thought

הֶעֱמַדְתָּה לְֽהַֽרְרִי עֹז (Tehillim 30:8), You set my mountain firm, and בְּהַֽרֲרָם שֵׂעִיר (Bereishis 14:6), in their mountain, Seir; in some sefarim the resh there has a chataf patach and in some a bare sheva. The plural of the full form is הֲרָרִים. The construct is כְּֽהַרְרֵי ־אֵל (Tehillim 36:7), like the mountains of Kel, יְסוּדָתוֹ בְּהַרְרֵי ־קֹֽדֶשׁ (Tehillim 87:1), His foundation is in the holy mountains, and וּמֵֽהֲרָרֶיהָ תַּחְצֹב נְחֽשֶׁת (Devarim 8:9), out of its mountains you will hew copper; the adjective is הֲרָרִי בַּשָּׂדֶה (Yirmiyahu 17:3), the one on the mountain in the field. With a heh added, הֶרָה נָּֽסוּ (Bereishis 14:10), they fled to the mountain. The plural of הַר is הָרִים, mountains, which would take a dagesh were it not for the resh; and the word is spoken of in the feminine, שְׁמָמָה תִֽהְיֶה הַר ־שֵׂעִיר (Yechezkel 35:15), Har Seir shall be a desolation.

הַרְכֶם צִפּֽוֹר (Tehillim 11:1) he reads as הר שלכם, your mountain; some explain that it is two words, הר and כם, the כם standing for כמו: flee to a mountain like a bird.

Some explain בְּהַֽרֲרָם שֵׂעִיר, in their mountain, Seir, as an infinitive of the doubled form. One can object to them from the patach of the heh.

Some take from this הָרוֹת הַגִּלְעָד (Amos 1:13), the mountain cities of Gilad, and וְהָרֹֽתֵיהֶם תְּבַקֵּֽעַ (Melachim II 8:12), and you will breach their mountain cities; if these words are of this root and this sense, they mean the cities fortified and set high in the mountains. So too הִֽנְנִי אֵלֶיךָ הַר הַמַּשְׁחִית (Yirmiyahu 51:25), behold, I am against you, destroying mountain, where the mountain is a fortified city, since Bavel is nothing but a plain, and Targum Yonasan rendered it כְּרַכָּא מְחַבְּלָא, the destroying city.

וְשָׁאוּל חָשַׁב לְהַפִּיל אֶת־דָּוִד, Shaul planned to bring David down; וְאַתֶּם חֲשַׁבְתֶּם עָלַי רָעָה אֱלֹהִים חֲשָׁבָהּ לְטֹבָה (Bereishis 50:20), you thought evil against me, Elokim thought it for good; and וְלֹֽא־יָדַעְתִּי כִּֽי־עָלַי חָֽשְׁבוּ מַֽחֲשָׁבוֹת (Yirmiyahu 11:19), I did not know they had laid plans against me. In the heavy form, חִשַּׁבְתִּי יָמִים מִקֶּדֶם (Tehillim 77:6), I thought over days of old; וַֽאֲחַשְּׁבָה לָדַעַת זֹאת (Tehillim 73:16), I thought, so as to know this; מַה־ תְּחַשְּׁבוּן (Nachum 1:9), what do you plot against Hashem; לֵב אָדָם יְחַשֵּׁב דַּרְכּוֹ (Mishlei 16:9), a man's heart plans his way; and וְאֵלַי יְחַשְּׁבוּ (Hoshea 7:15), and against Me they plan. In וְהָאֳנִיָּה חִשְּׁבָה לְהִשָּׁבֵֽר (Yonah 1:4), and the ship thought to be broken, it is the men of the ship who thought she would break, in the way of וְכָל־ הָאָרֶץ בָּאוּ מִצְרַיְמָה (Bereishis 41:57), and all the land came to Egypt, which means all the men of the land, and וַתִּרְעַב כָּל־אֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם (Bereishis 41:55), and all the land of Egypt hungered, and those like them. The sense of thought, he says, is known.

וַיַּחְשְׁבֶהָ עֵלִי לְשִׁכֹּרָֽה (Shmuel I 1:13), Eli took her for a drunken woman; and יַחְשֹׁב תְּהוֹם לְשֵׂיבָֽה (Iyov 41:24), one would take the deep for grey hair, which he explains: one who sees the deep white would take it for grey hair.

