Bereishit Rabba 44 Core Texts Use With https://www.sefaria.org/sheets/442530?editor=1

(1) After these things the word of Hashem came to Abram in a vision, saying, etc. (Psalms 18:31) "As for God — His ways are perfect; the Word of Hashem is tried; a shield is He for all who take refuge in Him." If His way is perfect, how much more is He Himself! Rav said: Were not the mitzvot given so that man might be refined by them? . Do you really think that The Holy One of Blessing cares if an animal is slaughtered by front or by the back of the neck? Therefore, mitzvot were only given to make humans better.

Another interpretation : ' His way is perfect * alludes to Abraham, 3 for it is written, And thou foundest his [sc. Abraham's] way faithful before Thee, etc. (Neh. IX, 8). 'The word of the Lord is tried' intimates that the Holy One, blessed be He, tried him in a fiery furnace. He is a shield unto all them that take refuge in Him (11 Sam. loc. cit.) ; hence, Fear not, Abram, I am thy shield, etc.

z. A wise man feareth, and departeth from evil (Prov. xiv, 16): though thou art wise and departest from evil, yet thou fearest! 4 [Therefore I say to thee] Fear not, Abram. Be not wise in thine own eyes ; fear the Lord (ib. hi, 7) : Be not wise by what thou seest with thine own eyes 5 ; canst thou say that I will cause thee to beget or that I will not cause thee to beget? ' Fear the Lord 76 : thus it is written, Fear not, Abram, I am thy shield. R. Abin commenced his discourse in R. Hanina's name : The wicked doeth work of falsehood 7 ; but he that soweth righteousness hath a sure reward (ib. xi, 18). ' The wicked doeth work of falsehood' alludes to Nimrod, whose works were of falsehood; ' But he that soweih righteousness' alludes to Abraham, of whom it is written, That they may keep the way of the Lord, to do righteousness and justice (Gen. xviii, 19); 'Hath a sure reward', as it is written, Fear NOT, ABRAM, I AM THY SHIELD, THY REWARD SHALL BE EXCEEDINGLY GREAT.

3. But thou, Israel, My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham My friend, thou whom I have taken hold of from the ends of the earth (Isa. xli, 8 f.) — i.e. from Mesopotamia and its country towns ; And called thee from its nobles (ib.) 1 : I summoned thee from out of its distinguished men. / have chosen thee and not cast thee away (ib,) : I chose thee when thou wast Abram, and did not cast thee away when thou wast Abraham. 2

Fear not, for I am with thee, be not dismayed, for I am thy God (ib. 10). R. Hoshaya said: When Isaac said to Jacob, Come near, I pray thee, that I may feel thee (Gen. xxvii, 21), perspira- tion poured over his legs, and his heart melted like wax; whereupon the Holy One, blessed be He, provided him with two angels, one at his right and one at his left, and these supported him by the elbows, that he might not fall. Hence He said to him, 'Be not dismayed (tishta')'

— i.e. be not wax-like (teshawa ( ), ' For I am thy God' ; I strengthen thee, yea, I help thee ; yea, I uphold thee with My victorious right hand. Behold, they shall all he ashamed and confounded that were incensed against thee (ib. 10 f.) — this means, those who are hostile to thee; They that strove with thee shall be as nothing, and shall perish (ib.) — that means, those who engage in strife with thee ; Thou shalt seek them, and shalt not find them, even them that contended with thee (ib. 12) — this refers to those who wage quarrels with thee. For I the Lord thy God hold thy right hand, who say unto thee : Fear not (ib. 13), as it is written, Fear not, Abram, etc.

