Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah
Ibn Ezra on Deuteronomy 4:36/אבן עזרא על דברים ד׳:ל״ו
אליסרך. על כן השמיעך את קולו שתירא ממנו כאשר אמרו ואל ידבר עמנו אלהים פן נמות והנה פחדת בעבור העינים והאזנים ועוד לדבר אחר השמיעך את קולו בעבור כי אהב את אבותיך הם השלשה:
1THAT HE MIGHT INSTRUCT82 (literally, to discipline you). THEE. He made thee to hear Him so that you would fear Him.83 as to put God’s fear in you. Hence his interpretation. This is borne out when Israel said, but let not God speak with us, lest we die (Ex. 20:16). Look, you feared because of what your eyes saw and your ears heard. There was another reason why God made you hear His voice. He did so because He loved your fathers (v. 37), your fathers being three.84 (v. 37) refers to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.