Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah
Ibn Ezra on Exodus 22:5/אבן עזרא על שמות כ״ב:ה׳
אכי תצא אש. גם זה דבק, כי ידבר על נזק השדה:
1IF FIRE BREAK OUT. This too is connected to what is written above, for it speaks of damage caused to a field.
בוטעם המבעיר אינו כמו יבער איש (פ' ד) אעפ"י שהם מבנין אחד, כי מלת אש תורה עליו, וזאת הדרך צחות בלשון הקדש לאמר מלה שוה, והיא משני טעמים כמו בלחי החמור חמור חמורתים (שופ' טו טז), רוכבים על שלשים עַיָרִים, ושלשים עירים להם (שם י ד), וזאת השנית ערים, והעד, להם יקראו חות יאיר (שם):
2[HE THAT KINDLED.] The word ha-mavir (he that kindled) does not have the same meaning as the word yaver (cause to be eaten) in if a man cause…to be eaten (v. 4) even though they both come from the same conjugation.18 and yaver are both hifils. For the word fire indicates what ha-mavir means.19. It then goes on to say that the “mavir” shall surely make restitution. It is thus clear that ha-mavir means he that kindled [the fire]. It is considered beautiful Hebrew style to employ the same word with two meanings,20 as in With the jawbone of an ass (ha-chamor), heaps upon heaps (chamor chamorotayim) (Jud. 15:16), and in that rode on thirty ass colts (ayarim), and they had thirty cities (u-sheloshim ayarim lahem) (Jud. 10:4). Now in the latter verse the second ayarim means cities, as which are called Havvoth-jair (Ibid.) proves.21 (ayarim), and they had thirty cities (ayarim), which are called Havvoth-jair (the villages of Jair) unto this day. It is highly unlikely that which are called Havvoth-jair refers to ass colts.