Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah

Ibn Ezra on Deuteronomy 7/אבן עזרא על דברים ז׳

אונשל. הנו״‎ן שורש והוא מגזרת כי ישל זיתך:

1AND SHALL CAST OUT. The nun in ve-nashal (and shall cast out) is a root letter. It is related to the word yishal (shall drop off)¹. in for thine olives shall drop off (Deut. 28:40).

אכי יסיר את בנך. שב אל בנו הנזכר והוא שלא תתן בתך לבנו או לא תקח הבת הנזכרת:

1FOR HE WILL TURN AWAY THY SON. The reference². is to “his son” mentioned earlier.³ That is, do not give your daughter to his son⁴ or do not take the daughter⁵ mentioned.⁶

אכי אם. רק כה עשו להם כטעם כי עם קדוש אתה ולא תתגאל בדברי הכותיו' המצויירו' במצבות ואשרים:

1BUT THUS. Ki im ko ta’asu la-ham means but thus⁷, means but thus. Ki literally means but, for, when; im means if. Thus ki im literally means but if. Hence I.E.’s comment that ki im should be rendered but thus. shall ye deal with them⁸ because thou art a holy people (v. 6) and should not defile yourself with pagan images drawn on pillars, or with asherim.⁹

אסגלה. פירשתיו והוא דבר נחמד לא ימצא בכל מקום כמוהו וכן וסגול' מלכים:

1HIS OWN TREASURE. I have already explained the meaning of the word segullah (treasure).¹⁰ It means a desirable thing to which nothing comparable is to be found any-where. Segullat (treasure)¹¹ in and treasure such as kings…have as their own (Eccles. 2:8) is similar.

אחשק ה' בכם ויבחר בכם. ולא באחרים:

1SET HIS LOVE UPON YOU, NOR CHOOSE YOU. You and not anyone else.

אומשמרו. שם הפעל:

1AND BECAUSE HE WOULD KEEP. U-mi-shomro (and because he would keep) is an infinitive.

אהוא האלהים. הטעם זה הוא האלהים באמת שיש לו כח והוא נאמן והטעם בעבור השבוע' כי יש נאמן ואין בו כח למלאו' שבועתו ויש בעל כח שאיננו נאמן:

1HE IS GOD. This means this is truly the God who has the power and is faithful. And is faithful refers to the oath which God took. Scripture says that God is powerful and faithful, because there are others who are faithful but lack the power to keep their oaths and others who are powerful but are unfaithful.

בשומר הברית והחסד לאוהביו. אין למעלה מהם:

2WHO KEEPETH COVENANT AND MERCY WITH THEM THAT LOVE HIM. There are none higher then they.¹²

גולשומרי מצותיו. אחריהם. או פירושו אוהביו בלב הם שומרי מצותיו בפה ובפעל:

3AND KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS. After them.¹³ Or its meaning is, them that love Him in their hearts, they are the ones who keep His commandments verbally and in practice.

דלאלף דור. טעה האומר כי בשלשים אלף וששת אלפים ישוב גלגל המזלות כי הנה נמצא' המעל' בשבעים שנה וטעם אלף עד אין קץ:

4TO A THOUSAND GENERATIONS. The one who says that the sphere of the constellations¹⁴ completes its cycle at the end of thirty-six thousand years¹⁵ errs, for we find it moving one degree in seventy years.¹⁶ The meaning of a thousand is, endless.¹⁷

אומשלם לשונאיו. לכל א' משונאיו כמו וצדיקים ככפיר יבטח:

1AND REPAYETH THEM THAT HATE HIM…TO DESTROY THEM.¹⁸, (literally, to destroy him). To destroy each individual that hates Him.¹⁹ Compare, But righteous people is secure as a young lion²⁰ (Prov. 28:1).²¹

באל פניו. הטעם לעצמו. וי״‎א כמו בפניו בכעסו והטעם כי ישלם לשונאיו בעבור ששנאו האמת:

2TO THEIR FACE. Be-fanav (to their face) means to him.²² Others say that el panav (their face) has the meaning of befanav, that is, because of His anger.²³ is to be rendered His anger. See I.E. on Deut. 4:37. Its means that God will repay the wicked because they hated the truth.²⁴

גלהאבידו לא יאחר לשונאו. י״‎א כי הטעם ישלם לרשע גמול טוב שעשה בעוה״‎ז ולא יאחר לתת לו בעוה״‎ב והנכון בעיני שהוא כנגד אוהביו שהם עומדים לאלף דור שונאיו יאבדו והוסיף לא יאחר שיחשוב שיעמוד בנו או בן בנו כטעם על שלשים ועל רבעים:

3TO DESTROY THEM; HE WILL NOT BE SLACK TO HIM THAT HATETH HIM. Some say that the meaning of our verse is that God rewards the wicked for his good deeds in this world and does not wait to reward him in the world to come.²⁵, 22a; Onkelos and Rashi. However, it appears to me that our verse contrasts the righteous²⁶ who will exist²⁷ for a thousand generations with the wicked²⁸ who will be destroyed. Scripture reads, He will not be slack because the wicked person thinks that his son or grandson shall live,²⁹ as in [visiting the iniquity of the fathers] upon the children, and upon the children’s children (Ex. 33:7).³⁰

אושמרת. הטעם כאשר השם שומר הברית שמור אתה מצותיו:

1THOU SHALT THEREFORE KEEP. It means as God keeps the covenant so shall you keep His commandments.

