Why does it say "ha'Noladim ba'Aretz"?
Redak citing Meforshim: Anshei Gas knew the places to leave and enter the land. Bnei Efrayim entered the land to take their flocks, and did not know the roads. Anshei Gas ambushed them and killed them.
Radak citing other Meforshim: Later, Gas belonged to Yisrael, so Anshei Gas (Pelishtim) were considered to be born in Eretz Yisrael.
Radak: This refers to Bnei Efrayim. The Torah mentioned that Efrayim had sons and grandsons in Egypt - "va'Yar Yosef l'Efrayim Bnei Shileshim." Those born in Eretz Yisrael descended to Gas to take their flocks, and Anshei Gas killed them. This was in the Midbar, or in Eretz Gil'ad 1 . It cannot be in Eretz Yisrael [after Yisrael entered], for "Efrayim their father mourned over them" (22). Efrayim did not enter Eretz Yisrael - the only ones who left Egypt and entered the land were Yehoshua and Kalev 2 ! It is plausible that Efrayim was still alive, for Machir ben Menasheh helped conquer Gil'ad, and "Bnei Machir? Yuledu Al Birkei Yosef 3 ". There were 40,000 Bnei Efrayim at Yetzi'as Mitzrayim, and only 32,000 at the end of 40 years in the Midbar; it seems that Anshei Gas killed 8,000 4 . In Sanhedrin (92b), it says that Bnei Efrayim erred about the Ketz and left Egypt early, and this occurred to them 5 .
Surely they were not born in Eretz Gil'ad - Bnei Yisrael came to Gil'ad in the last year in the Midbar. Surely yearling babies did not go to take flocks! Is ba'Midbar called 'ba'Aretz'?! Also refer to 7:21:2:1*. (PF)
Some hold that there was no decree on men who left Egypt above 60. If so, Efrayim could have entered Eretz Yisrael! (PF)
I.e. do not say that Machir lived to enter the land because he was born over 100 years after Efrayim. Surely, Machir was at least 14 when his sons were born in Yosef's lifetime, at most 78 years after Efrayim was born (at least two years after Yosef married).
Every married man fathered a son after Matan Torah (Shabbos 89a). Men used to marry no later than 20 years. In the Midbar, normally people died only at the age of 60. Without a special reason (e.g. many Bnei Shimon died in the plague and executions in Shitim), no Shevet should have decreased in population. It is reasonable to attribute the decrease in Efrayim to Anshei Gas. (PF)
When did Anshei Gas kill them?
Rashi (Sanhedrin 92b, from Shemos Rabah 20:11): It was 30 years before Yetzi'as Mitzrayim 1 . Bnei Efrayim erred to count the 400 years of Galus from Bris Bein ha'Besarim. They should have counted from Yitzchak's birth - "Ger Yihyeh Zar'acha."
Refer to 7:21:1:3 and the notes there.
Malbim (based on Sanhedrin 92b): It was when Bnei Efrayim left Egypt early, and the rest of Yisrael were still in Egypt.
Malbim (25, from Pirkei d'R. Eliezer 48): It was before the slavery began 2 .
Can this be? Beri'ah was named after this episode, and Yehoshua, generations after him (22-27), was 56 at Yetzi'as Mitzrayim (see Ibn Ezra Shemos 33:11)! This opinion must hold that the verses are out of order. "Refach Bno v'Reshef?" (25) were born long before Beri'ah, from Efrayim [or one of his sons]. Malbim (25) hints to this; perhaps Radak (25) agrees. He says that "Refach Bno v'Reshef?" returns to teach Yehoshua's lineage from Efrayim. (PF)
If so, there is no question from Mechilta d'R. Shimon (3:2), which says that no slave ever left Egypt [before Yetzi'as Mitzrayim]. Perhaps they erred to leave once the fourth generation was born ("v'Dor Revi'i Yashuvu Henah"). 'Rashi' and the Vilna Gaon explain that Yehoshua was eight generations after Beri'ah. If so, each generation was about 13 years (or 15 years, if he was six generations later - refer to 7:25:1:2). The episode was about 50 years after descending to Egypt; Yehoshua was born about 100 years later. Shemos Rabah says that the episode was 30 years before Yetzi'as Mitzrayim, and they killed 300,000 Bnei Efrayim - this is feasible. However, he could not have so many descendants before the slavery began (from then, Yisrael multiplied greatly), and surely not in 50 or 60 years! (PF)
