Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah
Ibn Ezra on Deuteronomy 32:26/אבן עזרא על דברים ל״ב:כ״ו
אאפאיהם. יש אומרים שהם שלש מלות והנכון שאין לו ריע וטעמו כמו אשחיתם בעבור שיש אחריו אשביתה מאנוש זכרם והנה כולם ימותו ואילו הי' כדעת המדקדקים שהטעם אפיצם בכל פאה לא ידבק הטעם. ויש אומרים אחריבם באפי והנה טעמו אכריתם כמו אשביתם ויבא הטעם כפול וזה נכון לולי אל״ף אפיהם שהיה ראוי להיות אנפיהם והטעם אאנף בם והראשון נכון:
1I WOULD MAKE AN END OF THEM. Some say that the word afehem (I would make an end of them) is a combination of three words.266, i.e. (anger, where, they), I said in my anger I will make them, as it were, not existent. So Rashi, based on the Sifre. Actually, it has no neighbor.267 Its meaning is, I will destroy them, for Scripture states afterwards, I would make their memory cease from among men. Look, all of them will die.268. If the grammarians269 who say that afehem means I will scatter them to all the corners are right,270 to pe’ah (corner). then the idea expressed by the first part of the verse is not to be connected to that of the second.271 Some say that the meaning of afehem is, I will destroy them in my anger.272 to af (anger) from the root alef, nun, feh. According to this interpretation, afehem literally means I will place My anger on them. Behold, the meaning of afehem is,273 I will destroy them.274 as a compound of three words. Afehem is similar in meaning to ashbitah (I would make…cease). Scripture repeats itself.275 This interpretation276 to af. would be correct were it not for the alef of afehem,277 is spelled with an alef following the feh. If afehem was connected to the word af, then there is no way to explain the alef which follows the heh. for the word should have read anfehem,278 was connected to the word af, then it would be spelled with a nun (anfehem), for the root of af is alef, nun, peh. meaning I will be angry at them. The first interpretation279 as meaning I will destroy them. is correct.
בוטעם אמרתי. כלשון בני אדם אמרתי בלבי:
2[I THOUGHT.] The meaning of amarti (I thought) is, I said to Myself. The Torah speaks as people do.