אעקב. כמו לעולם עקב שכר באחרונה וטעם הפסוק הראשון שומר הברית ששמר ברית אברהם ואתם אם תהיו מאוהביו ישמור עוד הברית ואם היית מאוהביו ואהבך וברכך והרבך זה פירוש הברית והחסד:

1BECAUSE. Ekev (because) has the same meaning as ekev (reward) in For ever, reward³¹ (Ps. 119:112). It means the reward which will be given at the end. The meaning of who keepeth covenant in the previous verse (v. 9) is that God kept the covenant with Abraham. If you will be among those that love Him, then He will continue to keep the covenant.³² in our verse is, God will continue to keep the covenant if you love him. If you will be among those who love Him, then He will love thee, and bless thee, and multiply thee (v. 13). This is the meaning of the covenant and the mercy (v. 12).

אפרי בטנך. הבנים ובטן רמז:

1THY BODY. Thy children.³³ means your children. Bitnekha (thy body)³⁴ is a euphemism.³⁵

בופרי אדמתך. הזכיר דגן תירוש ויצהר שהם עיקר:

2AND THE FRUIT OF THY LAND. Scripture mentions com, wine, and oil because they are the most important foods.

גשגר. פירשתיו:

3THE INCREASE. I have already explained the meaning of shegar (the increase of).³⁶

דאלפיך. כמו אלופינו מסובלים:

4THY KINE. The word alafekha (thy kine) is similar to the word alufenu (oxen) in Whose oxen are well laden (Ps. 144:14).

הועשתרות. כמו עדרים ומפרש גדול היה בספרד והוציא טעם למה קראו העברים הבקר בשם אלף והצאן בעשתרות וכן היה מפרש הבעלים ועשתרות בעל המזל הצומח והעשירי ועוד לא די שיברך פרי בטנך כי לא יהיה בך עקר שאין זרעו מוליד וכן בבהמתך כי עוד תהיה בריא מכל מין חולי ידוע להיות כמנהג העולם וכל מדוי. שהיו חוץ המנהג:

5AND THE YOUNG OF. Ashterot (and the young of) means and the flocks of. There was a great commentator in Spain³⁷ who explained why the Hebrews referred to cattle as alef³⁸ (thy kine) and in alufenu (oxen). and to sheep and goats as ashterot. He similarly explained the ba’alim and the ashtaroth (Jud. 10:6) as referring to the lord of the flowering constellation³⁹, p. 202). This constellation is the first (alef) in the sky and its ruling planet, its lord (ba’al) was believed to have a powerful affect on fertility. and that of the tenth.⁴⁰, and adar when most of the sheep and cattle are born. Scripture goes on to say God will not only bless the fruit of your body but there will not be a barren male, that is, one whose seed is infertile, among you or among your cattle. Furthermore, you will be healthy and avoid all sorts of well-known illnesses which normally befall people. You will similarly avoid abnormal, evil diseases.⁴¹

אואכלת. מצוה הוא לכלותם כאוכל לחם והעד לא תחוס עינך:

1AND THOU SHALT CONSUME. This is a commandment to consume them as one consumes bread, as thine eye shall not pity them proves.

בכי מוקש הוא לך. כל אחד מאלהיהם:

2FOR THAT WILL BE A SNARE UNTO THEE. The reference is to each one of their gods.⁴²

אהצרעה. חולי בגוף מגזרת צרעת:

1THE HORNET. Ha-tzirah (the hornet) refers to an illness which afflicts the body. It is related to the word tzara’at (leprosy).

אלא תערוץ מפניהם. רק תערוץ מהשם שהוא אל גדול ונורא:

1THOU SHALT NOT BE AFFRIGHTED AT THEM. Only fear the Lord, who is great and awful.

אאמר הגאון כי פן תרבה עליך סי' לזמן שינצחום ואין צורך וכבר פירשתיו:

1LEST THE BEASTS OF THE FIELD INCREASE UPON THEE. The Gaon says that this is a sign regarding the time that they shall be victorious over them.⁴³ There is no need for the Gaon’s interpretation.⁴⁴ I have already explained it.

אהשמדך. שם הפעל ואם הוא בחירק יתכן היות כמוהו השאיר לו שריד והעד אותם שהוא הפעול:

1THOU HAST DESTROYED THEM. Hishmidekha (thou has destroyed them) is an infinitive even though it is vocalized with a chirik.⁴⁵ beneath the heh. Hishmidekha is a hifil. In such cases the heh is normally vocalized with a pattach in the infinitive. Compare, hashmid. The word hishir⁴⁶ (left him remaining) in until there was none left him remaining (Num. 22:35) is most likely similar to it. The word otam (them), which is the object,⁴⁷. proves that hishmidekha is an infinitive.⁴⁸ is a third person (hishmid) plus the second person pronoun. Its meaning is, he destroyed you. However, with the word otam following, it is an infinitive, meaning you destroy them.

אכסף וזהב שעליהם או ממון תקח לעזבם:

1THE SILVER OR THE GOLD THAT IS ON THEM. Alehem is to be rendered, that is on them. Or the meaning of our clause is, you shall not take money to leave them.⁴⁹ means for them, and the meaning of our clause is, you shall not take a bribe of money to leave them alone.

בתוקש. הוי״‎ו תחת יו״‎ד יקושתי לך:

2SNARED. The vav in tivvakesh (snared) is in place of a yod.⁵⁰ is yod, kof, shin. Compare, yakoshti⁵¹ is yod, kof, shin. lakh (I have laid a snare for thee).