Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah
Ibn Ezra on Exodus 18:10/אבן עזרא על שמות י״ח:י׳
אויאמר יתרו ברוך ה'. שים לבך לדקדק זאת המלה, דע כי לא יבוא פעול רק מפעלים היוצאים, ואם מצאת אותו שהוא על משקל פעול, הסתכל אם מצאת לו פועל שהוא יוצא הוא באמת פעול, ואם לא יהיה כן הוא תאר וככה אם היה על משקל פועל ואין לו פעול מהבנין בעצמו ומתוך הגזרה, גם הוא תאר ואינו פועל כלל כמו שמָרַ הפועל הוא שׁומֵר והפועל הוא עושר שָׁמור לבעליו (קהלת ה יב), והנה מצאנו הולך, עומד, יוצא, וכל אלה יראו פועלים, כי הם על מתכונת שומר, ובעבור שהגזרה מהפעלים העומדים, כי לא יאמר ממנו הלוך, עמוד, יצוא, והנה אין לנו פעול על כן אמר כי הולך הוא (במד' כב כב) תואר ואינו פועל, מצאנו עצום (שם שם ו) והוא יראה פעול, כי הוא על משקל שמור, וכאשר חפשנו זו הגזרה מצאנו וירבו ויעצמו (למעלה א ז) מהפעלים העומדים, כי היוצא יהיה מהבנין הנוסף וַיַעְצִמֵהו מצריו (תה' קה כד), והנה לא נוכל לומר עוצם, על משקל שומר, מענין עצמה (ישעי' מ כט) רק מענין אחר, ועוצם עיניו מראות ברע (שם לג טו), והנה מצאנו מלת ברוך על משקל שמור והנה חפשנו בכל המקרא, ולא מצאנו מזה הענין בבנין הקל רק מענין אחר, והוא וַיִברךְ על ברכיו (דה"ב ו יג) גם הוא פועל עומד לא יבוא ממנו פעול כלל, והנה מלת ברוך תואר כמו עצום מהבנין הקל, א"ר מרינוס, ברוך הוא תואר מבנין הדגוש, והיה הרי"ש ראוי להדגש ככל הגזרה כמו, ברך נבות (מ"א כא יג) והוא על משקל כדוב שַׁכּוּל (הושע יג ח) ולא דבר נכונה, כי כל תואר כמו שכול, וגבור, ושכור, לא ישתנו לסור הדגוש בסמיכת היחיד, או בלשון רבים, כמו ויהרג זכרי גבור אפרים (דה"ב כח ז) הוי גבורים (ישעי' ה כב), והנה עומד כנגדו בוא ברוך ה' (ברא' כד לא) ברוכים אתם לה' (תה' קטו טו):
1AND JETHRO SAID: BLESSED BE THE LORD. Give your attention to the grammatical explanation of the word barukh (blessed). Note that the pa’ul129 participle form. can only be formed from transitive verbs. If you find a verb following the pa’ul form, look around; if you find it has a transitive po’el130 is the active kal participle form. form, then the word is a real pa’ul. However, if you do not find it to be so,131 then the word132 is an adjective.133 Similarly, if a word is in the po’el form and its root does not come in the pa’ul in the same conjugation, then the word is also not a po’el but an adjective. For example, the po’el and pa’ul forms of shamar (kept) are shomer (keeps) and shamur (kept).134 and shamur are true po’el and pa’ul forms. Compare, shamur in riches kept by the owner thereof to his hurt (Eccles. 5:12). Now we encounter holekh (goes), omed (stands), yotze (goes out). All these words appear to be verbs in the po’el, for they follow the form of shomer. However, since these roots form intransitive verbs, for one cannot say halukh (wented), amud (stooded up), yatzu (wented out), these words do not come in the pa’ul. Therefore when Scripture uses the term holekh (went) in because he went (Num. 22:21), it employs an adjective, not a verb. We find [Scripture using] the word atzum (mighty). The word appears to be a pa’ul because it follows the paradigm of shamur (kept). However, when we investigated this root we found the word va-ya’atzmu (waxed mighty), in and multiplied, and waxed exceedingly mighty (Ex. 1:7), to be among the intransitive verbs. For its transitive form comes in the hifil135 is in the kal. as in va-ya’atzimehu (and made them too mighty) in and made them too mighty for their adversaries (Ps. 105:24). Now we cannot say that otzem (strengthens) following the paradigm of shomer (keeps) means strength,136 in the kal means waxed mighty, its po’el form does not mean waxes