Bashan, where the children of Gad expanded, conquered anew, and acquired new territories.
Radak cites from the Midrash regarding "and Shafat in Bashan": Who is the Shafat familiar to us? Elisha ben Shafat. Chazal state that the Shafat mentioned here in Bashan was the father of Elisha the prophet. It is an established principle that whenever the name of a prophet and the name of his father are both mentioned, both he and his father were prophets; here too, Shafat the father of Elisha was a prophet. And why did Scripture juxtapose him with "in Bashan"? Just as Bashan contains sixty cities, so too his son Elisha sustained Israel for sixty years - serving as a prophet to Israel and leading them for sixty years.
וַאֲחֵיהֶם לְבֵית אֲבוֹתֵיהֶם מִיכָאֵל וּמְשֻׁלָּם וְשֶׁבַע וְיוֹרַי וְיַעְכָּן וְזִיעַ וָעֵבֶר שִׁבְעָה׃ - And their brethren of their ancestral houses: Michael, Meshullam, Sheva, Yorai, Yachan, Zia, and Ever - seven.
If one were to write the three words "Veyorai Veya'chan Vezia" without vocalization and ask someone where they come from, he would likely assume they were from some Yiddish newspaper. This goes to show how unfamiliar we often are with Tanach.
The Malbim explains: "And their brethren" - the heads of the families; "of the house of their fathers" - that they were heads of their ancestral houses. For the word "heads" carries over to three elements. Indeed, in the previous verse as well, "Jaanai and Shaphat in Bashan" - even though it is not explicitly written that they were heads, the word "head" mentioned at the beginning ("Joel the chief [head]") carries forward to what follows as well, meaning Jaanai and Shaphat were likewise heads in Bashan. So too here: "and their brethren" were heads of their ancestral house. This is a common scriptural formulation, as has been noted several times, where the phrasing carries over to subsequent clauses - just as in "Shelo sam chelkenu kahem vegoralenu kechol hamonam" (who has not made our portion like theirs, nor our lot like that of all their multitude), where it is understood as though it said "nor our lot like that of all their multitude," since the initial "not" extends to the next clause. This is quite common in Tanach.
And who were these heads? Michael, Meshullam, Sheba, Jorai, Jacan, Zia, and Eber - seven. The Malbim observes that the verse emphasizes "seven" here because it is explained in Parashat Vayigash and Parashat Pinchas that Gad comprised seven families; therefore, scripture highlights that there were seven heads here. While there are places where the commentators delve into such details and others where they offer no explanation, here the Malbim clarifies the matter.
אֵלֶּה בְּנֵי אֲבִיחַיִל בֶּן־חוּרִי בֶּן־יָרוֹחַ בֶּן־גִּלְעָד בֶּן־מִיכָאֵל בֶּן־יְשִׁישַׁי בֶּן־יַחְדּוֹ בֶּן־בּוּז׃ אֲחִי בֶּן־עַבְדִּיאֵל בֶּן־גּוּנִי רֹאשׁ לְבֵית אֲבוֹתָם׃ - These are the sons of Abihail the son of Huri, the son of Jaroah, the son of Gilead, the son of Michael, the son of Jeshishai, the son of Jahdo, the son of Buz; Ahi the son of Abdiel, the son of Guni, chief of their fathers' house.
The Malbim explains: "These" - the seven heads mentioned previously, they were the sons of Abihail the son of Huri... the son of Buz. Ahi, on the other hand, was the chief of their ancestral house, which is why scripture records him separately in verse 15: "Ahi the son of Abdiel, the son of Guni" - listing him by himself to teach that the phrase "chief of their fathers' house" refers back to Ahi, not to Guni. This differs from the Radak, who explained that "chief of their fathers' house" refers either to Abdiel or to Guni. The Malbim asserts that it refers to neither, but rather to Ahi, the first name mentioned in that verse.
This kind of ambiguity arises in many places. On Chanukah we recite, "in the days of Mattityahu the son of Yochanan, Kohen Gadol" - and commentators ask: Who was the Kohen Gadol? Mattityahu? Yochanan? Perhaps both? For each of these views, there is an authority who holds it. That is to say, when a name appears followed by a title, it is not always immediately clear to whom the title applies. If one says, "Elisha the son of Shaphat the prophet," it could be understood as "[son of] Shaphat the prophet," or as "Elisha the prophet" - and in that specific case, both are true. Thus, here too there is room to consider who was the chief of their fathers' house: Abdiel, Guni, or Ahi, as the Malbim maintains.
