Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah
Ibn Ezra on Exodus 12:4/אבן עזרא על שמות י״ב:ד׳
אואם ימעט הבית מהיות משה. מהיות מעט מאכילת השה, כי אנשי הבית יהיו מועטים יקח הוא ושכנו:
1AND IF THE HOUSEHOLD BE TOO LITTLE FOR A LAMB. Too little to eat a lamb because the members of the household are few. Then he and his neighbor shall take a lamb.
בבמכסת. חלק, וכן המכס לה' (במד' לא לז) חלק שיקח כל אחד, וכמוהו "ה' מנת חלקי וכוסי" (תה' טז ה) גם תכסו, והיא מפעלי הכפל, והכפל חסר ממלת במכסת גם מן המכס, והנה אמר המכס על משקל וממר ליולדתו (משלי יז כה) שהוא מפעלי הכפל:
2ACCORDING TO THE NUMBER OF THE SOULS. Mikhsat (number of) means a portion.174 means a portion and mikhsat (number of), portion of. The word mekhes (tribute) in And the Lord’s tribute (Num. 31:37) in which mekhes refers to the portion which each one shall take, is similar. So too the word kosi (portion) in O Lord, the share of mine inheritance and my portion (Ps. 16:5).175 This is also the meaning of takhosu (ye shall make your count).176 It comes from a double root.177. The doubled letter is missing in the word be-mikhsat178. and also in mekhes.179. Scripture follows the paradigm of memer (bitterness) in And bitterness to her that bore him (Prov. 17:25), which comes from a double root180 is mem, resh, resh. One of the doubled letters (resh) drops out, a paradigmic mem is prefixed to the remaining root, and each of the first two consonants is vocalized with a segol. in its vocalization of mekhes.181. One of the doubled letters (samekh) drops out, a paradigmic mem is prefixed to the remaining root, and each of the first two consonants is vocalized with a segol.