Shadal writes the following:
מקיר העיר וחוצה אלף אמה סביב ומדותם מחוץ לעיר את פאת קדמה אלפים באמה וגו': בתרגום יוני המיוחס לשבעים זקנים כתוב אלפים אמה בפסוק ד' כמו בפסוק ה', וקצת ריקי מוח נפתו אחריו, וחשבו וכתבו כי טעות נפלה בספרינו; אבל כל שאר המתרגמים הקדמונים תירגמו בפסוק ד' אלף אמה, וגם בתורת השומרונים כתוב אלף אמה. והנה כבר הסכימו גדולי החוקרים כי כשיימצא בספר קדמון חילוף נוסחאות, ותהיה הנוסחה האחת נכונה בלשון ומתיישבת על הדעת, והאחרת זרה ובלתי מובנת, אין למהר ולשפוט שהזרה היא מוטעית והאחרת היא האמיתית, אבל פעמים רבות הדבר הוא בהפך, כי קרוב הדבר שהסופרים שהעתיקו הספר כשראו לשון זר ובלתי מובן תיקנוהו, אבל רחוק הוא שאם מתחילה היה הלשון נכון ומובן ישימו במקומו דברים זרים ובלתי מובנים...
Read it all.
To translate:
"(4) from the wall of the city and outward a thousand cubits round about" ... "(5) And ye shall measure without the city for the east side two thousand cubits...":He proceeds to offer his own explanation, which is not really pertinent to this blogpost.
In the Greek translation ascribed to the 70 Elders {=Septuagint} it is written 2000 cubits in the 4th verse just as in the 5th verse, and some empty-brains are seduced after it, and think and write that an error fell in our manuscripts; but all the rest of the ancient translators translated in the 4th verse 1000 cubits, and also in the Torah of the Samaritans it is written 1000 cubits.
And behold, the expert scholars have already agreed that when in an early manuscript is found variant versions, and one version is correct linguistically and sits well on the mind, and the other is strange and impossible to understand, one should not rush and conclude that the strange one is erroneous and the other is the true one. Rather, many times the matter is the opposite, for it is a close matter that the scribes who transcribed the book, when they saw a strange and not understandable term, they fixed it. However it is far off that if initially the language is proper and understable, they put in its place strange and indecipherable thing...
However, one should note that Chazal were well aware of this change in the text, and in fact, as related in a Yerushalmi, it was used by Rabbi Akiva as a Biblical basis for techum Shabbat being 2000 cubits. I present to you the Rif for Eruvin 17b:
{The Mishna said:} "and {exempt} from having to make an eruv":
They said in the academy of Rabbi Yannai: They only said this regarding the eruv of courtyards {to allow carrying}, but the eruv of techum {to establish a Shabbat center} they are obligated, for Rabbi Chiyya taught {in his brayta}: we administer lashes for eruv of techum as a Biblical matter.
This was problematic to Rabbi Yochanan: And do they truly administer lashes for a prohibition which was given over to warning of death penalty by bet din? {Rather, death!}
Rav Ashi said {answered}: Does it state אל יוציא איש - let no man carry out? It is written {Shemot 15:29} אל יצא איש - let no man go out!
That is to say, this verse is speaking about going out only with legs, and there is no death penalty from the bet din, but just a warning, and therefore, we administer lashes for it.
And it is problematic for us how we say that we administer lashes for eruv of techum as a Biblical matter, for we establish that we do not rule like Rabbi Akiva who said that techum was a Biblical matter.
And we find in the Yerushalmi, that we learn there:
{... As Rav Hoshaya said:} The extent of techum Shabbat is not straightforward to you as a Biblical matter {and thus, we are understanding this gemara to say, it is of Rabbinic origin}.
Rabbi Mana asked: This is fine to say regarding the 2000 cubits, that it is not straightforward. But 4000 cubits is straightforward!
Rabbi Shmuel bar Bisna {our gemara: bar Sisreta} cited Rabbi Acha: None is more straightforward than the techum of 12 mil, which is the size of the encampment of Israel.
We thus find now that techum Shabbat, some of them are Rabbinic and some Biblical. From 2000 cubits and higher until 12 mil, we administer lashes for them Rabbinically, and according to Rabbi Akiva, we administer lashes for them Biblically, for it is written {Bemidbar 35:4-5}:
migrash {open land} and the 2000 cubits are the techum of Shabbat.
And the Sages hold that the 1000 cubits are migrash and the 2000 cubits are fields and vinyards.
From 12 mil and higher, we administer lashes for them Biblically, according to all, for it is written {Shemot 15:29} אל יצא איש - let no man go out - and this is 12 mil corresponding to the encampment of Israel.
But from 2000 cubits and less, it is permitted according to everyone.
And the question still stands in its place, for we only make eruvei techumin until 2000 cubits, and if he places his eruv outside of 2000 cubits, his eruv is no eruv, and it forbidden for him to go further than 2000 cubits {in that direction} even a single cubit, and if this prohibition is Rabbinic, he should not get lashes for it as a Biblical matter, except according to Rabbi Akiva. And this answer does not come out according to our own {Bavli} gemara, and the question stayed in in place until now, and it stands as it stood.
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