Study Avodah Zarah folio 20A with parallel Hebrew-English text, traditional commentary, and modern study tools. Free access to Babylonian Talmud online.
Text Excerpt
דאמר קרא: ״לא תחנם״, לא תתן להם חנייה בקרקע. האי ״לא תחנם״ מיבעי ליה, דהכי קאמר רחמנא: לא תתן להם חן.
The source is that the verse states: “You should not show them mercy [lo teḥonnem]” (Deuteronomy 7:2), which is understood as meaning: You should not give them a chance to encamp [ḥanayah] in, i.e., to acquire land in, Eretz Yisrael. The Talmud asks: This phrase: “You should not show them mercy”; isn’t it necessary to teach that this is what God is saying: You should not give them favor [ḥen] by praising them?
אם כן, לימא קרא ״לא תחונם״, מאי ״לא תחנם״? שמע מינה תרתי.
The Talmud answers: If that were so, let the verse say: Lo teḥunnem, with the letter vav, as then it would be evident that this is a form of the root ḥet, vav, nun, which means favor. What is the reason that the verse instead states: Lo teḥonnem, without the letter vav? Conclude two conclusions from it, that one may not praise them and also that one may not allow them to acquire land.
ואכתי מיבעי ליה, דהכי אמר רחמנא: לא תתן להם מתנת (של) חנם! אם כן, לימא קרא ״לא תחינם״, מאי ״לא תחנם״? שמע מינה כולהו.
The Talmud asks: But still, isn’t the phrase “You should not show them mercy” necessary to teach the halakha that this is what God states: You should not give them an undeserved [ḥinnam] gift? The Talmud answers: If that were so, let the verse say: Lo teḥinnem. What is the reason that it is spelled without the letter yud, as: Lo teḥonnem? Learn from it all of these 3 halakhot.
תניא נמי הכי: ״לא תחנם״ — לא תתן להם חנייה בקרקע, דבר אחר: ״לא תחנם״ — לא תתן להם חן, דבר אחר: ״לא תחנם״ — לא תתן להם מתנת חנם.
This is also taught in a baraita: “You should not show them mercy”; this teaches that you should not give them a chance to encamp in the land of Eretz Yisrael. Another matter: “You should not show them mercy”; this indicates that you should not give them favor. Another matter: “You should not show them mercy”; this teaches that you should not give them an undeserved gift.