פרשת וישב תש"ט - "וישב יעקב..."

And Jacob dwelt in the land of his father’s sojournings, in the land of Canaan.

In the land of his father’s residence (megurim). Megurim implies residing as a foreigner. In contrast to Eisov, Yitzchok and Yaakov preferred dwelling in the Holy Land even as foreigners to living abroad. This was a fulfillment of the decree that Avraham’s descendants would be “foreigners in a land that is not theirs” (15:13).

THAT YOUR OFFSPRINGS SHALL BE ALIENS IN A LAND NOT THEIR OWN. This is an inverted passuk. It is equal to saying "that your offspring shall be foreigners in a land no their own four hundred years, and they will enslave them and oppress them." [The Torah] did not specify how many years the oppression and servitude would be. There are many inverted passukim in the Torah. like, "He came to me- the Hebrew slave whom you brought to us to play with me" (below 39:17); and "And all [the inhabitants of] the land came to Egypt to Joseph to purchase ibid 41:57); and likewise, "for whoever eats leaven from the first day until the seventh day that soul shall be cut off from Israel (exodus 12:15)"; and likewise "On that day, man will cast away his silver idols and his gold idols, which they made for him, [before which] to prostrate himself to moles and to bats" (Isaiah 2:20); and likewise "Come, hearken and I shall tell all you who fear God what He did for my soul (תהלים סו טז)"; and likewise, "To Me they should cry out: My G-d we acknowledge You, Israel!"(Hoshea 8:2); and likewise, "And they shall be Mine, says the Lord of Hosts, for that day when I make a treasure, And I will have compassion on them (Malachi 3:17)." There are many like this. The point of this passuk is [that G-d told Avram] "Although I tell you, 'To your offspring I have given this land', you should certainly know that before I give it to them they will be foreigners in a land not their own for four hundred years, and also [the host nation] will enslave and oppress them." Ibn Ezra says: "Know with certainty that your descendants will be foreigners, under servitude and oppression, until the end of four hundred years from today." If so [G-d] told Avraham of a time limit for the redemption, but did not tell him how many years it would last. This too, is a correct interpretation.

והוא נער AND HE, BEING A LAD — His actions were childish: he dressed his hair, he touched up his eyes so that he should appear good-looking (Genesis Rabbah 84:7).

את דבתם רעה THEIR EVIL REPORT — Whatever he saw wrong in his brothers, the sons of Leah, he reported to his father: that they used to eat flesh cut off from a living animal, that they treated the sons of the handmaids with contempt, calling them slaves, and that they were suspected of living in an immoral manner. With three such similar matters he was therefore punished. In consequence of his having stated that they used to eat flesh cut off from a living animal Scripture states, (Genesis 37:31) “And they slew a he-goat" after they had sold him and they did not eat its flesh whilst the animal was still living. And because of the slander which he related about them that they called their brothers slaves — (Psalms 105:17) “Joseph was sold for a slave.” And because he charged them with immorality (Genesis 39:7) “his master’s wife cast her eyes upon him etc.” (Genesis Rabbah 84:7).

דבתם THEIR REPORT — The word דבה always means in old French parleriz; English, gossip: whatever he could speak bad about them he told to his father.