Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah
Ibn Ezra on Exodus 23:8/אבן עזרא על שמות כ״ג:ח׳
אושחד. גם הזכיר כל זה, כי העשיר יתן שוחד לדיין להטות מדין דלים:
1AND THOU SHALT TAKE NO GIFT. This verse is also mentioned because the wealthy give bribes to the judges to divert justice from the poor.50
בויסלף דברי צדיקים. אמר הגאון כי צדיקים תאר לדברי ולא יתכן זה, כי דברי סמוך:
2AND PERVERTETH THE WORDS OF THE RIGHTEOUS. Saadiah Gaon says that the word tzaddikim (righteous) modifies divre (words of).51 is an adjective modifying divre. However, this is not possible, for divre is in the construct.52. Hence divre tzaddikim must be rendered as words of the righteous, as a noun cannot be in the construct with an adjective.
גוטעם צדיקים בדין, לא צדיקים במצות:
3[RIGHTEOUS.] Righteous refers to righteous in the matter before the judges, not righteous with regard to the observance of the commandments.