mighty but closes. In other words, the word atzam meaning strength has no po’el form. for in this case it has a different meaning, as in otzem (shutteth) in And shutteth his eyes from looking upon evil (Is. 33:15). Now we find the word barukh, which follows the paradigm of shamur (kept). We searched all of Scripture and we did not see this root137 used with this meaning138 in all of the kal conjugation.139 in the kal means to kneel. It is only used with regard to a blessing in the pa’ul form. We found it used140 only with another meaning, namely, to kneel, as in va-yivrakh (kneeled) in and kneeled down upon his knees (I Chron. 6:13), which141 is also intransitive and does not have a pa’ul142 form for kneeled because barukh means blessed. form. The word barukh (blessed) is thus like the word atzum (might), a kal adjective. Rabbi Merinus143 says that barukh (blessed) is an adjective in the pi’el. Its resh should have received a dagesh like all other such roots,144 receive a dagesh in their middle stem letters. When the middle root letter cannot receive a dagesh, the preceding letter is vocalized with a tzere in place of a chirik. such as berekh (curse)145 rather than a chirik because the resh cannot receive a dagesh. In other words, the word for blessed should have been vocalized berukh rather than barukh. in Naboth did curse (I Kings 21:13). Barukh follows the paradigm of shakkul (bereaved)146 It should be noted that shakkul is vocalized with a pattach, and barukh with a kamatz. The reason for the latter is that since the resh of barukh cannot receive a dagesh, the pattach preceding it is changed to a kamatz. in as a bear that is bereaved of her whelps (Hos. 13:8). However, Rabbi Merinus spoke incorrectly, for all adjectives such as shakkul (bereaved), gibbor (warrior), shikkor (drunk)147 adjectives. do not undergo any change by having the vowel that precedes the dagesh change in the singular construct or in the plural.148 does not change in the singular construct or in the plural. However, they do in the kal. Compare, gibbor (mighty man)149 in And Zichri, a mighty man of Ephraim (II Chron. 28:7), and gibborim150 preceding the bet with the dagesh in it does not change in gibbor, which is in the construct. Neither does it change in gibborim, which is the plural of gibbor. However, it does change in the kal; viz., davar becomes devar in the construct and devarim in the plural. (mighty) in Woe unto them that are mighty (Is. 5:22). Now the word berukh (blessed of),151 in Come in, thou blessed of the Lord (Gen. 24:31) and berukhim (blessed) in, Blessed be ye of the Lord (Ps. 115:15), argue against Rabbi Merinus.152 We thus see that in the case of these two words the kamatz changes to a sheva. However, as noted above, this does not occur in the pi’el form. Hence barukh cannot be a pi’el. It has to be a kal.
באשר הציל אתכם. אמר למשה ולאהרן שהיו שלוחים לשם, ועל ידם באו המכות לפרעה ולמצרים, על כן אמר מיד מצרים ומיד פרעה ואחר כן ברך השם אשר הציל את העם מתחת יד מצרים במצרים ובבקיעת ים סוף:
2WHO HATH DELIVERED YOU. He said this153 means: and Jethro said to Moses and Aaron. to Moses and Aaron, who were God’s messengers and through whom the plagues came upon Pharaoh and Egypt. Jethro therefore said, out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of Pharaoh. After this154 he blessed the Lord, who hath delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians in Egypt and at the splitting of the Red Sea.155