Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah
Ibn Ezra on Deuteronomy 31:16/אבן עזרא על דברים ל״א:ט״ז
אוקם העם הזה. לא יתכן היותו דבק עם אשר לפניו כי מה טעם העם הזה וזנה:
1AND THIS PEOPLE WILL RISE UP. It is not possible for this to be connected to what precedes it, for what reason is there to say,31 and this people will rise up, and go astray.32
בוטעם וזנה. לצאת במחשבתו מתחת רשותו:
2The meaning of ve-zanah (and go astray) is, to leave God’s authority33 in one’s thought.
גאחרי אלהי נכר הארץ. ידענו כי השם אחד והשנוי יבוא מהמקבלים והשם לא ישנה מעשיו כי כולם בחכמה. ומעבודת השם לשמור כח הקבול כפי המקום על כן כתוב את משפט אלהי הארץ על כן אמר יעקב הסירו את אלהי הנכר והפך המקום הדבק בעריות שהם שאר. והמשכיל יבין:
3AFTER THE FOREIGN GODS OF THE LAND. We know that God is one.34 Change comes from the recepients.35 God does not change His works,36 for they are executed in wisdom. It is part of the service of God to harness one’s power to receive spiritual inspiration in accordance with the place.37 Scripture therefore reads, the manner of the God of the land (II Kings 17:26).38 Jacob therefore said,39 Put away the strange gods (Gen. 35:2).40 The place is unlike other places with regard to engaging in sexual intercourse with women whom Scripture deems as being of close flesh.41 The intelligent will understand.42
דוטעם בקרבו. שב אל נכר כאילו אמר וזנה אחרי אלהי עם נכר שהם אלהי הארץ. והקרוב כי בקרבו שב אל הארץ כי נמצא לשון זכר כמו ולא נשא אותם הארץ. נעתם הארץ:
4[AMONG THEM.] Be-kirbo (among them) refers to foreign.43. I.E. does not believe that Scripture would use the term “among them” when referring to foreign gods, for such gods do not exist, and it is impossible to come among them. Hence his interpretation. Scripture, as it were, states, and go astray after the gods of a foreign people,44 who are the gods of the land.45 is short for “the foreign people of the gods of the land.” However, it appears that be-kirbo refers to the word ha-aretz (of the land),46 should be translated as “in it” or “into the midst of it” and our verse rendered, and go astray after the foreign gods of the land into the midst of which they enter. for the word eretz is found in the masculine.47 which is masculine, can refer to eretz. Eretz is usually feminine. Hence I.E.’s comment. Compare, And the land (ha-aretz) was not able to bear (nasa)48 is masculine. them (Gen. 13:6); the land [is] burnt up (netam49 is masculine. aretz) (Is. 9:18).