Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah
Ibn Ezra on Deuteronomy 33:3/אבן עזרא על דברים ל״ג:ג׳
אאף חובב. מגזר' ארמית מל' והייתם לי סגולה ועמים הם ישראל כמו אחריך בנימין בעממיך. עמים הר יקראו:
1YEA, HE LOVETH THE PEOPLES. Hovev (loveth) comes from an Aramaic word. It29. has the meaning of then ye shall be Mine own treasure from among all peoples (Ex. 19:5). The peoples refers to Israel. Compare, After thee, Benjamin, among thy peoples (Jud. 5:14); They shall call peoples unto the mountain (v. 19).
בוכל קדושיו. בני לוי:
2[ALL HIS HOLY ONES.] This refers to the sons of Levi.
גבידך. שהם סביבות הארון:
3THEY ARE IN THY HAND. They are round about the ark.
דוהם תכו לרגלך. ילכו על דרכך וטעם בידך. שתשמר':
4AND THEY SIT DOWN AT THY FEET. This means they will walk in Your ways. The meaning of in Thy hand is, you will protect them.30 to mean that the Levites camp around the ark. His comment here is either another interpretation or it explains why Moses refers to the ark as Thy hand.
הישא מדברותיך. כי הם ילמדו התורה והם המעתיקים על תורה שבעל פה:
5RECEIVING OF THY WORDS. They31 will teach Torah. They are the ones who transmit the oral Torah.
וישא. כל א' ואם הם רבים:
6RECEIVING.32 (literally, they will bear). Each and every one.33 This is so even though they are many.34). However, yissa (receiving) is singular. Hence I.E.’s comment.
זוטעם מדברותיך. כי אשר דברת ישאו כי הם נושאי התורה. כי גם הם ישאו את הארון:
7The meaning of Thy words35 (literally, they will bear your words). is, that which You spoke they will bear,36 for they are the bearers of the Torah, and they also carry the ark.37, which means to bear upon the lips (to speak of, to teach) and to physically bear.
חוטעם ישא כמו. ולא תשא שמע שוא:
8The word yissa (receiving) is similar to tissa (uttering) in Thou shalt not utter a false report (Ex. 23:1).
טתכו. בלא אח וי״א מל' מתוך כאילו הולכים בתוך רגלך ואחרים אומרים כי התי״ו במקום ה״א כתי״ו תרגלתי לאפרים כטעם אפילו שיוכו בשבילך לא יעזבו דבריך וזה רחוק. והנכון שהוא כמו נמשכו והטעם שילכו אל המקום ששם הארון שהוא הדום רגלי השם וזאת היא הברכ' שהשם יהיה חומת אש סביב ישראל ויהיה סגולתו והלוים יורו התורה תמיד:
9AND THEY SIT DOWN. Tukku (sit down) has no brother.38 Some say39 that it is related to the word mi-tokh (from the midst of).40. They, as it were, walk in the midst of Your feet. Others say that the tav41. is in place of a heh.42 is a variant of hukku (were beaten). It is like the tav of tirgalti (I taught)43 is a variant of hirgalti. in I taught Ephraim (Hos. 11:3). The meaning of our verse is, even if they are beaten on Your account, they will not forsake Your words. However, this is farfetched. Actually it means are drawn;44 is, they are drawn to your feet. they go to the place of the ark which serves as the footstool for God’s feet. This is the blessing:45 May God be a wall of fire round about Israel.46 May Israel be God’s treasure.47 May the Levites always teach the Torah.48