אמרו חז"ל כי טעם ויבא. על כלב בן יפנה כי כל אחד הלך לצד אחר: [AND CAME UNTO HEBRON.] Our sages of blessed memory said that and came refers to Caleb the son of Jephunneh,28Sotah 34b. Also see Rashi. And came (va-yavo) is in the singular. Hence the rabbinic interpretation. for each one of the men went to a different part of the country.29Hence Caleb could visit Hebron by himself.
צען מצרים. שם מדינה סמוכה אל מצרים וכן מבית לחם יהודה ויש אומרים שפירושו מגזרת אהל בל יצען בדרך רחוקה: ZOAN IN EGYPT. Zoan is the name of a city in Egypt.30Our verse reads, tzo’an mitzrayim literally, Zoan Egypt. Now a proper name does not come in the construct. Hence I.E. points out that here it does, contrary to the rule. According to I.E. tzo’an mitzrayim is short for tzo’an shel mitzrayim, Zoan of Egypt. Of Beth-lehem Judah31Translated literally. (Ruth 1:1)32The meaning of which is Beth-lehem of Judah. is similar.33Here too two common nouns are in the construct, for Beth-lehem Judah is short for Beth-lehem of Judah. Some say that the word tzo’an (Zoan) is connected to the word yitzan (be removed) in A tent that shall not be removed (Is. 33:20).34These commentaries interpret tzo’an mitzrayim as meaning the establishment of Egypt However, this is farfetched.
וטעם להזכיר חברון להודיע שהיא קדמונית: Scripture mentions Hebron in order to tell us that Hebron came into being before Zoan.