Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah
Ibn Ezra on Genesis 12:13/אבן עזרא על בראשית י״ב:י״ג
אובאה מלת "אחותי את". כלעיל בעבור היות הטעם במלה שאחריה באות הראשון וכן קָרָא לָילָה (בראשית א ה) וזה משפט הלשון ודגשות תי"ו אָת להתבלע הנו"ן כי אתה מגזרת אני:
1[THOU ART MY SISTER.] Achoti (my sister) is penultimately accented30 because the word which follows it, at (thou), is accented on the first letter. Kara laylah (he called night) (Gen. 1:5) is similar.31. The preceding is a general rule in Hebrew grammar.32 The tav of at (thou) receives a dagesh to make up for the missing nun, for the word at (thou) comes from the same root as ani (I).33, in the masculine antah (Netter). The printed editions read, the word attah comes from the same root as ani. Vat. Ebr. 38 reads, the word at comes from the same root as ani. Since I.E. deals with the feminine, the reading of Vat. Ebr. 38 is to be preferred.
בבגללך. ובעבורך לא יבואו כי אם בבי"ת והשר המסיר הבי"ת הוא סר טעם,
2BECAUSE OF THEE. Bi-glalekh (because of thee) and ba-avurekh (for thy sake) always have a bet prefixed to each.34 (gelal) or avurekh (avur) are not used. The poet who omits this bet errs.35. He implies that the poet who deliberately misuses language is like a fair woman who turns aside from discretion. The reference might be to Rabbi Simon ben Isaac of Mayence, an eleventh century liturgical poet who wrote, avur ki fanah yom (now that the day has declined). He should have written ba-avur fanah yom. Rabbi Simon’s composition is found in the concluding service of the Day of Atonement (Cherez). It should be noted that I.E. employs a pun. Shar is a poet. Sar means tumeth aside, hence ha-shar sar, the poet turneth aside.
גוטעם ייטב לי, דורון ומנחה, וכן כתוב "ולאברם היטיב בעבורה" (בראשית יב טז):
3[THAT IT MAY BE WELL WITH ME.] They will give me gifts and presents. And so it is written, And he dealt well with Abram for her sake; and he had sheep, and oxen, and he-asses, and men-servants, and maid-servant, and she-asses, and camels (v. 16).