Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah

Ibn Ezra on Deuteronomy 19/אבן עזרא על דברים י״ט

אתכין לך הדרך. להיות הערים במקום שיהא דרכו מוכנת ומיושבת:

1THOU SHALT PREPARE THEE THE WAY. The cities should be in a place where the way¹ is prepared² and settled.³

בושלשת. תחלק הארץ לשלש או תשים בשלישית הארץ:

2AND DIVIDE. Ve-shillashta (and divide) means divide the land into three, or place a city of refuge in each third of the land.

אאת רעהו. עם וכן רבים:

1HIS NEIGHBOR. Et re’ehu means with his neighbor. There are many such cases.⁴ has the meaning of im. See Ex. 1:1.

בונדחה. מבנין נפעל והקל נדחי ישראל יכנס:

2FETCHETH A STROKE. Ve-niddechah (fetcheth a stroke) is a nifal. Nidche (the dispersed of) in He gathereth together the dispersed of Israel (Ps. 147:2) is the kal form.

גבגרזן. ברזל שיכרתו בו העץ מגזרת נגזרתי:

3WITH THE AXE. Garzen (axe) refers to a metal instrument used to cut a tree down. It is related to the word nigzarti (I was cut off).⁵. However, I.E. believes that nigrazti and nigzarti are one and the same word, with the letters inverted. See I.E. on Ps. 31:23.

דונשל הברזל. כמו ונסע מגזרת כי ישל זיתך רק זה נשל פעל עומד ונשל גוים רבים יוצא וכן קול גדול ולא יסף עם יסף ה' יגון על דעת מדקדק גדול כי על דעתי שניהם יוצאים:

4AND THE HEAD SLIPPETH FROM THE HELVE. Venashal (slippeth) is similar to ve-nasa (shall set forward) (Num. 2:17).⁶ It is related to the word yishal (shall drop off) in for thine olives shall drop off (Deut. 28:40). The word ve-nashal (and shall cast) in and shall cast out many nations (Deut. 7:1) is transitive. However, ve-nashal (slippeth) in our verse is intransitive. According to a great grammarian the same is true of the word yasaf (more) in with a great voice, and it went on no more (Deut. 5:19) and yasaf (added) in For the Lord hath added sorrow (Jer. 45:3).⁷ is intransitive in Deut. 5:19 and intransitive in Jer. 45:3. However, I believe that they are both transitive.

אוהכהו נפש. דרך קצרה והכהו מכת נפש במקום שתצא נפשו:

1AND SMITE HIM MORTALLY. Ve-hikkahu nefesh⁸ (and smite him mortally) is short for ve-hikkahu makkat nefesh (and smite him with a mortal blow). He will strike him in a place where his soul will depart.

אואם ירחיב ה' אלהיך. אם ישמרו כל התורה על כן כתוב כי תשמור את כל המצוה הזאת והיא שלש ערים:

1AND IF THE LORD THY GOD ENLARGE THY BORDER. If Israel observes the entire Torah.⁹ Scripture therefore reads,¹⁰ if thou shalt keep all this commandment (v. 9), the reference being to the commandment dealing with the three cities of refuge.¹¹

אוללכת בדרכיו כל הימים. בלי הפסק ביניהם:

1AND TO WALK EVER IN HIS WAYS.¹² Without any break in them.¹³

אלא תסיג גבול רעך. תסיג ידוע וכן אל תסיג גבול עולם והוא קרוב מהשחית:

1THOU SHALT NOT REMOVE THY NEIGHBOUR’S LANDMARKS. The meaning of tassig (thou shalt…remove) is known.¹⁴ Its meaning is similar to the word tasseg (remove) in Remove not the ancient landmark (Prov. 22:28). It is close in meaning to destroyed.¹⁵

בראשוני'. שחלקו הארץ ונסמכה פרשה זו כי הסגת גבול מביא לידי ריב ומכות ורציחה על כן כתיב אחרי זאת נפש בנפש עין בעין שן בשן:

2WHICH THEY OF OLD TIME HAVE SET. The ones who divided up the land.¹⁶

אוהטוען כי חברו הסיג גבולו יביא עדים על כן לא יקום עד אחד. בין לרוצח בין למכה בין למסיג בין לכל דבר רק ע״‎פ שני עדים דרך קצרה כי במקום אחר ע״‎פ שנים עדים:

1ONE WITNESS SHALL NOT RISE UP. This section¹⁷ follows,¹⁸ because destroying the boundary markers¹⁹ leads to quarrels, blows, and murder. Scripture therefore goes on to state, following this, Life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth (v. 21). The one who claims that his neighbor removed his landmark must bring witnesses. Hence, Scripture reads, one witness shall not rise up, which means that two witnesses are required in cases involving murder, assault, landmark removal, or any matter.²⁰ Shene edim (two witnesses) is an abridged phrase,²¹ is short for shenaim. for Scripture elsewhere reads, shenayim edim (two witnesses) (Deut. 17:6).

אלענות בו סרה. כמו ע״‎ג:

1TO BEAR PERVERTED WITNESS AGAINST HIM. Such as accusing him of idol worship.

אענה. כמו העיד גם כן במכות ובעונש:

1TESTIFIED. Anah means testified. The same law applies to flogging²² and fines.²³

אוהטעם לא תחוס עינך. על עד שקר:

1AND THINE EYE SHALL NOT PITY. This means thine eye shall not pity the false witness.²⁴ editions. Vat. Ebr. 38 reads, “upon one who deserves punishment.” The Pardes edition of Scriptures reads, al sheker (for lying). However, this appears to be an error for al ed sheker (upon a false witness).