וַיֵּשְׁבוּ בַּגִּלְעָד בַּבָּשָׁן וּבִבְנֹתֶיהָ וּבְכֹל מִגְרְשֵׁי שָׁרוֹן עַל־תּוֹצְאוֹתָם׃ - And they dwelt in Gilead in Bashan, and in its towns, and in all the open lands of Sharon, unto their borders.
"And they dwelt in Gilead in Bashan" - meaning in Gilead and in Bashan. The Radak notes: Do not be surprised by this phrasing, for we find similarly, "Sun moon stood still in their habitation" (Chabakuk 3:11) - meaning sun and moon, where the connective vav is omitted. At times scripture omits the vav, and here too, "in Gilead in Bashan" means in Gilead and in Bashan.
"Its towns [lit. daughters]" - the neighboring villages, which the Targum consistently renders as "kafraneha" (its villages). This is also the meaning of "let the daughters of Judah rejoice" - not referring to Judah's biological daughters, but to the villages surrounding the territory of Judah. In contemporary terms, these are satellite towns: there is a major city, and surrounding it are satellite neighborhoods or settlements - these are called its "daughters."
And what are "migrashim" (open lands)? Metzudat Tzion explains that this refers to houses that stood outside the city walls. An open area was reserved outside a city, as seen with the Levitical cities and elsewhere, and a migrash is an open space. Why is it called by that name? Metzudat Tzion offers an intriguing explanation: it is as though they were cast out (gorashu) from the city - migrash is related to megorash (expelled) - and for this reason they were called migrashim.
The Malbim explains: "And they dwelt in Gilead in Bashan" - this was the territory granted to them by the children of Menashe from their own inheritance; "and in all the open lands of Sharon" - they also expanded their borders outward toward the Sharon; "unto their borders [totze'otam]" - the areas where they extended beyond their original boundary lines. According to the Malbim, this aligns seamlessly: these were the lands they conquered from the Hagrites, which scripture is recounting here.
כֻּלָּם הִתְיַחְשׂוּ בִּימֵי יוֹתָם מֶלֶךְ־יְהוּדָה וּבִימֵי יָרָבְעָם מֶלֶךְ־יִשְׂרָאֵל׃ - All of these were enrolled by genealogies in the days of Jotham king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam king of Israel.
The meaning is that all of these - the sons of Reuben, the sons of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh - were registered by genealogy. The Radak explains that this genealogical reckoning was connected to the war they waged against the Hagrites, and "registered" here means that they were counted according to their families and ancestral houses before going out to battle, as was customary in their day: before marching out to war, a census is conducted. We find this with Saul, who numbered the people twice - once with lambs and once in Bezek, with pottery shards: when the people were poor, they were counted with shards, and when they became wealthy, they were counted with lambs. In any case, it was their practice to be numbered before battle, and presumably part of the purpose was also to account for the fallen - so that upon their return, they would know how many came back and how many were missing. And when did this take place? In the days of Jotham king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam king of Israel.
The Jeroboam king of Israel mentioned here is Jeroboam ben Joash (Jeroboam II). The Radak raises a difficulty: it appears that Jotham king of Judah and Jeroboam king of Israel did not reign during the same period, since Uzziah lived long after Jeroboam - so how can it be said that Jotham son of Uzziah reigned in the time of Jeroboam? He calculates the years, and without entering into every detail, the summary of the matter is as follows: while it is true that we encounter Jotham later on, his reign actually began earlier. For Jotham was the son of Uzziah, who is Azariah, the king who was afflicted with tzara'at and dwelled in an isolated house (beit hachofshit) - they placed him near the cemetery and built him a palace there, since he had to dwell in isolation outside the city. He could no longer manage the affairs of the kingdom, so his son Jotham took the reins of power during his father's lifetime.
Consequently, even though the era in which Jotham appears to reign was later - that was the period in which he reigned alone; but earlier, in the days of Uzziah, he had already begun to rule, meaning he effectively managed the kingdom. Thus it fits that Jotham king of Judah and Jeroboam king of Israel are treated as contemporaries. The Radak also offers an alternative explanation: it is very possible that these were two separate eras, each in his own time, and each of them conducted a census in preparation for war during his own reign.
