עמך בחרב יהרג

מאת: אבנר רמו

In the Book of Ezekiel we find the expression: עמך בחרב יהרג - “he shall slay thy people with the sword” (Eze 23:20; 26:6, 8, 11; see also: Gen 34:25; Num 31:8; Jos 10:11; 13:22; 2 Sam 12:9; 1 Ki 2:32; 19:1, 10, 14; 2 Ki 8:12; Eze 26:8; Am 4:10; 9:1; 2 Ch 21:4; 36:17).

Yet in the Book of Jeremiah we read

לכן תן את-בניהם לרעב, והגרם על-ידי-חרב, ותהינה נשיהם שכלות ואלמנות, ואנשיהם יהיו הרגי מות; בחוריהם מכי-חרב במלחמה.“Therefore deliver up their children to the famine, and hurl them to the power of the sword; and let their wives be bereaved [of their children], and widows; and let their men be slain of death, and their young men smitten of the sword in battle” (Jer 18:21). However, the comparison between these verses suggests that here הגרם (hgirem) is an order-type error of הרגם (hargem) - “kill them.” Similarly in:יען היות לך איבת עולם, ותגר את-בני-ישראל על-ידי-חרב - “Because you have had a hatred of old, and had hurled the children of Israel to the power of the sword”
(Eze 35:5; see also: Ps 63:11). :

However, the comparison between these verses suggests that here ותגר (vathager) is a misspelled ותהרג (vathaharog) - “and you killed.” In the Book of Habakkuk we find: כלה בחכה העלה--יגרהו בחרמו, ויאספהו במכמרתו; - “They take up all of them with a fish hook, they catch them in their net, and gather them in their drag” (Hab 1:15). However, the comparison between these verses suggests that יגרהו בחרמו (yegorehu vekhermo) is a misspelled יהרגו בחרבו (yehargo vekhervo) - “shall kill him with his sword.” The additional ב (v) - מ (m) substitution error that turned the “sward” to a “net” occurs also two verses later:העל כן יריק חרמו; ותמיד להרג גוים לא יחמול - “Shall they therefore empty their net, and not spare to slay the nations continually” (Hab 1:17). However, as we read in the Book of Exodus that the enemy said: אריק חרבי, תורישמו ידי - “I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them” (Ex 15:9), we may assume that in Hab 1:17 the words יריק חרמו (yariq khermo) is a misspelled יריק חרבו (yariq kharbo) - “He will draw his sword.”