Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah

Ibn Ezra on Exodus 7:1/אבן עזרא על שמות ז׳:א׳

אויאמר ד'. זהו ואיך ישמעני פרעה ואני ערל שפתים השיבו השם, ראה נתתיך אלהים לפרעה:

1I. AND THE LORD SAID. This was in response to, how then shall Pharaoh hear me, who am of uncircumcised lips (Ex. 6:12). God answered Moses, See I have set thee in God’s stead to Pharaoh.¹

בויאמר, טעם ראה שעשיתי לך מעלה גדולה שתהיה נחשב בעיני פרעה כמעלת מלאך, וזהו אלהים, והוא מדבר אל הנביא, והנביא מדבר אל אנשי דורו:

2AND THE LORD SAID.² Its meaning³) to Pharaoh. is: See, I have greatly elevated your status in that in Pharaoh’s eyes your stature is that of an angel. This is what God’s stead⁴, meaning an angel; see I.E.’s comments on Gen. 1:1. means. God⁵ speaks to the prophet and the prophet speaks to the men of his generation.⁶

גוהאומרים כי נביא מגזרת "ניב שפתים" (ישעי' נז יט) איננו נכון כי שרש ניב מהשניים, לפי דעת דעת חכמי צרפת ומעלומי העין לפי דעת חכמי ספרד ושרש נביא שלש אותיות, והעד נביאים (במד' יא כט), ויתנבאו (שם פ' כה) כי האל"ף שרש, ועוד כי ניב שפתים כמו פרי, כי הוא מגזרת תנובה (ישעי' כז ו) עוד ינובון בשיבה (תה' צב טו) והעד הנאמן, וניבו נבזה אכלו (מלאכי א יב) ועוד מה טעם השב אשת האיש כי נביא הוא (ברא' כ ז) אם פירושו דברן הוא רק פירושו הוא נביא שאגלה לו סודי כדרך כי אם גלה סודו אל עבדיו הנביאים (עמוס ג ז) והוא מתענג עלי, ע"כ ויתפלל בעדך וחיה (ברא' כ ז):

3[AND AARON THY BROTHER SHALL BE THY PROPHET.] Those who say that the word navi (prophet) comes from the root of niv in niv sefatayim (the fruit of the lips) (Is. 57:19) err.⁷ (prophecy) refer to one who calls and preaches words of rebuke to the people. It comes from the root of niv in niv sefatyim.” Niv comes from a two-letter root according to the French sages and from a hidden ayin root according to the Spanish sages.⁸ comes from the root nun, vav, bet. The French sages refer to such a root as a two-letter root because the vav is usually dropped. For the same reason the Spanish sages refer to it as a hidden ayin root. However, Krinsky argues that the French sages disagree as to what the root of niv is. The former hold that niv comes from a two-letter root; i.e., its root is nun, bet, while the Spanish sages believe it to come from the root nun, vav, bet. Contemporary works on grammar refer to the latter as an ayin vav. However, navi comes from a three-letter root.⁹. That its alef¹⁰ is spelled nun, bet, yod, alef. is a root letter can be seen from the words nevi’im (prophets) (Num. 11:29) and va-yitnabe’u (they prophesied).¹¹. If the alef was not a root letter these words would not have an alef in them. Furthermore, the word niv in niv sefatayim means fruit,¹² for niv comes from the same root as tenuvah (fruitage) (Is. 27:6) and yenuvun (they shall bring forth fruit) in They shall still bring forth fruit in old age (Ps. 92:15). Ve-nivo nivzeh okhlo (and the fruit thereof, even the food thereof, is contemptible) (Malachi 1:12) is true proof of this. Additionally, what meaning is there to, restore the man’s wife; for he is a prophet (Gen. 20:7) if navi (prophet) means a speaker. Its only meaning¹³ (prophet) in Gen 20:7. is, he is a prophet to whom I reveal my secrets, as in But He revealeth His counsel unto His servants the prophets (Amos 3:7). He enjoys My presence therefore and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live (Gen. 20:7).