R. Levi explained this in two ways, the Rabbis in one. R. Levi said: Abraham was filled with misgiving,

thinking to himself, Maybe there was a righteous or God- fearing man among those troops which I slew. This may be compared to a straw-merchant who was passing the king's orchards, and seeing some bundles of thorns, descended [from his wagon] and took them. [The king] caught sight of him, whereupon he tried to hide himself. ' Why do you hide?' he said to him, reassuringly, 'I needed labourers to gather them; now that you have gathered them, come and receive your reward.' Thus the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Abraham: 'Those troops that thou slewest were thorns already cut down n ; thus it is written, And the peoples shall be as the burnings of lime; as thorns cut down, that are burned in the fire (Isa. xxxra, 12).

R. Levi made another comment: Abraham was fearful, saying, ' Perhaps the sons of the kings that I slew will collect troops and come and wage war against me/ Therefore the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him : 'Fear not, Abram, I am thy shield: just as a shield receives all spears and withstands them, so will I stand by thee.'

The Rabbis explained it thus : Abraham was filled with misgivings, saying to himself, f I descended into the fiery furnace and was delivered ; I went through famine and war and was delivered: perhaps then I have already received my reward in this world and have nought for the future world ? ' Therefore the Holy One, blessed be He, reassured him : 'Fear not, Abram, I am thy shield ( m a G e n ) , meaning, a gift of grace (maggan) to thee, all that I have done for thee in this world I did for nought; but in the future that is to come, Thy reward shall be exceeding great', even as you read, Oh how abundant is Thy goodness, which Thou hast laid up for them that fear Thee, etc. (Ps. xxxi, 20).

After (ahar) these things. R. Judan and R. Huna both said in the name of R. Jose b. R. Judan: Wherever ahare occurs it denotes 'in immediate con- nection with', whereas ahar denotes that there is no connection. 1 R. Huna said: Wherever ahar is stated it denotes 'in immediate connection with', whereas ahare implies that there is no connection. After these things. Misgivings were entertained there. 2 Who entertained them ? Abraham. He said to God : ' Sovereign of the Universe ! Thou madest a covenant with Noah not to exterminate his children; then I arose and accumulated meritorious acts and pious deeds, where- upon my covenant superseded his. Perhaps another will arise and accumulate even a greater store of precepts and good deeds, and then a covenant with him will supersede Thy covenant with me?' Said the Holy One, blessed be He, to him: 'From Noah I did not set up shields of the righteous, but from thee I set up shields of the righteous. 3 Moreover, when thy children take to transgressions and evil deeds, I will see one righteous man amongst them who will be able to say to My Attribute of Justice, "Enough!" whereupon I will take him and make him atone for them/

6. The word of the Lord came unto Abram in A vision, etc. [Prophecy] is expressed by ten designations: prophecy, vision, preaching, 4 speech, saying, command, burden, parable, metaphor, and enigma. And which is the severest form? R. Leazar said: Vision, as it says, A grievous vision is declared unto me (Isa. xxi, 2). R. Johanan said: Speech (dibbur), as it says, The man, the lord of the land, spoke (dibber) roughly with us, etc. (Gen. xlii, 30). The Rabbis said: Burden, as it says, As a heavy burden (Ps. xxxvin, 5). Great then was the power of Abraham that [Divine] converse was held with him in vision and in speech.

7. Fear not, Abram. Whom did he fear? R. Berekiah said: He feared Shem, 1 as it is written, The isles saw, and feared (Isa. xli, 5) : just as islands stand out in the sea, so were Abraham and Shem outstanding in the world. 'And feared 3 : Each one feared the other. The former feared the latter, thinking, Perhaps he nurses resentment against me for slaying his sons. And the latter feared the former, thinking, Perhaps he nurses resentment against me for begetting wicked offspring.

