ויהי העם. נסמכה זו הפרשה כי אחר שנסע הארון מהר סיני חנו בקברות התאוה והנה ספר מה שאירע שם: AND THE PEOPLE. This chapter is connected to the one before,1Which deals with the journey of the ark. because the Israelites camped in kibroth-hatta’avah2Which, according to I.E., is the same as taverah, the name of the place as quoted in verse 3. See I.E. on Num. 10:31. after the ark journeyed from Sinai. Scripture now tells what happened there.3At kibroth-hatta’avah.
כמתאוננים. מגזרת און וכן מחשבות אונך: AS MURMURERS. Mitonenim (murmurers) is related to the word aven (evil).4Both words come from the root alef, vav, nun. Onekh (evil) in thy evil (onekh) thoughts (Jer. 4:14) is similar.5I.E. renders va-yehi ha-am ke-mitoninim (and the people were as murmurers) as: and the people uttered evil words.
וטעם וישמע ה'. שדברו דברי און: [AND WHEN THE LORD HEARD.] The meaning of when the Lord heard is, and when the Lord heard that they spoke evil.
ותאכל. מלעיל כמו ויאמר ובמוכרח מלרע הפך הלשון רק כן מצאנו: AND DEVOURED. Va-tokhal (and devoured) is penultimately accented. Compare, va-yomer (and he said) (Gen. 14:19).6When this word comes at the beginning of a clause, it is penultimately accented. However, when it ends a clause,7When it comes in the middle of a verse (at an etnachta) or at the end of a verse (sof pasuk). then it is ultimately accented. The latter is contrary to the laws of Hebrew grammar,8For the change of accent indicates a change in tense (Weiser). but we find it to be so.