Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah
Ibn Ezra on Exodus 13:2/אבן עזרא על שמות י״ג:ב׳
אפטר. פתיחת, כמו, ופטורי ציצים (מ"א ו יח) והטעם הבן שפתח תחלה הרחם, ומלת רחם זרה כי משפט לשון הקדש שיפתח האות שהוא לפני אות הגרון:
1OPENETH. Peter (openeth) means the opening of. Peter is similar to peture (open) in and open flowers (I Kings 6:18). Its meaning is, the son who first opens the womb.6 literally means the opening of the womb, hence I.E.’s comment. The word rechem (womb) is irregular, as according to the rules of Hebrew grammar the letter preceding a guttural is vocalized with a pattach.7 in penultimately accented nouns. Compare, nachal (river), lahav (flame), and na’ar (youth) (Weiser). Hence our word should have been vocalized racham rather than rechem. Cf. Jud. 5:30.