The ends of the earth (ib.) : One dwelt at one end of the world and the other dwelt at another end of the world. 2 They drew near, and came (ib.): each approached the other. They helped every one his neighbour (ib. 6): each helped the other. One helped the other with blessings, as it says, And he blessed him, and said: Blessed be Abram, etc. (Gen. xiv, 19). 3 And the other helped the former with gifts, as it says, And he gave him a tenth of all (ib. 20). So the carpenter encouraged (Isa. xli, 7): this alludes to Shem, who made the Ark 4 ; The refiner (ib.) : this is Abraham, whom the Holy One, blessed be He, refined [tried] in the fiery furnace. And he that smootheih with the hammer him that smiteth the anvil — pa'am (ib.): he smoothed with the hammer and beat all mankind into one path (pa'am). 5 Saying of the join: It is good (ib.) : This refers to the nations of the world, who said : It is better to be joined to the God of Abraham than to the idol of Nimrod. And he strengthened it with nails (ib.): Abraham strengthened Shem in religious acts and pious deeds ; He shall not be moved (ib.) : viz. Abraham.

And Abram said: O Lord God, what wilt Thou give me (xv, 2)? R. Jonathan said: Three persons were bidden 'ask', viz.: Solomon, Ahaz, and the King Messiah. Solomon: Ask what I shall give thee (1 Kings in, 5). Ahaz: Ask thee a sign (Isa. vn, 11).

The King Messiah: Ask of Me, etc. (Ps. 11, 8).

R. Berekiah and R. Ahi in the name of R. Samuel b. Nahman said: We can cite another two from the Haggadah: Abraham and Jacob. Abraham: What wilt Thou give me? He could not say, What wilt Thou give m E , unless He [G o d] had previously said to him, 'Ask.' Jacob said, And of all that Thou shalt give me (Gen. xxviii, 22), and he would not say, 'And of all that Thou shalt give me 3 unless He had previously said to him: 'Ask/

9. R. Judan and R. Aibu in R. Johanan's name said: Two men said the same thing, Abraham and David. Abraham said : O Lord God: ' Sovereign of the Universe/ he cried out to Him, 'if I am destined to beget children who will anger Thee, 'twere better for me That I go childless.' David said: Search me, O God, and know my heart, try me, and know my thoughts — sar'appay (Ps. cxxxix, 23) — know those who have sprung from me. 1 And see if there be any way in me that is grievous, and lead me in the way everlasting (ib. 24): 'Sovereign of the Universe!' he pleaded, 'if I am to beget children to provoke Thee, 'twere better for me that Thou didst lead me in the way everlasting.'

And he that shall be possessor (ben meshek) of my house, etc. (xv, 2). R. Leazar said in the name of R. Jose b. Zimra: Ben Meshek bethi (my house) alludes to Lot, whose soul, [said Abraham,] longs (shokeketh) to be my heir. Is Damesek Eliezer [E.V. 'Eliezer of Damascus']: this means, for whose sake I pursued the kings as far as Damascus and God helped me. 3 R. Simeon b. Lakish said : Ben Meshee; bethi means 'The son of my household' 4 ; is Eliezer of Damascus — i.e. by his assistance I pursued the kings as far as Damascus, and his name was actually Eliezer ; for it says, He led forth his trained men, three hundred and eighteen (Gen. xiv, 14), the numerical value of Eliezer being three hundred and eighteen.

And Abram said: Behold, to me Thou hast given no seed (xv, 3). R. Samuel b. Isaac commented : [Abraham said :] My planetary fate oppresses me and declares, 'Abram cannot beget a child/ Said the Holy One, blessed be He, to him: 'Let it be even as thy words: Abram and Sarai cannot beget but Abraham and Sarah can beget/ 2

11. And, behold, the word of the Lord came unto him, etc. (xv, 4). R. Judan and R. Leazar in R. Jose's name said: [We have here,] The Lord [spoke] to him; the word of the Lord came unto him; and, behold, the word of the Lord came unto him 3 : this signifies, angel after angel, angel after angel; speech after speech, speech after speech ; implying, I and three of my angels reveal ourselves to thee and say to thee, 'Lot is accursed, 4 he shall not be Abraham's heir/ R. Huna and R. Leazar said in R. Jose's name: It is written, And, behold, . . . the Lord: thus He came and spoke with him.