Since a craft goes by thought, the word is used of craftsmanship: לַחְשֹׁב מַֽחֲשָׁבֹת (Shemos 31:4), to devise designs, and מַֽעֲשֵׂה חֹשֵׁב תַּֽעֲשֶׂה אֹתָֽם (Shemos 26:1), you shall make them the work of a designer. The noun is וְחֵשֶׁב אפדתו (Shemos 28:8), the band of its efod, with five vowel points, and וַיַּעַשׂ בִּירֽוּשָׁלַם חִשְּׁבֹנוֹת (Divrei HaYamim II 26:15), he made devices in Yerushalayim, with the shin doubled for ornament. On מעשה רוקם כמעשה חושב, the embroiderer's work like the designer's work, the Chachamim in Yoma 72b ask what it means, and Rabbi Elazar answers שרוקמין במקום שחושבים, that they embroider at the place where they do the designer's work; a braisa there teaches רוקם מעשה מחט ולפיכך פרצוף אחד, embroidery is needlework and so has one face, חושב מעשה אורג, לפיכך שני פרצופין, the designer's work is weaving and so has two faces.

The same word serves for reckoning and for the philosopher's inquiry: וּבַקֵּשׁ חָכְמָה וְחֶשְׁבּוֹן (Koheles 7:25), to seek wisdom and reckoning; כִּי אֵין מַֽעֲשֶׂה וְחֶשְׁבּוֹן (Koheles 9:10), for there is no deed and no reckoning; and וְהֵמָּה בִקְשׁוּ חִשְּׁבֹנוֹת רַבִּֽים (Koheles 7:29), but they sought many reckonings, with the shin doubled for ornament, which he takes as the devices and matters men raise over the Creator's work, why He made this so and why that was so, when He made man upright and all His work is in faithfulness. Of number likewise, since number rests on thought: Hashem does not reckon iniquity to a man (Tehillim 32:2). In the passive, אַךְ לֹֽא־ יֵֽחָשֵׁב אִתָּם הַכֶּסֶף הַנִּתָּן עַל־יָדָם (Melachim II 22:7), no reckoning was made with them of the money given into their hand; in the heavy form, וְחִשַּׁב אֶת־שְׁנֵי מִמְכָּרוֹ (Vayikra 25:27), he shall count the years of his sale, and וְלֹא יְחַשְּׁבוּ אֶת־הָֽאֲנָשִׁים (Melachim II 12:16), and they made no reckoning with the men; and turned back on itself, וּבַגּוֹיִם לֹא יִתְחַשָּֽׁב (Bamidbar 23:9), and among the nations it shall not reckon itself.

Near to this is לֹא חָשַׁב אֱנֽוֹשׁ (Yeshayahu 33:8), he took no account of man, which he glosses as he took no notice of them and counted them for nothing; and like it נִבְזֶה וְלֹא חֲשַׁבְנֻֽהוּ (Yeshayahu 53:3), despised, and we did not account him; אֲשֶׁר־כֶּסֶף לֹא יַחְשֹׁבוּ (Yeshayahu 13:17), who set no store by silver; and וּלְחֹֽשְׁבֵי שְׁמֽוֹ (Malachi 3:16), those who give heed to His name. יַֽחֲשָׁב לִי (Tehillim 40:18), Hashem will take account of me, means: may my prayers and pleas be reckoned before Him, and may He take notice of the poverty and want I am in; and from this the Chachamim in Avodah Zarah 25b call an honoured man אדם חשוב, a man of account. In the passive, אֵין כֶּסֶף לֹא נֶחְשָׁב בִּימֵי שְׁלֹמֹה לִמְאֽוּמָה (Melachim I 10:21), there was no silver, it was not reckoned as anything in Shlomo's days, which Radak explains as there being no silver in any of the vessels, since they were all gold, because silver counted for nothing in Shlomo's days; and וְנֶחְשַׁב לָכֶם תְּרֽוּמַתְכֶם (Bamidbar 18:27), your terumah shall be reckoned to you; מַדּוּעַ נֶחְשַׁבְנוּ כַבְּהֵמָה (Iyov 18:3), why are we counted as beasts; כִּֽי־בַמֶּה נֶחְשָׁב הֽוּא (Yeshayahu 2:22), for of what account is he; הֲלוֹא נָכְרִיּוֹת נֶחְשַׁבְנוּ לוֹ (Bereishis 31:15), are we not accounted strangers by him; לֹא יֵֽחָשֵׁב לוֹ פִּגּוּל יִֽהְיֶה (Vayikra 7:18), it shall not be reckoned to him, it shall be piggul; and רְפָאִים יֵחָֽשְׁבוּ אַף־הֵם כַּֽעֲנָקִים (Devarim 2:11), the Refaim too were accounted Anakim.

