Balak 24:21 · unit 2 — eisan means hard
Parashas Balak · Aliyah 7 · Passuk 21 · TT unit 2
The Complete Passuk
וַיַּרְא֙ אֶת־הַקֵּינִ֔י וַיִּשָּׂ֥א מְשָׁל֖וֹ וַיֹּאמַ֑ר אֵיתָן֙ מוֹשָׁבֶ֔ךָ וְשִׂ֥ים בַּסֶּ֖לַע קִנֶּֽךָ׃
And he saw the Keini, and took up his discourse and said: Enduring is your dwelling-place, and set in the rock is your nest.
Chabad.org — 24:21
Source Citation
Torah Temimah: Sotah 46b — from where that eisan means hard.
Sefaria — Sotah 46b
Core Text of Chazal
Core Text
תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: מִנַּיִן לְאֵיתָן שֶׁהוּא קָשֶׁה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר ״אֵיתָן מוֹשָׁבֶךָ וְשִׂים בַּסֶּלַע קִנֶּךָ״.
English: Our Rabbis taught: From where that eisan means hard? As it is said, “Enduring is your dwelling-place, and set in the rock is your nest.”
Type of Learning
Lexical proof for the meaning of איתן (relevant also to eglah arufah).
What Is Learned
The nest set in the rock defines eisan as hardness — the verse supplies the dictionary for other laws.