אספה לי. [זש"ה אוהב טהר לב חן שפתיו רעהו מלך] (משלי כב יא), למה לא אמר לו שבעים אנשים, אלא שבעים איש, אלא [א"ל שבעים איש מיוחדים] שהם דומין לי ולך, ה' איש מלחמה (שמות טו ג), והאיש משה (במדבר יב ג).
(Numb. 11:16:) GATHER ME <SEVENTY PERSON (sic)98The midrash is ignoring the fact that Hebrew uses singular nouns with large numbers in order to build an interpretation on this singular usage. FROM THE ELDERS OF ISRAEL>.99Tanh. Numb. 3:16; Numb. R. 5:23. [This text is related (to Prov. 22:11): THE ONE WHO LOVES PURITY OF HEART HAS GRACE ON HIS LIPS, HAS A KING AS HIS FRIEND.] Why did he not say to him (in Numb. 11:16): "Seventy people" (with "people" in the plural) instead of SEVENTY PERSON. It is simply that he said to him: SEVENTY PERSON (ish) <with the singular ish indicating> singular individuals],100I.e. singular individuals like the one described in Prov. 22:11. because they were to be like me and you. (Cf. Exod. 15:3:) THE LORD IS A MAN (ish) OF WAR. (Cf. also Numb. 12:3): NOW THE MAN (ish) MOSES.
אספה לי. [זש"ה אוהב טהר לב חן שפתיו רעהו מלך] (משלי כב יא), למה לא אמר לו שבעים אנשים, אלא שבעים איש, אלא [א"ל שבעים איש מיוחדים] שהם דומין לי ולך, ה' איש מלחמה (שמות טו ג), והאיש משה (במדבר יב ג).
(Numb. 11:16:) GATHER ME <SEVENTY PERSON (sic)98The midrash is ignoring the fact that Hebrew uses singular nouns with large numbers in order to build an interpretation on this singular usage. FROM THE ELDERS OF ISRAEL>.99Tanh. Numb. 3:16; Numb. R. 5:23. [This text is related (to Prov. 22:11): THE ONE WHO LOVES PURITY OF HEART HAS GRACE ON HIS LIPS, HAS A KING AS HIS FRIEND.] Why did he not say to him (in Numb. 11:16): "Seventy people" (with "people" in the plural) instead of SEVENTY PERSON. It is simply that he said to him: SEVENTY PERSON (ish) <with the singular ish indicating> singular individuals],100I.e. singular individuals like the one described in Prov. 22:11. because they were to be like me and you. (Cf. Exod. 15:3:) THE LORD IS A MAN (ish) OF WAR. (Cf. also Numb. 12:3): NOW THE MAN (ish) MOSES.