Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah
Ibn Ezra on Exodus 2:3/אבן עזרא על שמות ב׳:ג׳
אונדגש צדי"ק הצּפינו כדגשות קו"ף אם יִקְּרֵךְ עון (ש"א כח י) לדבר בם צחות ובעבור היות הצדי"ק בשו"א נע, נרפה הפ"א שהיה ראוי להדגש, והוא שם הפועל מהבנין הכבד הנוסף, ואין צורך לבקש למה לא צפנתהו עוד, אולי השכנות המצריות שמעו קולו כי לא היו לבדם דרים בארץ רעמסס, וכתב ושאלה אשה משכנתה (למטה ג כב):
1[HIDE HIM.] The tzadi of hatzefino (hide him), like the kof in the word yikkrekh (happen to thee) in there shall no punishment happen to thee (I Sam. 28:10), receives a dagesh so that these words may be clearly pronounced.71 in it is emphasized; i.e., the word is sounded hatzefino (dagesh in tzadi) rather than hatzpino (no dagesh in the tzadi). I.E. makes this point because there is no grammatical reason for a dagesh to be placed in hatzefino or yikkrekh. The peh in hatzefino should have received a dagesh. However, it does not because the tzadi is vocalized with a mobile sheva. Hatzefino is a hifil infinitive. There is no reason to speculate as to why Jochebed did not hide him for a longer period of time.72 Perhaps the Egyptian neighbors heard his voice,73 for the Hebrews were not the only inhabitants of the land of Rameses.74 For it is written, but every women shall ask of her neighbor (Ex. 3:22).75
בובאה מלת "תיבת גומא" מלעיל בעבור היות הניגון בתחלת מלת גומא:
2[AN ARK OF BULRUSHES.] The words tevat gome (an ark of bulrushes) are penultimately accented because the cantillical note is placed on the first syllable of the word gome (bulrushes).76 is penultimately accented; so is tevat. The problem presented by the latter is that tevah (tevat is tevah in the construct) is usually ultimately accented. I.E. explains that when two words are connected by cantillical notes and the second word is penultimately accented, so is the first word. This is so even though the word is ordinarily ultimately accented.
גותחמרה. נחה ה"א כה"א ויקרא לה נובח בשמו (במד' לב מב), וזאת המלה נגזרת מן בחמר והוא טיט אדום מדבק, ימצא בארץ ישראל, וכמהו, בארות בארות חמר (ברא' יד י) ובלשון ישמעאל יקרא אל חמר, ויוכבד עשתה כן כי אמרה אל אראה במות הילד, אולי אחותו נתנבאה לעשות כן, ומחשבות השם עמקו, ומי יוכל לעמוד בסודו, ולו לבד נתכנו עלילות, אולי סבב השם זה שיגדל משה בבית המלכות להיות נפשו על מדרגה העליונה בדרך הלימוד והרגילות ולא תהיה שפלה ורגילה להיות בבית עבדים, הלא תראה שהרג המצרי בעבור שהוא עשה חמס, והושיע בנות מדין מהרועים, בעבור שהיו עושים חמס להשקות צאנן מהמים שדלו ועוד דבר אחר כי אלו היה גדל בין אחיו ויכירוהו מנעוריו, לא היו יריאים ממנו, כי יחשבוהו כאחד מהם:
3AND DAUBED IT. The heh of va-tachmerah (and daubed it) is silent. It is like the heh of the word lah (it) in and called it (lah) Nobah, after his own name (Num. 32:42).77 which serves as a pronominal suffix is vocalized with a mappik and is thus sounded. However, this is not the case with the pronominal heh in va-tachmerah. I.E. thus points out that the mappik is occasionally omitted from the heh which serves as a pronominal suffix. The word va-tachmerah (and daubed it) is derived from the word ba-chemar (with slime).78 is a denominative of chemar. Chemar (slime) is a red sticky clay which is found in the Land of Israel. The word chemar (slime) in full of slime pits (Gen. 14:10) is similar. This substance is called al chamara in Arabic. Jochebed did this79 for she said, “Let me not look upon the death of the child.”80 Perhaps the sister81 of Moses prophesied that she do this.82 God’s thoughts are very deep. Who can know His secrets? By Him alone are actions weighed.83 Perhaps God arranged things so that Moses would grow up in a royal house and his spirit would thereby be exalted through learning and practice.84 He would thus not possess a base spirit habituated to being in the house of slaves. Do you not see that Moses killed an Egyptian because the latter committed an act of violence85 and that he saved the daughters of Midian from the shepherds because they were acting violently in trying to water their flocks with the water which the women had drawn?86 One more thing: had Moses grown up among his brothers and had they known him from his youth they would not have feared him because they would have considered him as one of themselves.87
דבסוף. כמו "קנה וסוף קמלו" (ישעי יט ו), והוא צמח מן היאור:
4IN THE FLAGS (BA-SUF). Compare, The reeds and flags (va-suf) shall wither (Is. 19:6). Suf refers to a plant that grows in the Nile.