Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah
Ibn Ezra on Exodus 26:16/אבן עזרא על שמות כ״ו:ט״ז
אעשר אמות. אמות המשכן לא ידענו אם הם כאמות יחזקאל שהם אצילה ובדרך סברא אמות הבית הראשון כן היו בעבור שמצאנו בדברי הימים כתוב במדה אחרונה:
1TEN CUBITS. We do not know whether the cubits of the tabernacle were measured from the armpits69 (where the arm joins the shoulder) (Krinsky). An alternate interpretation is: we do not know whether the cubits of the tabernacle’s “noble cubits” are like Ezekiel’s cubits. A “noble cubit” is a cubit that is larger then the ordinary cubit (Krinsky). like Ezekiel’s cubits.70 Logically, the cubits of the first temple were of such cubits,71, it appears that I.E. means that they were the same type of cubits as those spoken of by Ezekiel. However, this cannot be so because I.E. goes on to quote II Chron. 3:3 to the effect that the earlier cubits, i.e., the smaller cubits, were employed in the temple. We must thus interpret “of such cubits” as referring to the cubits of the tabernacle. See Sarim. For alternate interpretations see Meijler and Krinsky. as we find that the Book Of Chronicles72 speaks of the earlier73. 38. The printed editions have middah acharonah (the later measure). This appears to be an error, for II Chron. 3:3 explicitly reads, ba-middah ha-rishonah (the earlier or the ancient measure). The earlier measure refers to the measure employed in the tabernacle. It is possible that the reading of the later measure occurred because of the problem pointed out in note 70. On the other hand, it is possible that I.E. quoted from memory and erred, and that the printed texts rather than Vat. Ebr. 38 preserve the original reading. In this case, “were of such cubits” refers to Ezekiel’s cubits. measure.74