Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah
Ibn Ezra on Exodus 18:3/אבן עזרא על שמות י״ח:ג׳
אואת. דע כי אנשי לשון הקדש שומרים הפעלים במתכנתם בכל הבנינים, ואינם חוששים לשמור שמות בני אדם על כן אל תתמה שאמר גרשום בעבור שגר שם כי הנה קין (ברא' ד א) בעבור קניתי, ואינו נכון בדקדוק, וקשה מזה נח (שם ה כט) מגזרת ינחמנו ופעם יהפכו השם כמו חושים (שם מו כג) הוא שיחם (במד' כו מב), ונקרא יעבץ (דה"א ד ט) בעבור שילדתהו אמו בעוצב, גם יחסרו אות ממנו כמו מעכה הוא מיכה, והפך זה יוב (ברא' מו יג) הוא ישוב (במד' כו כד), ורבים אמרו כי כן שמואל (ש"א א כ) מגזרת שאלתיהו והישר בעיני כי שורק תחת חולם כמו תֹחוּ (ש"א א א) תיח (דה"א ו יט) וצוף (ש"א א א) וצופַי (דה"א ו יא) נון (למטה לג יא) ונון (דה"א ז כז), והנה שמואל מגזרת שמו אל, וקראתי אמו בשם אל, כי נתנו לה כאשר שאלה, ואל תתמה איך יקרא שם אדם בשם אל, כי הנה כמוהו צורי שדי (במד' ז לו) ורבים ככה, ולפי דעתי כי כן שם המזבח שבנה משה ה' נסי (למעלה יז טו) וככה שם המשיח ה' צדקנו (ירמיה כג ו), והגאון אמר כי השם דבק עם מלת יקראו ושם המשיח הוא צדקנו, והנה הוא מטעם בעל הטעמים ששם טרחא במלת יקראו כי הפרש גדול יש בין ויקרא בשם ה' (ברא' יב ח) הכתוב באברהם שהטרחא במלת ויקרא ובין ויקרא בשם ה' (למטה לד ה) הכתוב בספר משה כאשר אפרש במקומו:
1AND. Note that those who speak the holy tongue preserve the verbal forms in all conjugations.50 However, they are not careful to do so with proper nouns.51 Therefore do not be amazed that Moses called his son Gershom because he lived (gar) there (sham).52 I.E. explains the name Gershom as being a combination of gar and sham. However, in this case Moses should have named his son Garsham (Krinsky). We thus see that the Hebrews did not follow strict grammatical rules when coining proper nouns. For look, kayin (Cain) was so called because Eve said, kaniti (I have gotten) (Gen. 4:1). However, this is grammatically incorrect.53 comes from the root kof, nun, heh. Kayin comes from the root kof, vav, nun. The name Noah, which Scripture derives from yenachamenu (shall comfort us) (Gen. 5:28),54 is even more difficult.55) comes from the root nun, vav, chet. If Noah were derived from yenachamenu, then he should have been called Menachem. See I.E. on 5:29. Scripture at times inverts a name. Thus Hushim (Gen. 46:23) and Shuham (Num. 26:42) are one and the same. Yabetz (Jabez)56 was so called because his mother bore him in pain (otzev).57 Thus the root of otzev is inverted in the name Yabetz. Sometimes a letter is dropped in a name, as in the case of Maacah58 See II Chron. 11:21. which is a variant of Micah.59 See Chron. II 13:2, where her name is given as Micaiah. Micah is a short form of Micaiah. I.E. apparently quoted from memory. Scripture drops the ayin the second time the name is mentioned. The reverse is true of Yov (Iob) (Gen. 46:13), which is the same as Yashuv60 (Jashub) (Num. 26:24). Many say it is the same61 with Shemu’el (Samuel), which62 is derived from she’iltihu (I have asked him) (I Sam. 1:20).63 is shin, alef, lamed. However, in my opinion a shuruk has been substituted here64 for a cholam, as in the case of Tohu65 (I Sam. 1:1) and Toah66 is spelled with a cholam. Both refer to the same person. (I Chron. 6:19); Zuph67 (I Sam. 1:1) and Zophai68 Both refer to the same person. (I Chron. 6:11); Nun69 (Ex. 33:11) and Non70 Both refer to the same person. (I Chron. 7:26). Now Shemu’el (Samuel) comes from shemo el (his name is God).71 as the plain meaning of I Sam. 1:20 seems to imply. Samuel’s mother called him by God’s name because the Lord answered her request.72 Do not be amazed that a human being should be called by God’s name, for, observe, we find this to be the case with the name Zurishaddai73 (Num. 7:36). There are many other similar instances.74 In my opinion the altar which Moses built was similarly called Adonai-nissi (the Lord is my banner) (Ex. 17:15).75 Likewise, the name of the Messiah will be called Adonai-tzidkenu (the Lord is our righteousness) (Jer. 23:6). However, Rabbi Saadiah Gaon says that God’s name is connected to the word yikre’o (shall call him) and the name of the Messiah will be tzidkenu (our righteousness).76 I.E. renders this clause: and this is the name whereby he shall be called: Adonai-tzidkenu (The Lord is our righteousness). Saadiah disagrees. He places a comma after the word Adonai, and translates: and this is the name whereby he shall be called by the Lord: Tzidkenu (Our Righteousness). Now its correct interpretation is in keeping with the opinion of the master of the cantillical notes,77 who placed a tircha78 in the Ashkenazic tradition. in the word yikre’o.79 The tippekha is similar to a comma. Thus contra Saadiah, yikre’o is not to be connected to Adonai, and the clause is to be read as I.E. reads it. For there is a great difference between va-yikra be-shem Adonai (and called upon the name of the Lord) (Gen. 12:8), written in connection with Abraham with a tircha beneath the word va-yikra,80 The latter is to be translated: And he, Abraham, proclaimed the name of the Lord. and vayikra ve-shem Adonai (and proclaimed the name of the Lord) (Ex. 34:5)81 The latter is to be rendered: And He (the Lord) proclaimed the name, Lord. See I.E. on Ex. 35:4. which is written in the Book of Moses82 i.e., in the story of Moses (Krinsky). as I will explain in its place.83