12. And He brought him forth without — ha-huzah (xv, 5). R. Joshua said in R. Levi's name: Did He then lead him forth without the world, that it says, And He brought him forth without? It means, however, that He showed him the streets of heaven, as you read, While as yet He had not made the earth, nor the outer spaces — huzoth (Prov. vm, 26). 6 R. Judah b. R. Simon said in R. Johanan's name: He lifted him up above the vault of heaven ; hence He says to him, Look (habbet) now toward heaven, habbet signifying to look down from above. 1 The Rabbis said: [God said to him]: 'Thou art a prophet, not an astrologer/ as it says, Now therefore restore the man's wife, for he is a prophet (Gen. xx, 7).* In the days of Jeremiah the Israelites wished to entertain this belief [in astrology], but the Holy One, blessed be He, would not permit them. Thus it is written, Thus saith the Lord : Learn not the way of the nations, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven, etc. (Jer. x, 2): your ancestor Abraham wished to entertain this belief long ago, but I would not permit him. R. Levi said: While the sandal is on your foot tread down the thorn ; he who is placed below them fears them, but thou [Abraham] art placed above them, 3 so trample them down [ignore them]. R. Judan said in R. Leazar's name : Three things nullify a decree [of evil], viz. prayer, righteousness, 4 and repentance. And the three are enumerated in one verse: If My people, upon whom My Name is called, shall humble themselves, and pray (11 Chron. vn, 14) — here you have prayer ; And seek My face (ib.) alludes to righteousness, as you read, / shall behold Thy face in righteousness (Ps. xvii, 15); And turn from their evil ways (11 Chron. loc. cit.) denotes repentance; after that, Then will I forgive their sin (ib.).

R. Huna said in R. Joseph's name: Also change of name and good deeds. Change of name is learned from Abraham and Sarah. 5 Good deeds, from the people of Nineveh, for it says, And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil ways (Jonah in, 10). Some say, change of place, too, for it says, Now the Lord said unto Abram : Get thee out of thy country, etc. (Gen. xn, i). 1

R. Huna said: Also fasting, as it says, The Lord answer thee in the day of trouble (Ps. xx, 20). 2 Raba b. Mehasia and R. rjama b. Guria said in Rab's name: Fasting is as effective for counteracting an evil dream as fire for consuming tow. R. Joseph said : Providing it is done on the same day, even on the Sabbath.

13. And he believed in the Lord * . . and He said unto him: I am the Lord that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, etc. (xv, 6 f.). R. Liezer b. Jacob said: Michael descended and rescued Abraham from the fiery furnace. The Rabbis said: The Holy One, blessed be He, rescued him; thus it is written, I am the Lord that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees. 3 And when did Michael descend? In the case of Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.

14. And he said: O Lord God, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it (xv, 8)? R. Hama b. Hanina said: [He spoke] not as one making a complaint, but he asked Him: 'Through what merit [will I inherit the land] ? ' God replied : ' Through the merit of the atoning sacrifices which I will institute for thy sons/ 4 And He said unto him: Take me a heifer of three years old (meshulsheleth) , a she-goat of three years old (meshulsheleth) , and a RAM OF THREE YEARS OLD (MESHULASH), etc. (xv, 9 f.). He showed him three kinds of bullocks, three kinds of goats, and three kinds of rams. 5 Three kinds of bullocks : the bullock sacrificed on the Day of Atonement, the bullock brought on account of [the unwitting transgression of] any of the precepts, 1 and the heifer whose neck was broken. 2 Three kinds of goats: the goats sacrificed on festivals, the goats sacrificed on New Moon, and the goat brought by an individual. 3 Three kinds of rams : the guilt- offering of certain obligation, 4 the guilt-offering of doubt, 5 and the lamb [sin-offering] brought by an individual. 6 And a turtle-dove (tor) and a young pigeon (gozal): that is, a turtle-dove and a young pigeon. 7 And He took him all these, etc. R. Simeon b. Yohai said: The Holy One, blessed be He, showed Abraham all the atoning sacrifices save the tenth of an ephah [of fine meal]. 8 The Rabbis said : He showed him the tenth of an ephah [of fine meal] also ; for all these is stated here, while elsewhere it is said, And thou shalt bring the meal-offering that is made of these things (Lev 11, 8). 9 But the bird divided he not. He intimated to him that the fowl burnt-offering is divided, but the fowl sin-offering 10 is not divided.

