Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah

Ibn Ezra on Exodus 7:18/אבן עזרא על שמות ז׳:י״ח

אוהדגה. שם מין כולל לכל שורץ במים:

1AND THE FISH. Fish is a general term for all things that swarm in the waters.

בונלאו. מבנין נפעל, מגזרת לאה כטעם לא יכלו:

2SHALL LOATHE. Ve-nil’u (shall loathe) is a nifal from the same root as the word la’ah (weary).⁷⁴. Its meaning is, will be unable.⁷⁵ as Vat. Ebr. 38 does. According to I.E. the word la’ah means unable. So too Rashbam. Rashi and others translate it as: were weary and tired. According to I.E. nil’u means were unable. The vav changes it to an imperfect; hence ve-nil’u means will be unable.