Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah
Ibn Ezra on Exodus 27:1/אבן עזרא על שמות כ״ז:א׳
אועשית. כל צורה שהיא ארכה כרחבה נקראת רבוע, וזה המרובע באמה, כי על חמש צורות הם המרובעות:
1AND THOU SHALT MAKE. Any shape whose length is the same size as its width is called a square. The latter is a true1, as in Vat. Ebr. 38. The printed texts contain ba-amah. If we read ba-amah, then the meaning of the sentence is: it was square by cubits; that is, it was 5 cubits long and 5 cubits wide. Many of the commentaries suggest emending the text to be-emet. square, as quadrilaterals2 come in five shapes.3
בהנה אם אמרנו כי אין צורך לכבש, כאשר אמרו קדמונינו בעבור ששלש אמות קומה, הנה מה יעשו המכחישים במזבח שעשה שלמה שהיתה קומתו עשר אמות וקומת האדם איננה רק ארבע אמות:
2[AND THE HEIGHT THEREOF SHALL BE THREE CUBITS.] Look, if contrary to the opinion of our sages,4 5:2. Also see Mekhilta, Yitro 11. we say that there was no need for a ramp5 because the altar was three cubits high,6 59b. Also see Rashi. what then will the opponents of the sages7 do with the altar which Solomon made? That altar was ten cubits high8 whereas the height of a person is only four cubits.
גוטעם רבוע. בעבור היות הארך כרחב:
3[FOUR-SQUARE.] Scripture describes the altar as being ravu’a (four-square) because the length of the altar was the same as its width.9. 38, in Weiser, and in some other editions. It is omitted by most mikra’ot gedolot editions.