Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah
Ibn Ezra on Deuteronomy 8:3/אבן עזרא על דברים ח׳:ג׳
אויענך. בדרך:
1AND HE AFFLICTED THEE. On the way.
בוירעיבך. קודם בא המן או במן בעצמו בעבור שהיה קל על לבם וזה לא יתכן ויתכן מתאוות אחרות:
2AND SUFFERED THEE TO HUNGER. Before the coming of the manna.3 Or via the manna itself, for it was light and did not satisfy their heart’s desire.4 However, this is not so.5 It most probably refers to other desires.6
גידעון. בנו״ן וכן צקון לחש גם ויחנון בעבר ארנון:
3KNOW. Yade’un (know) is spelled with a nun.7. So too the word tzakun (poured out)8. Be that as it may, the nun is not part of the normal form of this word. See I.E. on Is. 26:16. in Silently they poured out a prayer (Is. 26:16) and va-yachanun (and they pitched)9. in and they pitched on the other side of the Arnon (Jud. 11:18).
דהודיעך. שם הפעל:
4THAT HE MIGHT MAKE THEE KNOW. Hodi’akha10 plus a pronominal suffix.(make thee know) is an infinitive.
ההלחם. שאדם תדיר בו:
5BREAD. Which people always eat.
ומוצא פי ה'. כמו מה שגזר כמו הדבר יצא מפי המלך והטעם כי על הלחם לבדו לא יחיה האדם רק הכח או עם הכח הבא מהעליונים במצות השם וזה פי' מוצא פי ה' והעד שלא אכלתם לחם וחייתם:
6EVERY THING THAT PROCEEDETH OUT OF THE MOUTH OF THE LORD. It means that which God has decreed. Compare, As the word went out of the king’s mouth (Esth. 7:8). The meaning of our verse is, man does not live by bread alone but by the power,11 or with the power, which comes from on high12 refers to the power to nourish which God placed in all foodstuffs. According to the second interpretation the verse refers to divine providence. The latter was demonstrated by the manna which came from on high. by the command of God. This is the meaning of that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord. The fact that you did not eat bread and you lived is proof of this.