מאת: אבנר רמו
In the Book of Judges we read:
ויפנו וילכו; וישימו את-הטף ואת-המקנה, ואת-הכבודה--לפניהם.
“So they turned and departed, and put the little ones and the cattle and the goods before them” (Jud 18:21).
In the Book of Genesis we read about Jacob:
ויפרץ האיש מאד מאד; ויהי-לו צאן רבות, ושפחות ועבדים, וגמלים וחמרים.
וישמע את-דברי בני-לבן לאמר, לקח יעקב את כל-אשר לאבינו; ומאשר לאבינו--עשה את כל-הכבד הזה.
“And the man increased exceedingly, and had large flocks, and maid-servants and men-servants, and camels and asses.
And he heard the words of Laban's sons, saying: Jacob had taken away all that was our father's; and of that which was our father's had he gotten all this wealth” (Gen 30:43-31:1).
These verses suggest that not every כבוד (kavod) word that we encounter in the Bible means “honor” or “glory” and that some of them mean “wealth.”
When Joseph sends a message to his father, who lived in a famished land, he urges him to come down to Egypt where:
וכלכלתי אתך שם, כי-עוד חמש שנים רעב: פן-תורש אתה וביתך, וכל-אשר-לך.
“And there will I sustain you; for there are yet five years of famine; lest you come to poverty, you, and your household, and all that you have” (Gen 45:11).
To further convince his father to go down to Egypt Joseph tells his brothers:
והגדתם לאבי את-כל-כבודי במצרים ואת כל-אשר ראיתם; ומהרתם והורדתם את-אבי הנה.
“And you shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all that you have seen; and you shall hasten and bring down my father hither” (Gen 45:13).
However, it is more likely that for convincing his father Jacob to come down to Egypt, Joseph was telling him about his great wealth rather than about his great glory. It is therefore suggested that here again כל-כבודי means “all my wealth.”
In the Book of Numbers we hear Balak’s messengers telling Balaam:
ויאמרו לו, כה אמר בלק בן-צפור, אל-נא תמנע מהלך אלי.
כי-כבד אכבדך מאד, וכל אשר-תאמר אלי אעשה; ולכה-נא קבה-לי את העם הזה.
ויען בלעם ויאמר אל-עבדי בלק, אם-יתן-לי בלק מלא ביתו כסף וזהב--לא אוכל לעבר את-פי יהוה אלהי, לעשות קטנה או גדולה.
“Thus said Balak the son of Zippor: Let nothing, I pray you, hinder you from coming to me;
For I will promote you to very great honor, and whatsoever you say to me I will do; come therefore, I pray you, curse me this people.
And Balaam answered and said to the servants of Balak: If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of YHWH my God, to do anything, small or great” (Num 22:16-18).
As Balaam was a professional diviner, it is unlikely that he gave his services for free. From Balaam’s answer to Balak’s messengers it is clear that he understood that Balak offered to hire him for curse the Israelites. Therefore when we read here כבד אכבדך מאד it means: “I will greatly enrich you” rather than: “I will greatly honor you.”
At the end of this narrative we read:
ויאמר בלק אל-בלעם, לקב איבי קראתיך, והנה ברכת ברך זה שלש פעמים.
ועתה ברח-לך אל-מקומך; אמרתי כבד אכבדך, והנה מנעך יהוה מכבוד.
ויאמר בלעם אל-בלק: הלא גם אל-מלאכיך אשר-שלחת אלי--דברתי לאמר
אם-יתן-לי בלק מלא ביתו כסף וזהב--לא אוכל לעבר את-פי יהוה, לעשות טובה או רעה מלבי: אשר-ידבר יהוה, אתו אדבר.
“And Balak said to Balaam: I called you to curse my enemies, and, behold, you have altogether blessed them these three times.
Therefore now flee you to your place; I thought to promote you to great honor; but, lo, YHWH had kept you back from honor.
And Balaam said to Balak: Spoke I not also to your messengers that you did send to me, saying:
If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of YHWH, to do either good or bad of mine own mind; what YHWH speaks, that will I speak” (Num 24:10-13).
Balaam’s answer to Balak indicates again that here כבד אכבדך means: “I will greatly enrich you” and that here מכבוד means: “from wealth.”
In the Book of Isaiah we read:
ונשבת מבצר מאפרים, וממלכה מדמשק ושאר ארם ככבוד בני-ישראל יהיו, נאם יהוה צבאות.
והיה ביום ההוא, ידל כבוד יעקב; ומשמן בשרו ירזה.
“The fortress also shall cease from Ephraim, and the kingdom from Damascus; and the remnant of Aram shall be as the glory of the children of Israel, said YHWH of hosts.
And it shall come to pass in that day, that the glory of Jacob shall be made thin, and the fatness of his flesh shall wax lean” (Is 17:3-4).
The content of the last verse suggests that ידל כבוד יעקב means “and Jacob’s wealth will become poor” rather than “the glory of Jacob shall be made thin” and that in the previous verse the Prophet indicates that the remnants of Arm will be [not] wealthy as the Israelites. This understanding is supported by והשארתי בקרבך, עם עני ודל - “And I will leave in the midst of you an afflicted and poor people” (Zep 3:12; see also: 2 Ki 25:12; Jer 39:10; 52:16).