The Malbim notes that according to what is recounted in Kings and Chronicles, Jotham reigned nearly forty years after the death of Jeroboam. Regarding the Radak's first approach, which attempted chronological calculations to show that Jotham ruled while his father was stricken with tzara'at, the Malbim says that this leads to many perplexities - meaning significant difficulties remain. Therefore, he follows the Radak's second approach, that each occurred in his own time: they were registered twice - once they stood for genealogical registration and counting in the days of Jeroboam, and once in the days of Jotham.
The Malbim explains, based on what is described in II Kings and Hosea, that when Joash king of Israel defeated Amaziah king of Judah, there was a period when the kings of Judah were subjugated to the kings of Israel, and the Northern Kingdom of Israel held dominion over Judah as well. This continued into the days of Uzziah, until two years before he was stricken with tzara'at, at which point Uzziah grew powerful enough to throw off the yoke of the king of Israel. The kingdom of Judah once again became independent under his leadership, no longer subordinate to the king of Israel but ruled by him with absolute authority. Until that time, however, the sovereign realm as a whole was associated with Jeroboam, since Jeroboam ben Joash ruled over Judah as well, and the collective rule in the Land of Israel was identified in his name.
This is why you find in Hosea and Amos that they are described as prophesying in the days of Jeroboam ben Joash, king of Israel - which is surprising, since Scripture typically dates the era of the prophets according to the reigns of the kings of Judah, who were generally righteous. However, during that period Jeroboam ben Joash held sole supreme authority, even over Judah; therefore, when dating the prophet's era, Scripture mentions him, as he was the predominant monarch at that time, exercising practical sovereignty over Judah as well.
And this is what Scripture tells us here: they were registered in the days of Jeroboam, when Jeroboam still held supreme authority on his own with Judah subordinate to him. The Malbim adds: in II Kings 14 it is explained that Jeroboam restored the border of Israel from the entrance of Hamath to the Sea of the Arabah. Until his time, Aram had ruled over Israel, and the Arameans had encroached upon the territory of the Reubenites and Gadites in Transjordan; in the days of Jeroboam ben Joash, he restored them to their inheritance, and at that point they were registered by their families and organized their camps for war, as valiant warriors. This state of affairs continued until the days of Jotham: when Jotham reigned in Judah, Pekah ben Remaliah reigned over Israel - already a generation after Jeroboam - and then Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria arrived and exiled them, bringing an end to the genealogical record. Now Scripture proceeds to describe how they were registered at that time.
בְּנֵי־רְאוּבֵן וְגָדִי וַחֲצִי שֵׁבֶט־מְנַשֶּׁה מִן־בְּנֵי־חַיִל אֲנָשִׁים נֹשְׂאֵי מָגֵן וְחֶרֶב וְדֹרְכֵי קֶשֶׁת וּלְמוּדֵי מִלְחָמָה אַרְבָּעִים וְאַרְבָּעָה אֶלֶף וּשְׁבַע־מֵאוֹת וְשִׁשִּׁים יֹצְאֵי צָבָא׃ - The sons of Reuven, the Gadites, and half the tribe of Menasheh, valiant men, men capable of bearing shield and sword, drawing the bow, and skilled in war - forty-four thousand seven hundred and sixty, fit to go out to the army.
The sons of Reuven, Gad, and half the tribe of Menasheh all gathered together, as the commentary attributed to Rashi notes, and waged war against the Hagrites. And why are they called "those who tread the bow" (dorechei keshet)? We have seen this several times: their practice was to brace their foot against the bow so that they could pull with maximum strength - pushing the bow with the foot while pulling the string with the hand. And "skilled in war" (lemudei milchamah) - accustomed to and trained in warfare.
The Malbim explains: they were all counted for war; "valiant men" (min bnei chayil) means they counted their men of valor, meaning they did not count everyone, but rather those fit to go out to battle, each man by his standard according to his ancestral house, and all of them bearing shield and sword - forty-four thousand. Pay attention to this number, and soon you will see how many fighters the Hagrites fielded. And all this, says the Malbim, took place throughout the days of Yeravam until Yosam. And when was the genealogy and the census taken? When those going out to the army were counted according to their muster, just as we saw in the desert where they were counted and genealogical records were established according to their ancestral houses - everyone going out to the army. In other words, when they went out to the army, everyone's lineage was recorded, and here too: when going out to the army, they were numbered and registered by lineage.
