Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah
Ibn Ezra on Exodus 15:17/אבן עזרא על שמות ט״ו:י״ז
אתבאמו ותטעמו. תפלה שיעמדו שם הרבה ולא יגלו, כדרך בהר מרום ישראל אשתלנו (יחז' יז כג):
1THOU BRINGEST THEM IN, AND PLANTEST THEM IN THE MOUNTAIN OF THINE INHERITANCE. A prayer that Israel remain long in the land and not be exiled from it.116 (plantest them). Our verse is like in the mountain of the height of Israel will I plant it (Ezek. 17:23).
בבהר. כמו ההר הטוב הזה והלבנון (דבר' ג כה) או רמז להר המוריה על כן כתוב אחריו, מכון לשבתך פעלת ה':
2IN THE MOUNTAIN. The goodly hill country and Lebanon (Deut. 3:25)117 thus refers to the land of Canaan, which is mountainous. is similar. Or it alludes to Mount Moriah.118 It is therefore followed by The place, O Lord, which Thou hast made for Thee to dwell in.
גוטעם פעלת ה', שאתה כוננת מקדש מכון לך, כי המקום הנזכר הוא כנגד המקום הנכבד מהעליון כי מקומות הארץ משתנים כנגד הכוכב העומד על ראשם, וחכמי המזלות יבינו זה:
3[WHICH THOU HAST MADE.] Its meaning is: which Thou hast prepared as a place for a sanctuary for Thyself.119 The place mentioned lies opposite the glorious celestial place,120 Ex. 10, “The Sanctuary below is directly opposite the Throne above.” Also see Jerusalem Talmud Berakhot 4:5 and Rashi. for the places on earth vary in accordance with the star that is over them.121 Those who are versed in the science that deals with the constellations will understand this.122
דומלת מִקּדָש כמו מִקְדָּש, וכמוהו "הִשְׁבַתָ מִטֳּהָרו" (תה' פט מה) כי הדגש בטי"ת נוסף כדגש קו"ף מִקְדָש, ובעבור שהיה בקו"ף שוא נע נרפה הדל"ת כי אין מנהג בכל המקרא דגש אחר שוא נע חוץ מגזרת שְׁתַּיִם, וכבר הזכרתי דקדוקו:
4[THE SANCTUARY.] The word mikkedash (sanctuary)123 in the kof. has the same meaning as mikdash (sanctuary).124 in the kof but has one in the dalet. Mikdash is the form for sanctuary used throughout Scripture. The form mikkedash is found only here. The word mittoharo (his brightness) in Thou hast made his brightness to cease (Ps. 89:45) is similar, as the dagesh in the tet is superfluous, like the dagesh in the kof of mikkedash.125 in mittoharo, like the mem of mikkedash, is a form mem and not a prepositional mem. Hence the dagesh following it, like the dagesh which follows the mem in mikdash, is superfluous. If the mem of mittoharo or mikkedash was a preposition then the dagesh following it would not be superfluous, for it would be in place of a nun. For the prepositional mem is in place of the word min (from). The dalet126 does not receive a dagesh127 as does the dalet of mikdash. because the kof128 is vocalized with a mobile sheva.129 A dagesh kal follows a sheva nach (quiescent sheva). It does not follow a mobile sheva (sheva na). Hence mikdash, which is vocalized with a quiescent sheva, has a dagesh in its dalet whereas mikkedash, which is vocalized with a mobile sheva, does not. With the exception of the form shetayim we do not find it to be the way of Scripture to place a dagesh in a word which follows a mobile sheva. I have already noted its grammatical uniqueness.130 in the Sefer Ha-Tzachot, I.E. notes that shetayim is the only word in Hebrew in which a sheva na is followed by a word with a dagesh.
הכוננו ידיך. כמו פעלת, כי הטעם כפול:
5WHICH THY HANDS HAVE ESTABLISHED. Its meaning is similar to thou hast made,131 is the same as The place, O Lord, which Thou hast made for Thee to dwell in. for Scripture repeats itself.