וְרָעוּ כְבָשִׂים (Yeshayahu 5:17), and lambs shall graze; and where the verb takes two objects, הָֽאֱלֹהִים הָֽרֹעֶה אֹתִי (Bereishis 48:15), Hashem who has shepherded me. In כָּל־ רֹעַיִךְ תִּרְעֶה־רוּחַ (Yirmiyahu 22:22), all your shepherds the wind shall graze, רֹעַיִךְ is that verb of two objects, and the wind will graze on them and eat them. The noun מַרְעִית is a name for the flock itself, as וְכָל־ מַרְעִיתָם נָפֽוֹצָה (Yirmiyahu 10:21), and all their flock is scattered. In כִּֽי־שֹׁדֵד י"י אֶת־ מַרְעִיתָֽם (Yirmiyahu 25:36), for Hashem is plundering their flock, it may instead be the place of pasture, as the words after it say, וְנָדַמּוּ נְאוֹת הַשָּׁלוֹם, and the peaceful pastures are silenced. The noun for the place of pasture is מִרְעֶה, as מִרְעֶה שָׁמֵן וָטוֹב (Divrei HaYamim I 4:40), fat and good pasture. On another pattern, וְעֶשְׂרִים בָּקָר רְעִי (Melachim I 5:3), and twenty fattened cattle, רְעִי meaning fattened.

וְרֹעֶה כְסִילִים (Mishlei 13:20), one who keeps company with fools, and וְרֹעֶה זוֹנוֹת (Mishlei 29:3), one who keeps company with harlots. In the heavy form, אֲשֶׁר רֵעָה לֽוֹ (Shoftim 14:20), who had been his companion. The noun is מֵרֵעַ, a companion, as וַתְּהִי אֵשֶׁת שִׁמְשׁוֹן לְמֵרֵעֵהוּ (Shoftim 14:20), and Shimshon's wife became his companion's, and וַֽאֲחֻזַּת מֵֽרֵעֵהוּ (Bereishis 26:26), and Achuzas his companion; on another pattern the feminine רַעְיָה, as רַעְיָתִי יָפָתִי (Shir HaShirim 2:10), my companion, my fair one; and on another again, וְאִשָּׁה רְעוּתָהּ (Yirmiyahu 9:19), and each woman her companion. רֵעַ, a friend, may be of this root too, with the last root letter fallen away, as in רֵֽעֲךָ (Mishlei 27:10), your friend; רֵעַ is then on the pattern of בֵּן, whose root is בָּנָה. The proof that these forms are of this root is the yud written in וּרְהַב רֵעֶֽיךָ (Mishlei 6:3), and urge your friend, and in וְנָֽתַתִּי לְרֵעֶיךָ (Shmuel II 12:11), and I will give to your fellow: both are singular in sense, so the yud is the last root letter.

וּבְרַעְיוֹן לִבּוֹ (Koheles 2:22), and in the will of his heart, and בַּנְתָּה לְרֵעִי (Tehillim 139:2), You understand my will. The sense of all of them is will and thought, after the Targum's word for will. וְלִי מַה־יָּקְרוּ רֵעֶיךָ (Tehillim 139:17), and to me how precious are Your thoughts, is read against בַּנְתָּה לְרֵעִי מֵרָחֽוֹק earlier in the mizmor: You understand my will and my thought from afar, before ever I think it and it becomes my will, but Your will and Your thoughts are precious to me, since I cannot know them.

רֹעֶה עֲקָרָה לֹא תֵלֵד (Iyov 24:21), he breaks the barren woman who does not bear, and יִרְעוּךְ קָדְקֹֽד (Yirmiyahu 2:16), they will break your crown. כָּל־ רֹעַיִךְ תִּרְעֶה־רוּחַ (Yirmiyahu 22:22) may belong here too: the wind they chase after will break all your shepherds. Their sense is breaking. וְרָעוּ דָּלִיּוֹתָֽיו (Yirmiyahu 11:16) belongs here as well, and may be intransitive, its branches being broken. יֵרַע שָׂרִיד בְּאָהֳלֽוֹ (Iyov 20:26) may be a passive of this root: the survivor in his tent will be broken. He has written it also under the root יָרַע.

וּרְעוּת רֽוּחַ (Koheles 1:14), a will of wind, is filed under will and thought, as another pattern of that word. Some explain it and רַעְיוֹן רֽוּחַ (Koheles 1:17) from grazing, a grazing on wind, in the manner of אֶפְרַיִם רֹעֶה רוּחַ (Hoshea 12:2), Ephraim grazes on wind (read so, a grazing that neither profits nor satisfies); some from keeping company; and some from breaking.