Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah
Ibn Ezra on Exodus 19:23/אבן עזרא על שמות י״ט:כ״ג
אויאמר לא יוכל העם לעלות. אמר הגאון כי שנים רבות חשב בזה הפסוק ולא ידע טעמו עד שראה בספר מוסרי מלכי פרס שאין רשות לשליח לומר למלך עשיתי שליחותך עד שיצונו לעשות דבר אחר אז יאמר לו, ולפי דעתי בעבור שאמר לו השם "פן יהרסו אל ה' לראות" לא ידע משה אם צריך להזהירם שלא יראו, כי כבר הזהירם על הגבול שלא יעברו אז אמר לו השם לך רד כאשר צויתיך שתעיד בהם, כי היו צריכין ישראל שיעיד בהם שנית:
1AND MOSES SAID UNTO THE LORD: THE PEOPLE CANNOT COME UP TO MOUNT SINAI. Saadiah says that he contemplated this verse for many years and could not understand its meaning218 Moses in verse 23 responds, The people cannot come up to mount Sinai; for Thou didst charge us saying: Set bounds about the mount, and sanctify it. Saadiah did not understand Moses’ reply, as Moses was apparently merely repeating what had God told him earlier in verse 12. The question thus arises, why did Moses repeat what God had previously told him? until he came across a book dealing with the customs of the Persian kings in which it is stated that a king’s messenger does not have permission to tell the king that he has accomplished his mission until the king commands him to do another task. Only then may he tell the king.219 etc. However, I believe that because God220 told Moses, lest they break through unto the Lord to gaze, Moses did not know whether he had to warn the people not to gaze.221 He had already warned them222 that they were not to pass the boundary.223 was Moses’ way of asking God whether he should warn the people a second time not to cross the boundary. God then told Moses, Go, get thee down and charge them as I commanded you.224 For Israel needed to be charged a second time.225