15. Another interpretation : Take me a heifer threefold: this alludes to Babylonia, which produced three kings, Nebuchadnezzar, Evil-Merodach, and Balshazzar; And a she- goat threefold: this alludes to Media, which produced three kings: Cyrus, Darius, and Ahasuerus 12 ; And a ram threefold: this alludes to Greece. R. Leazar and R. Johanan explained how. R. Leazar said: She conquered all parts [of the world] save the east. Said R. Johanan to him : Even so it is written, / saw the ram pushing westward, and northward, and south- ward; and no beasts could stand before him (Dan. vin, 4), and that is his [R. Eleazar's] reason too, since eastward is not stated. 1 And a turtle-dove and a young pigeon (gozal). This refers to Edom [Rome]: it was a turtle-dove, but of a predatory nature. 2

And he took him all these. R. Judah said: He showed him the princes of the Gentile nations. R. Nehemiah said : He showed him the princes of Israel.

On the view of R. Judah, [He laid each half over against the other symbolised] the throne of one [prince] opposing the throne of another. 3 According to R. Nehemiah, it symbolised the place where the great Sanhedrin [Court] of Israel sat and determined the laws of Israel. 4 But the bird divided he not. R. Abba b. Kahana said in R. Levi's name: The Holy One, blessed be He, intimated to him that he who attempts to resist the wave is swept away by it, but he who bends before it is not swept away by it. 5

16. And the birds of prey came down upon the carcases and Abram drove them away (xv, 11). R. Assi said: Abraham took a flail and beat them, but they were not smitten [killed], yet even so, Abram drove them away ( wa yy ashsheb) — by repentance. 1 R. 'Azariah said: [God hinted to Abram]: When thy children become as carcases [corpses] without sinews or bones, thy merit will support them. 2

17. And it came to pass, that, when the sun was going down, etc. (xv, 12). R. Joshua of Siknin 3 said in R. Levi's name: The beginning of a man's down- fall is sleep : being asleep, he does not engage in study and does no work.

Rab said: There are three kinds of torpor (tarde?nah); the torpor of sleep, the torpor of prophecy, and the torpor of unconsciousness. The torpor of sleep: Then the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept {Gen. 11, 21). The torpor of prophecy: And it came to pass, that, when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram. The torpor of unconsciousness : And no man saw it, nor knew it, neither did any awake ; for they were all asleep ; because a deep sleep from the Lord was fallen upon them (1 Sam. xxvi, 12). The Rabbis said: Also the torpor of folly, as it is written, Stupefy yourselves, and be stupid! . . . For the Lord hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep (Isa. xxix, 9 f.). R. Hanina [or R. rjinena] b. Isaac said: There are three incomplete phenomena: the incomplete experience of death is sleep; an incomplete form of prophecy is the dream; the incomplete form of the next world is the Sabbath. R. Abin added another two : the incomplete form of the heavenly light is the orb of the sun ; the incomplete form of the heavenly wisdom is the Torah. 4

