Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah
Ibn Ezra on Genesis 1:7/אבן עזרא על בראשית א׳:ז׳
אויעש, יש הבדלה בבין עם למ"ד, כמו בין מים למים (בראשית א ו) "בין קדש לחול (יחז' מד כג), ויש עם בין ובין, כמו פה, ויבדל בין המים אשר מתחת לרקיע, ובין המים וגו', ויש עם שניהם כמו "ביניכם לבין אלהיכם" (ישעי' נט ב),
1AND GOD MADE. Dividing one thing from another is expressed by placing the preposition ben (between) before the first object and a lamed before the second, as in And let it divide92. the waters (ben mayim) from the waters (la-mayim) (Gen. 1:6) and between the holy (ben kodesh) and the common (le-chol) (Ezek. 44:23). It may also be expressed by placing the preposition (ben) before each one of the objects, as in our verse and divided the waters93. (ben ha-mayim) which were under the firmament from the waters (u-ven ha-mayim) which were above the firmament. And it is found with the word ben repeated and a lamed before the second object, as in But your iniquities have separated Between you (benekhem) and your God (le-ven elohekhem) (Is. 59:2).
בוטעם "ויהי כן" דבק עם הבא אחריו כאשר היה כן קראו שמים:
2[AND IT WAS SO.] This phrase is connected to the verse which follows it: When it was so, God called the firmament heaven.94 is out of place following And God made the firmament. If he made it, then obviously it was so. Hence it does not apply to verse 7 but is connected to verse 8; viz., after the firmament came into being God called it heaven (Krinsky).