וַיַּעֲשׂוּ מִלְחָמָה עִם־הַהַגְרִיאִים וִיטוּר וְנָפִישׁ וְנוֹדָב׃ - And they waged war with the Hagrites, and with Yetur, Nafish, and Nodav.
Yetur and Nafish, says the commentary attributed to Rashi, are sons of Yishmael, and they also appear in the Torah: Yetur, Nafish, and Kedemah. The Malbim explains that this war was in addition to the war waged in the days of Shaul that we saw earlier, when they took their tents and the Hagrites settled in a more distant place. Later, in the days of Yehoachaz king of Israel, we saw that the hand of the king of Aram overpowered them, making Israel like dust to be trampled, and then the Hagrites raised their heads: if Israel was subdued, they could return to their territory. Land is never willingly given up, and the Hagrite Ishmaelites returned to the place from which Shaul had expelled them, since the king of Aram had conquered Israel and they could now afford to do so. In the days of Yeravam son of Yoash, Israel grew strong once again and waged war against them, and in that war, additional nations joined the Hagrites: Yetur, Nafish, and Nodav, who are from the descendants of Yishmael, brothers to the sons of Hagar.
וַיֵּעָזְרוּ עֲלֵיהֶם וַיִּנָּתְנוּ בְיָדָם הַהַגְרִיאִים וְכֹל שֶׁעִמָּהֶם כִּי לֵאלֹהִים זָעֲקוּ בַּמִּלְחָמָה וְנַעְתּוֹר לָהֶם כִּי־בָטְחוּ בוֹ׃ - And they were helped against them, and the Hagrites were delivered into their hand, along with all who were with them, for they cried out to God in battle, and He granted their entreaty because they trusted in Him.
The simple meaning of the verse is that Hashem helped them, and through Hashem's help the Hagrites were delivered into their hand. Yet the Malbim explains "and they were helped against them" as meaning that Yeravam helped them in the war, for he was the one who won the campaign here; he restored Damascus and Chamath and restored the border of Israel. And by virtue of what were the Hagrites delivered into their hand? By virtue of their crying out to Hashem in battle: "for they cried out to God in battle, and He granted their entreaty" - Hashem answered their prayer, as explained in the commentary attributed to Rashi. Through this they won the battle, teaching that they did not conquer through natural means, for our forces numbered forty-four thousand, while the nations fielded one hundred thousand - as we will see in the next verse.
וַיִּשְׁבּוּ מִקְנֵיהֶם גְּמַלֵּיהֶם חֲמִשִּׁים אֶלֶף וְצֹאן מָאתַיִם וַחֲמִשִּׁים אֶלֶף וַחֲמוֹרִים אַלְפָּיִם וְנֶפֶשׁ אָדָם מֵאָה אָלֶף׃ - And they took captive their livestock: fifty thousand of their camels, two hundred and fifty thousand sheep, two thousand donkeys, and one hundred thousand human lives.
Notice what a tremendous amount of spoils and captives fell into their hands. Metzudas David notes: first Scripture makes a general statement and then specifies - "and they took captive their livestock" is the general category, while their camels, sheep, and donkeys are the specification of the livestock.
כִּי־חֲלָלִים רַבִּים נָפָלוּ כִּי מֵהָאֱלֹהִים הַמִּלְחָמָה וַיֵּשְׁבוּ תַחְתֵּיהֶם עַד־הַגֹּלָה׃ - For many slain fell, because the war was from God; and they settled in their place until the exile.
The Malbim explains: "For the battle was from God" - for Hashem saw the affliction of His people. Even though they were not worthy, since this was a wicked king and the people were not deserving, nevertheless Hashem saw the affliction of His people and had compassion on them. "And they dwelt in their place until the captivity" - until the days of Jotham, when the king of Assyria exiled them. Therefore it says that their genealogy was recorded in the days of Jotham, for until the days of Jotham they kept genealogies of their armies, and once the king of Assyria came and exiled them, they no longer kept genealogies of their armies.