And, lo, a dread, even a great darkness, fell upon him (ib.). Dread refers to Babylon, as it is written, Then was Nebuchadnezzar filled with fury (Dan. in, 19). l Darkness refers to Media, which darkened the eyes of Israel with fasting and tribulation ; Great refers to Greece. R. Simon said : The Kingdom of Greece set up one hundred and twenty commanders, one hundred and twenty governors, and one hundred and twenty generals. The Rabbis said : Sixty of each, for it is written, Serpents, fiery serpents, and scorpions (Deut. vin, 15) 2 : just as the scorpion lays sixty eggs at a time, so did the Greek state set up sixty of each. Fell upon him alludes to Edom [Rome], as it is written, The earth quaketh at the noise of their fall (Jer. xlix, 21). 3 Some reverse it: Fell upon him (ib.) alludes to Babylon, as it is written, Fallen, fallen is Babylon (Isa. xxi, 9). Great alludes to Media, as it is written, King Ashuerus did make great, etc. (Est. 111, 1). Darkness alludes to Greece that darkened the eyes of Israel with its decrees. 4 Dread alludes to Edom, as it is written, After this I saw . . . a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible (Dan. vn, 7). s

And He said unto Abram: Know, yea know (xv, 13): Know that I shall disperse thy seed; know that I will gather them together, know that I will give them in pledge, 6 know that I will redeem them; know that I will allow them to be enslaved, know that I will free them. That thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them, and they shall afflict them four hun- dred years: this means, until four hundred years after seed shall be granted to thee. 7 R. Judan said : The condition of being strangers, in servitude, and afflicted in a land not theirs was to last four hundred years, which was their decreed term.

And also that nation, whom they shall serve, etc. (xv, 14). R. iHelbo said: Instead of, 'And that nation/ Scripture writes And also that nation whom they shall serve: this indicates, also they [Abraham's descendants,] also Egypt and the four king- doms 2 which will subjugate thee. 3 Will I judge (dan). R. Eleazar said in R. Jose's name: The Holy One, blessed be He, promised our fore- father that He would redeem his children with these two letters 4 ; but if they repented, He would redeem them with seventy- two letters. R. Judan said: In the passage, [Or hath God assayed] to go and take Him a nation from the midst of another nation, by trials, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by a mighty hand, and by an outstretched arm, and by great terrors (Deut. IV, 34), you will find seventy-two letters; and should you object that there are seventy-five, deduct the second 'nation, 1 which is not to be counted. 5 R. Abin said: He redeemed them by His name, the Name of the Holy One, blessed be He, con- sisting of seventy-two letters. 6

And afterwards (ahare ken) they shall come out with great substance. R. Aha said: Not ahar is written here but ah a re 1 : this teaches, when I have visited ten plagues upon them, then They shall come out with great substance. Said he [Abraham] to Him : ' Shall I too be included in this servitude?' 'But thou shalt go to thy fathers IN PEACE; THOU SHALT BE BURIED IN A GOOD OLD age' (ib. 15), He assured him. R. Simeon b. Lakish said: Of three men was 'In a good old age' said: Abraham deserved it, David deserved it, but Gideon did not deserve it. Why? Because, And Gideon made an ephod thereof (Judg. viii, 27)— for idolatry.

And it cameto pass, that, when the sun WENT DOWN, AND THERE WAS THICK DARKNESS (xv, 17) : there was intense darkness. 2 Behold a smoking furnace and a flaming torch. Simeon b. Abba said in R. Johanan's name: He [God] showed him four things, viz. Gehenna, the [foreign] kingdoms, 3 Revelation, and the Temple, with the promise: As long as thy children occupy themselves with the latter two, they will be saved from the former two ; if they neglect the latter two they will be punished by the former two. Wouldst thou rather that thy children descend into Gehenna or into the power of the [foreign] kingdoms? He asked him. R. Hinena b. Papa said: Abraham himself chose [subjection to foreign] powers. R. Judan, R. Idi, and R. Hama b. R. IJanina said : Abraham chose Gehenna, but the Holy One, blessed be He, chose [subjection to foreign] powers for him.

