 | VaYera |  |
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| | 22:20 |
Last Reading
After this, Abraham received a message: 'Milcah has also had children from your brother Nachor:
Vayehi acharey hadevarim ha'eleh vayugad le-Avraham lemor hineh yaldah Milkah gam-hi banim le-Nachor achicha. |
| 22:21 |
Utz, his first-born; Buz, his brother, Kemuel (father of Aram),
Et-Uts bechoro ve'et-Buz achiv ve'et-Kmu'el avi Aram. |
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Commentary:
Milcah....Nachor
See Genesis 11:29.
| Utz
See Genesis 10:23, 36:28, Jeremiah 25:20, Lamentations 4:21. The Talmud identifies him with Job according to one opinion (Yerushalmi, Sotah 5:6). Others say that the land of Utz where Job lived was founded by this Utz (Ibn Ezra on Job 1:1).
| Buz
Cf. Jeremiah 25:23. Some say that this was the grandfather of Elihu ben Barachel the Buzite (Ibn Ezra on Job 32:2; cf. Sefer HaYashar p. 58).
| Aram
Significantly, there is another Aram identified with Utz (Genesis 10:23). It is possible that they were named after the earlier ones (Radak on Genesis 10:23). This would indicate that there were two Aramaean nations, one descended directly from Shem, and a second, younger one descended from Nachor. One source states that this Aram was the founder of Aram Naharaim (Sefer HaYashar, p. 58. See Genesis 24:10, Deuteronomy 23:5). The word avi however, can be translated as 'leader' rather than father, indicating that Kemuel was the leader of Aram. Targum Yonathan thus renders this verse, 'Kemuel, the great magician of the Aramaeans.'
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