Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah
Ibn Ezra on Deuteronomy 4:26/אבן עזרא על דברים ד׳:כ״ו
אהעידותי בכם היום. י״א כי טעם עדות שמים וארץ המלאכים ובני אדם ואחרים אמרו על הגשם כטעם את שמיכם כברזל ואת ארצכם כנחושה והנכון בעיני להיותם עדים שיראום תמיד הם ובניהם כי הם עומדים כטעם כימי השמים על הארץ וכן שמעו הרים את ריב ה'. וכן האבן הזאת תהיה בנו לעדה ושמא יטעון טוען כי שמים כעשן נמלחו וחביריו הטוען ער ולבו ישן:
1I CALL HEAVEN AND EARTH TO WITNESS AGAINST YOU THIS DAY. Some say the witness of heaven and earth refers to the angels and the human beings.42 means I call the angels in heaven and the inhabitants of earth to witness against you. Others say that the reference is to the rain, as in and I will make your heaven as iron, and your earth as brass43 (Lev. 26:19). However, it appears to me that heaven and earth are witnesses, and the Israelites and their children will always see them, for they are everlasting, as in as the days of the heavens above the earth44 means eternally. (Deut. 11:21). Hear, O ye mountains, the Lord’s controversy (Micah 6:2); and Behold, this stone shall be a witness against us (Josh. 24:27) are similar.45 Should one dispute this on the basis of For the heavens shall vanish like smoke46 (Is. 51:6) and the like,47 [then I respond] the one who makes this argument is awake but his heart sleeps.48
בתאבדון. כמו תלמדון בעבור שאיננו סמוך:
2YE SHALL SOON UTTERLY PERISH. The word tovedun (ye shall utterly perish)49. Hence I.E.’s comment. is similar to tilmedun50 (v. 10). Tilmedun is not found in Scripture. See Weiser. (that you may teach).51. The word52. is so vocalized53 rather than a sheva beneath the bet as in yilmedun. because it is not in the construct.54. Compare te’abbedun (ye shall surely destroy) (Deut. 12:2) (Krinsky).