Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah
Ibn Ezra on Deuteronomy 32:2/אבן עזרא על דברים ל״ב:ב׳
איערף. מגזרת יערף מזבחותם כטעם ירד:
1SHALL DROP. The word ya’arof (shall drop) is related to the word ya’arof (he will break down) in He will break down their altars (Hos. 10:2). The meaning of ya’arof (shall drop) is will come down.
בלקחי. מה שיקח אחד ממנו כטעם למוד וכן כי לקח טוב:
2MY DOCTRINE. Likchi (My doctrine) refers to that which one will take away13 means took. The noun lekech thus means a taking. from him.14 It means a lesson. Compare, lekech (doctrine) in For I give you a good doctrine (Prov. 4:2).
גכשעירם. הנכון בעיני שהם דקים:
3AS THE SMALL RAIN. I believe that se’irim (small rain) refers to light rain.15 (showers), which refers to a heavy rain.
דוכרביבים. מגזרת רב ושניהם שמות התאר והעד כי עשב חזק מדשא. וי״א כי שעירים מגזרת שער ואחרים אמרו מגזרת סערת ה' ואם הוא בשי״ן וכן וישתער עליו כמו ויסתער עליו גם יתכן שאין לו אח במקרא והנה הטעם כפול כדרך כל הנבואות לחזוק ועיקר הטעם שהתפלל משה שיהיו דבריו כטל וכמטר שלא ישובו ריקם כי אם הרוו את הארץ כי כן כתוב והטע' שיכנסו דבריו בלבו' השומעי' כמעשה הגשם על הארץ להולידה ולהצמיחה:
4AND AS THE SHOWERS. The word revivim (showers) is related to the word rav (numerous). They16 (small rain) and revivim (showers). are adjectives. The fact that esev (herb) is stronger than deshe (tender grass) is proof of this.17 (small rain) refers to light rain and revivim (showers) to a heavy rain, for Scripture speaks of se’irim falling on deshe and revivim on esev. Some say that se’irim (small rain) is related to sa’ar (hair).18 Others say that it is related to the word sa’arat (storm of)19 (small rain) means a rainstorm. in storm of God (Jer. 30:23) even though se’irim is spelled with a sin.20 (storm) with a samekh. Similarly, the phrase ve-yista’er alav (shall come against him like a whirlwind) (Dan. 11:40), which is spelled with a sin, means the same as ve-yista’er alav spelled with a samekh.21. It is also possible that the word se’irim has no brother in Scripture.22 Our verse repeats itself23…repeats And the showers… for emphasis, as is the style in all prophecies. The essence of our verse is that Moses prayed that his words be like dew and rain which, as it is written, do not return unfulfilled24 but water the earth.25 The meaning of the latter is that Moses’ words should enter the hearts of those who hear them in the same way that the rain affects the earth and fructifies it and causes it to produce plants.