Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah
Ibn Ezra on Exodus 21:10/אבן עזרא על שמות כ״א:י׳
אאם אחרת. בין שתהיה מבנות ישראל שנמכרה או לא נמכרה:
1IF HE TAKE HIM ANOTHER WIFE. Be she a daughter of Israel who was sold, or be she a daughter of Israel that was not sold.
בשארה. מזונה שיעמיד שארה שהוא בשרה:
2HER FOOD. She’erah refers to her food. He must sustain her flesh, which is what she’erah means.
גוענתה. י"א דירתה וכמוהו לפי דעתם, וענה איים (ישעי' יג כב) וענתה שמה (הושע ב יז) ולפי דעתי כי וענה איים כמשמעו כמו וענית ואמרת (דבר' כו ה) דרך משל, כי שם כתוב ושעיר על רעהו יקרא (ישעי' לד יד), גם וענתה שמה (הושע ב יז) תנגן כמו, ענו לה' בתודה (תה' קמז ז), ופי' ועונתה על המשכב שהוא עת דודים כי מלת עת בחסרון נו"ן כמו אמת על כן נדגש תי"ו והנה עִתֵּךְ (יחז' טז ח) או עתו כמו אַמִתּוֹ, ג"כ עַתָּה והנה עונתה מגזרת עת, ועתה היא זאת העת:
3AND HER CONJUGAL RIGHTS. Some say that ve-onatah (and her conjugal rights) means: and the place of her dwelling.158 (a dwelling place). According to them, the word ve-anah (shall howl) in and jackals shall howl (Is. 13:22) and ve-anetah (and she shall respond) in and she shall respond there (Hos. 2:17) have a similar meaning.159 However, I believe that ve-anah iyyim (and jackals shall howl) is to be taken as it implies.160. Ve-anah is similar to ve-anita (and thou shalt speak) in and thou shalt speak and say (Deut. 26:5). Ve-anah is used metaphorically, for Scripture there metaphorically states, and the satyr shall cry to his fellow (Is. 34:14).161 (cry, or more literally, call) is parallel to ve-anita. Hence ve-anita must have a similar meaning. Similarly, ve-anetah in and she shall there respond means she shall make music. Ve-anetah is similar to enu (sing) in Sing unto the Lord with thanksgiving (Ps. 147:7). Onatah refers to sexual activity, also known as the time of lovemaking.162 The word et (time) is missing a nun.163 is ayin, nun, tav. It is similar to the word emet (truth).164. Hence the tav of ittekh (thy time) in and, behold, thy time (Ezek. 16:8) receives a dagesh.165. Likewise,166 is similar to the word emet. itto (his time) is similar to amitto (his truth). The word attah (now) is also similar.167 and drops a nun. Note, onatah comes from the same root as et. The word attah (now) means this time.168 at the end of the word attah takes the place of the heh which should have been placed at the beginning of the word. That is, attah equals ha-et (the time) (Weiser).