Ramban on Deuteronomy 33:17:1

בְּכוֹר שׁוֹרוֹ הָדָר לוֹ, יֵשׁ בְּכוֹר שֶׁהוּא לְשׁוֹן גְּדֻלָּה וּמַלְכוּת, אַף אָנִי בְּכוֹר אֶתְּנֵהוּ (תהלים פט כח), וְכֵן בְּנִי בְכֹרִי יִשְׂרָאֵל (שמות ד כב), מֶלֶךְ הַיֹּצֵא מִמֶּנּוּ הוּא יְהוֹשֻׁעַ, כֹּחוֹ קָשֶׁה כְּשׁוֹר לִכְבֹּשׁ כַּמָּה מְלָכִים, וְקַרְנֵי רְאֵם קַרְנָיו, שׁוֹר כֹּחוֹ קָשֶׁה וְאֵין קַרְנָיו נָאוֹת, רְאֵם קַרְנָיו נָאוֹת וְאֵין כֹּחוֹ קָשֶׁה, נָתַן לִיהוֹשֻׁעַ כֹּחוֹ שֶׁל שׁוֹר וְיֹפִי קַרְנֵי רְאֵם. וְהֵם רִבְבוֹת אֶפְרַיִם, אוֹתָם הַמְנֻגָּחִים הֵם הָרְבָבוֹת שֶׁהֲרָגָם יְהוֹשֻׁעַ הַבָּא מֵאֶפְרַיִם. וְהֵם אַלְפֵי מְנַשֶּׁה, הָאֲלָפִים שֶׁהָרַג גִּדְעוֹן בְּמִדְיָן, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שופטים ח י) וְזֶבַח וְצַלְמֻנָּע בַּקַּרְקֹר וְכַמָּה אֲלָפִים נִמְנוּ שָׁם, לְשׁוֹן רַשִׁ"י (רש"י על דברים ל"ג:י"ז). וְהִנֵּה הַכָּתוּב מְבֻלְבָּל מְאֹד בַּפֵּרוּשׁ הַזֶּה, כִּי קַרְנֵי רְאֵם קַרְנָיו כִּנּוּי לִבְכוֹר הַשּׁוֹר, שֶׁהוּא יְהוֹשֻׁעַ, וְאִם כֵּן אֵיךְ יְנַגַּח בָּהֶם אַלְפֵי מְנַשֶּׁה, שֶׁהֵם הֲרוּגֵי גִּדְעוֹן. וּלְשׁוֹן סִפְרֵי (ברכה שנג), לְפִי שֶׁלֹּא פֵּרֵשׁ לָנוּ כַּמָּה הָרַג יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בַּכְּנַעֲנִים, תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר וְזֶבַח וְצַלְמֻנָּע בַּקַּרְקֹר, הַכֹּל קל"ה אֶלֶף, לְכָךְ נֶאֱמַר וְהֵם אַלְפֵי מְנַשֶּׁה. וְכַוָּנָתָם בָּזֶה לִדְרֹשׁ כִּי גַּם בָּהֶם יְנַגַּח יַחְדָּו אַפְסֵי אָרֶץ רֶמֶז לִיהוֹשֻׁעַ, וְאָמַר שֶׁאַפְסֵי אָרֶץ אֵלֶּה שֶׁיְּנַגַּח הֵם הָרְבָבוֹת שֶׁהָרַג אֶפְרַיִם, הוּא יְהוֹשֻׁעַ, וְהֵם הָאֲלָפִים שֶׁהָרַג מְנַשֶּׁה אַחֲרֵי כֵן, שֶׁכֻּלָּם הֲרָגָם יְהוֹשֻׁעַ, וּבְנֵיהֶם הַקָּמִים אַחֲרֵיהֶם הָרַג מְנַשֶּׁה בִּקְצָתָם אֲלָפִים. וְכֵן שָׁנוּ שָׁם, בָּהֶם עַמִּים יְנַגַּח יַחְדָּו, וְכִי מָה כָּבַשׁ יְהוֹשֻׁעַ, וַהֲלֹא לֹא כָּבַשׁ אֶלָּא שְׁלֹשִׁים וְאֶחָד מֶלֶךְ, מְלַמֵּד שֶׁכָּבַשׁ מְלָכִים וְשִׁלְטוֹנוֹת שֶׁהָיוּ מִסּוֹף הָעוֹלָם וְעַד סוֹפוֹ. יַחְדָּו אַפְסֵי אָרֶץ, וְכִי מָה אֲרָצוֹת כָּבַשׁ יְהוֹשֻׁעַ, וַהֲלֹא לֹא כָּבַשׁ אֶלָּא פַּרְטוּם (חלק) זֶה קָטָן, אֶלָּא כָּל מְלָכִים שֶׁשִּׁעְבֵּד הָיוּ מְלָכִים וְשִׁלְטוֹנוֹת. וּפְשׁוּטוֹ שֶׁל מִקְרָא כִּי בַּעֲבוּר שֶׁבֵּרַךְ יוֹסֵף בַּתְּבוּאוֹת דִּמָּה אוֹתוֹ לְשׁוֹר, כִּי וְרָב תְּבוּאוֹת בְּכֹחַ שׁוֹר (משלי יד ד), וְאָמַר שֶׁיִּהְיֶה לַבְּכוֹר אֲשֶׁר יוֹלִיד הֲדַר מַלְכוּת, יִרְמֹז לִיהוֹשֻׁעַ שֶׁהוּא רִאשׁוֹן לְבֵית יוֹסֵף וְיִהְיֶה לוֹ גְּדֻלָּה וּמַלְכוּת, וְקַרְנֵי רְאֵם קַרְנָיו שֶׁל שׁוֹר הַנִּזְכָּר, וּבְקַרְנָיו יְנַגַּח יַחְדָּו אַפְסֵי אָרֶץ, וְאָמַר כִּי קַרְנָיו שֶׁהֵם שְׁנַיִם הֵם רִבְבוֹת אֶפְרַיִם וְהֵם אַלְפֵי מְנַשֶּׁה, הַקֶּרֶן הַיָּמִין לְאֶפְרַיִם וְהַשְּׂמֹאל לִמְנַשֶּׁה. וְהִנֵּה הִזְכִּיר בְּבִרְכָתוֹ שֶׁהָיוּ לִרְבָבוֹת וְלַאֲלָפִים, כְּטַעַם רִבְבוֹת אַלְפֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל (במדבר י לו): B’CHOR’ (THE FIRSTLING) OF HIS BULLOCK, MAJESTY IS HIS. “B’chor (firstborn) is sometimes used to denote greatness and sovereignty, as it is said, I also will appoint him [David] first born.²²⁸Psalms 89:25. Similarly, Israel is My son, My first born.²²⁹Exodus 4:25. [Hence, this verse means:] The strength of the king who will come forth from him [Joseph] — namely, Joshua — will be as great as that of an ox to subdue many kings. And his horns are the horns of the wild-ox. The ox has great strength but its horns are not beautiful; the wild-ox, on the other hand, has beautiful horns but its strength is not great. Moses then ascribed to Joshua the strength of an ox and the beauty of the horns of the wild-ox. And they are the ten thousands of Ephraim — those who are gored are the myriads whom Joshua, a descendant of Ephraim, slew. And they are the thousands of Menasheh — the thousands whom Gideon [a descendant of Menasheh] slew of Midian, as it is said, Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor.²³⁰Judges 8:10. Many thousands are enumerated there.”