1
וירב. מבנין הפעיל: AND THE PEOPLE STROVE. Va-yarev (strove) is a hifil.
2
בגוע אחינו. שם הפעל כמו כשכב אדני המלך: WHEN OUR BRETHREN PERISHED. Bi-geva (when…perished) is an infinitive. It is similar to ki-shekav (when…shall sleep) in when my lord the king shall sleep with his fathers (I Kings 1:21).
3
אחינו. הם דור המדבר שמתו והם עבדי השם: OUR BRETHREN. The generation that died in the desert. They were servants of the Lord.8Scripture states, our brethren perished. Why add, before the Lord? According to I.E., before the Lord indicates that they worshipped the Lord.