The Metzudat David offers an interesting explanation here regarding the word ki ("for"). "For the battle was from God" is understood, but "for many fell slain" - what is that a reason for? Rather, the author of the Book comes to resolve a difficulty that might arise in your mind from the verses: How could forty-four thousand succeed in taking one hundred thousand captive, and in addition take such an immense quantity of camels and sheep - two hundred and fifty thousand sheep? Therefore, Scripture tells you: Do not wonder, for many of the Hagrites fell slain. And if you ask, "That in itself causes me to wonder - how could forty-four thousand strike down so many slain and also take one hundred thousand captive?" - to this the verse continues: "For the battle was from God." This battle was not natural. "How could one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight?" "Five of you shall pursue a hundred, and a hundred of you shall pursue ten thousand" - when the battle is from God, things do not happen according to nature, and the few can capture the many. The fear of the Jews fell upon them, they surrendered into captivity, and they were able to take one hundred thousand captives. "And they dwelt in their place" - they settled in the place from which the Hagrites were expelled, and this was already the second time: after Saul expelled them the first time, now they were expelled a second time, this time by Jeroboam son of Joash.
וּבְנֵי חֲצִי שֵׁבֶט מְנַשֶּׁה יָשְׁבוּ בָּאָרֶץ מִבָּשָׁן עַד־בַּעַל חֶרְמוֹן וּשְׂנִיר וְהַר־חֶרְמוֹן הֵמָּה רָבוּ׃ - And the children of the half-tribe of Manasseh dwelt in the land; from Bashan unto Baal-hermon and Senir and Mount Hermon, they multiplied.
We have already seen that the children of the half-tribe of Manasseh expanded their territory eastward, and after this conquest of the Hagrites, they dwelt in the land from Bashan to Baal-hermon. And what is meant by "they multiplied"? That in comparison to their brethren, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad, they multiplied more, and therefore they needed to receive Senir and Mount Hermon as well - to conquer these places for their settlements.
An interesting point emerges from here: that in the past there were dwellings on Mount Hermon, actual residential settlements. This may surprise us somewhat, but if you look at Europe - so it is in many places. On Mount Hermon there is snow all winter, and in the summer it melts, and so it was there: people lived in those places; snow falls, and one does not die from it. We see that at that time, they actually settled there.
וְאֵלֶּה רָאשֵׁי בֵית־אֲבוֹתָם וְעֵפֶר וְיִשְׁעִי וֶאֱלִיאֵל וְעַזְרִיאֵל וְיִרְמְיָה וְהוֹדַוְיָה וְיַחְדִּיאֵל אֲנָשִׁים גִּבּוֹרֵי חַיִל אַנְשֵׁי שֵׁמוֹת רָאשִׁים לְבֵית אֲבוֹתָם׃ - And these were the heads of their ancestral houses: Ve-epher, and Ishi, and Eliel, and Azriel, and Jeremiah, and Hodaviah, and Jahdiel, mighty men of valor, famous men, heads of their ancestral houses.
The Malbim notes: These are also seven heads of ancestral houses, corresponding to the families of the descendants of Machir, which were also seven families, as cited in Bamidbar 26:29: "Of Gilead, the family of the Gileadites." Regarding the vav of "Ve-epher," the Malbim remarks: "And Ishi" is understandable, as it follows Epher, but "Ve-epher" is the first - why is there a conjunctive vav? Rather, as is his approach, the Malbim explains that the vav is an inherent part of the name itself, and his name was "Ve-epher," just as we have seen with many names where the initial vav is not the conjunction "and," but part of the proper noun itself.
In this section, we saw the expansion of the children of Gad in Bashan as far as Salcah, and their leaders - Joel the chief, Shapham the second, Janai, and Shaphat, who according to the Midrash is the father of Elisha the prophet, who sustained Israel for sixty years corresponding to the sixty cities of Bashan. We learned the stylistic way of Scripture where the opening title extends to those that follow, the dispute between the Malbim and the Radak regarding to whom "head of their ancestral house" refers, and the meaning of "her towns," "open lands," and "their borders." Concerning "all these were reckoned by genealogies," we saw the approach of the Radak and the approach of the Malbim, that there were two censuses in two periods - in the days of Jeroboam son of Joash, who also ruled over Judah, and in the days of Jotham, until the king of Assyria came and exiled them and the recording of genealogies ceased. Above all stands the war against the Hagrites: forty-four thousand warriors who captured one hundred thousand souls and vast wealth - "for they cried to God in the battle" and "for the battle was from God," for when salvation is from Hashem, it cannot be measured by the calculations of nature; and even though they were not deserving, Hashem saw the affliction of His people and had compassion on them.