Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah
Ibn Ezra on Exodus 15:10/אבן עזרא על שמות ט״ו:י׳
אנשפת ברוחך. מגזרת נשף כי בנשף הבאת רוח שהטביע אותם:
1THOU DIDST BLOW WITH THY WIND. Nashafta (Thou didst blow) comes from the same root as neshef (night). The meaning of nashafta ve-ruchakha (Thou didst blow with Thy wind) is: You brought a wind at night that drowned them.84 literally means: you “nighted” with a wind.
בצללו. מגזרת מצולות כמו לקול צללו שפתי (חבקוק ג טז):
2THEY SANK. Tzalelu (they sank) comes from the same root as metzolot (depths). Compare, My lips quivered (tzalelu) at the voice (Hab. 3:16).85 is the verbal form of metzolot (depths) then its meaning is, they sank. This being the case, what connection is there between tzalelu in our verse and tzalelu in Hab. 3:16, which means quivered? Krinsky suggests reading metzilot (bells, cymbals) (Zech. 14:20) rather than metzolot (depths). Indeed, I.E. connects tzalelu in Hab. 3:16 to metziltayim (cymbals). According to Krinsky we should read, “Tzalelu (they sank) comes from the same root as metzilot (bells, cymbals).” In other words, tzalelu means they tingled, and the meaning of our verse is, they tingled like lead in the mighty waters; i.e., they cried and shrieked as they drowned as if they were lead cymbals. The point is, they did not die quietly.
גובמים אדירים. דבק עם צלל, כאלו אמר צללו במים אדירים כעופרת:
3IN THE MIGHTY WATERS. This is connected to they sank. Our verse is to be read as if written: they sank86 as lead in the mighty waters.
דועופרת מגזרת עפר, כי הששה מיני מתכות אם יושמו תחת הארץ יחסר כל אחד מהם דבר ידוע בשנים ידועות. ולעולם העופרת תוסיף:
4AS LEAD. Oferet (lead) comes from the same root as afar (dust).87 If one puts any of the six kinds of metal88 in the ground each will lose one of its familiar elements in a given number of years.89 However, lead will always maintain itself.