²³¹The verse there reads: Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor, and their hosts with them, about fifteen thousand men, all that were left of all the host of the children of the east; for there fell a hundred and twenty thousand men that drew sword. All these — a total of 135,000 — were defeated by Gideon. Thus far the language of Rashi. But this interpretation leaves the verse in disorder. Since the expression his horns are the horns of the wild-ox is a description of the firstling of the bullock, namely Joshua, how could it be said that he [a descendant of Ephraim] gore with them [the horns] the thousands of Menasheh, the victims of Gideon [a descendant of Menasheh]? And the language of the Sifre is as follows:²³²Sifre, Brachah 353. “Since Scripture has not made clear to us how many Canaanites were slain by Joshua, it states Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor²³⁰Judges 8:10. — all one hundred and thirty-five thousand.²³¹The verse there reads: Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor, and their hosts with them, about fifteen thousand men, all that were left of all the host of the children of the east; for there fell a hundred and twenty thousand men that drew sword. All these — a total of 135,000 — were defeated by Gideon. Therefore it is stated, and they are the thousands of Menasheh. ” The intent of the Rabbis is to interpret that the phrase with them he shall gore the peoples all of them, even the ends of the earth is also an allusion to Joshua. The verse says that these ends of the earth which he [the tribe of Joseph] will gore, are the ten thousands that Ephraim — meaning Joshua — slew, and they are the [same] thousands slain afterwards by Menasheh. For Joshua slew them all [the nations], and of their descendants who arose after them Menasheh slew thousands from among them. Similarly it is taught there [in the Sifre]:²³²Sifre, Brachah 353. “With them he shall gore the peoples all of them. But what [nations] did Joshua capture? Did he not subdue only thirty-one kings? The verse teaches [us] that Joshua subdued kings and rulers that were from one end of the world to the other.²³³The statement of the Sifre can be understood on the basis of the saying of the Rabbis in Bereshith Rabbah 85:16: “Any king or ruler who had no [seat of] sovereignty in the Land of Israel would consider himself worthless” (see Vol. IV, p. 396, Note 87). Hence the expression that Joshua subdued “kings and rulers from one end of the world to the other.” All of them, even the ends of the earth. But which lands did Joshua capture? Did he not conquer only this small portion [of the earth]? Only [this is to teach us] that all the kings that he subdued were sovereigns and rulers” [rather than insignificant, powerless figures].
In line with the plain meaning of Scripture [the verse states]: Because Moses blessed Joseph with the increase of the field, he compared him [here] to an ox, for much increase is by the strength of the ox.²³⁴Proverbs 14:4. He further stated that Joseph will be the firstborn that will beget the beauty of majesty — this being an allusion to Joshua, the first of all the house of Joseph²³⁵II Samuel 19:21. — and that greatness and majesty will be his. His horns are the horns of the wild-ox — of the aforementioned ox — and with his horns, he shall gore the peoples all of them, even the ends of the earth. And he further states that his horns — which are two — are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Menasheh, the right horn [the stronger one] representing Ephraim and the left [the weaker one] representing Menasheh. Thus he mentioned in his blessing that they will become numerous, tribes consisting of myriads and thousands, similar to the expression, the myriads of thousands of Israel.²³⁶Numbers 10:36.