meta: {"file": "/data/tomer/Sefaria-Export/txt/Tanakh/Commentary/Ralbag/Prophets/Ralbag on II Samuel/English/merged.txt"}
text: Ralbag on II Samuel
  רלב"ג על שמואל ב
  merged
  
  This file contains merged sections from the following text versions:
  -Rabbi Mike Feuer, Jerusalem Anthology
  -
  -Sefaria Community Translation
  -
  
  Ralbag on II Samuel
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  
  
  Verse 2
  
  
  
  Verse 3
  
  
  
  Verse 4
  
  
  
  Verse 5
  
  
  
  Verse 6
  
  
  
  Verse 7
  
  “And David conquered the stronghold of Zion which is the city of David. And David said on that day; "Whoever smites the Jebusites and reaches the tzinor…” (Shmuel II 5:7-8) The tzinor is the drainage channel out which the water flows. With the elimination of the tzinor one would also destroy the blind and lame whom David hated because they prevented him from coming into the house. The one who does this will receive some reward which was not made explicit, therefore they said that there were ‘blind and lame’ there while in reality it was this (the tzinor) which prevented David from coming into the house. Perhaps its destruction, aside from removing the covenant which the forefathers made with the Yevusi, is the destruction of the building where these images were. With the destruction of this tzinor these idols would be destroyed. It is possible that one can say in explanation that there was possibly a place that one could not enter without passing before these idols. And these idols were made in such a way that they caused extremely heavy iron rods to swing powerfully across the entrance, therefore no one could pass lest they be struck by the rods. We have heard that such statues have been made in a few places, and such an idea is not so difficult to conceive for one who understands the motions of weights, winds, water and mercury – but this is not the place to explain how such things are possible. They made these idols in the form of the blind and lame because blind and lame people have sticks on which they lean. It appears to me that these idols were next to the drainage channel and they discharged the water out of their mouths. Some of the water would actually enter into them in order to move these sticks. This is why everyone had to beware not to enter there, and that when someone struck the drainage channel in order that water no longer flowed into these idols it would be far easier to destroy them.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  
  
  Verse 2
  
  
  
  Verse 3
  
  
  
  Verse 4
  
  
  
  Verse 5
  
  
  
  Verse 6
  
  
  
  Verse 7
  
  
  
  Verse 8
  
  
  
  Verse 9
  
  
  
  Verse 10
  
  
  
  Verse 11
  
  
  
  Verse 12
  
  
  
  Verse 13
  
  
  
  Verse 14
  
  
  
  Verse 15
  
  
  
  Verse 16
  
  
  
  Verse 17
  
  
  
  Verse 18
  
  
  
  Verse 19
  
  
  
  Verse 20
  
  
  
  Verse 21
  
  
  
  Verse 22
  
  
  
  Verse 23
  
  
  
  Verse 24
  
  
  
  Verse 25
  
  
  
  Verse 26
  
  
  
  Verse 27
  
  
  
  Verse 28
  
  
  
  Verse 29
  
  
  
  Verse 30
  
  
  
  Verse 31
  
  
  
  Verse 32
  
  
  
  Verse 33
  
  
  
  Verse 34
  
  
  
  Verse 35
  
  
  
  Verse 36
  
  
  
  Verse 37
  
  
  
  Verse 38
  
  
  
  Verse 39
  
  
  
  Verse 40
  
  
  
  Verse 41
  
  
  
  Verse 42
  
  
  
  Verse 43
  
  
  
  Verse 44
  
  
  
  Verse 45
  
  
  
  Verse 46
  
  
  
  Verse 47
  
  
  
  Verse 48
  
  
  
  Verse 49
  
  
  
  Verse 50
  
  
  
  Verse 51
  
  Migdol of salvations for God's king. That is to say, that that [God] is a stronghold of salvations for God's king, and that [latter] is David, just as a migdal (מגדל, the normative word for 'tower') is a stronghold of a city.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  ...The sin was in [the fact] that David, the anointed one of the God of Jacob and the sweet singer of Israel, placed his trust in the flesh of his forearm - upon his [having] many people. And it was not fitting that he should place his faith 'in many people [that] is the glory of the king,' but rather only in God. For there is nothing that prevents Him from saving through the many or the few...