Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah
Ibn Ezra on Exodus 4:26/אבן עזרא על שמות ד׳:כ״ו
אוירף. דמים בלשון הקדש על ב' ענינים, האחד שפיכות דמים כמו "איש דמים אתה לי" (ש"ב טז ח), והמפרש שהוא חיים איננו לשון, והשני לשון רבים מדם ממש, כמו "בדמיך חיי" (יחז' טז ו), והנה אמרה בראותה שסר החולי ממשה אין אתה בני חתן דמים שהוא מענין הריגה, רק אתה חתן מתבוסס בדם המילה, ומולות שם דבר, והנה על לשון רבים בעבור דמים:
1SO HE LET HIM ALONE. The word damim (blood) in Hebrew is used in two ways. One way is to indicate bloodshed, as in because thou art a man of blood to me (II Sam. 16:8).149, added the words to me to II Sam. 16:8. The person who says that damim refers to life150 means: Surely a live bridegroom are thou (Moses) to me; i.e., thou art alive because I circumcised Eliezer. Similarly the word blood in the next verse. It should be noted that in Ex. 22:2 Rashi explains dam (blood) as alive and I.E. takes issue with him there (Filwarg). is giving the word a meaning that it does not have. The second way151 is used. is as a plural referring to actual blood,152. as in be-damayikh chayi (in thy blood live) (Ezek. 16:6). Now when Zipporah saw that the illness left Moses she exclaimed, you my son are not a bridegroom of blood, blood referring to death,153 but you are a bridegroom wallowing in the blood of circumcision. The word mulot (circumcision) is a noun. It is in the plural154, the singular should have been used. because of damim (blood).155 which precedes mulot is in the plural; i.e., the word mulot is in the plural because it follows damim.