Thus it is written, How should one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, except their rock had given them over (Deut. xxxn, 30) — this alludes to Abraham ; And the Lord had delivered them up (ib.)} this teaches that God approved his choice. 4 R. Huna said in R. Aha's name: Abraham sat wondering all day, thinking, 'Which should I choose?' Whereupon the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, 'Make a decision without delay'; hence it is written, In that day the Lord made 1 a covenant with Abram, etc. (Gen. xv, 18). In this matter we come back to the controversy of R. tlinena b. Papa and R. Judan, R. Idi, and R. Hana b. R. Ilanina. R. Ilinena b. Papa said: Abraham himself chose [subjection to other] powers. R. Judan, R. Idi, and R. IJama b. R. Ilanina said on the authority of a certain sage in Rabbi's name: The Holy One, blessed be He, chose the [foreign] kingdoms for him. Thus it is written, Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads (Ps. lxvi, 12), meaning, Thou didst cause nations to ride over our heads, which is as though We went through fire and through water (z"Z>.). 2 R. Joshua said: He also showed him the dividing of the Red Sea, for it is written, That passed between THESE PIECES — GEZARIM (Gen. he. tit.), GEZARIM having the same meaning] as in the verse, [O give thanks . . .] to Him who divided the Red Sea in sunder — gezarim (Ps. cxxxvi, 13).

IN THAT DAY THE LORD MADE A COVENANT with Abram (xv, 18). R. Judan said: R. Johanan b. Zakkai and R. Akiba disagree. One maintains : This world He revealed to him, 3 but not the next. The other maintains that He revealed to him both this world and the next. R. Berekiah said: R. Leazar and R. Jose b. R. IJanina disagreed. One maintained: He revealed to him [the future] until that day; while the other said: He revealed to him the future from that day. Nahman: The mere speech of the Holy One, blessed be He, is equivalent to action, for it says, Unto thy seed have I given: not 'I will give', but Have I G I v e n .!

R. Judan said in R. Abba's name : It is not written, So let the redeemed of the Lord say whom He redeemeth, but, Whom He hath redeemed (Ps. cvn, 2). R. Abin said : It is not written, For the Lord ransometh Jacob, but For the Lord hath ransomed Jacob (Jer. xxxi, 11). The Rabbis said: It is not written, / will hiss for them, and gather them, for I will redeem them, but 'For I have redeemed them* (Zech. x, 8). R. Joshua said: It is not written, 'And the Lord will create (we-yibra),' but, And the Lord has created (u-bara) 2 . . . a cloud and smoke by day, etc. (Isa. IV, 5) : it has long been created and ready.

(23) Rabbi Dustai said in the name of Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachman, since it does not mention the Hivites here, it brings the Rephaim instead. Rabbi Chelbo in the name of Rabbi Abba in the name of Rabbi Yochanan said,

Such arose in the mind of the omnipresent to bequeath to Israel the land of ten nations, the Kenites, the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites, but he only gave them seven, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites. [. . .] Which are the three that he did not give to them. Rabbi says Arabia, Shalmaite, and Nabataea. Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai says Damascus, Asia, and Hispania.

Rabbi Eliezer ben Yaakov said Asia, Thracia, and Carthage. The Rabbis say Edom, Moab, and the first of the sons of Ammon. They are the three that were not given to [Israel] in this world. Edom as it says (Deuteronomy 2:5) "For I will not give you of their land so much as a foot can tread on; I have given the hill country of Seir as a possession to Esau." And regarding Moab it is written, (Deuteronomy 2:9) "Do not harass the Moabites or provoke them to war."

The Kenizzites are from Esau, the Kenites and the Kadmonites are from Ammon and Moab. But in the days of the Messiah they will return and become Israel's to fulfil the statement of The Holy One Blessed is He. However, presently He gave seven to [Israel] as it says (Deuteronomy 7:1) "Seven nations much larger than you." Rabbi Yitzhak said, a sow feeds ten and a ewe has not even one. All these The Holy One Blessed is He said to Abraham that He would give him, " the Kenites, the Kenizzites etc." and still (Genesis 16:1) "Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children."