Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah

Ibn Ezra on Genesis 12:9/אבן עזרא על בראשית י״ב:ט׳

אהנגבה. פאת דרום ונקרא כן בלשון ארמית "נגיבו מיא" כי צד דרום הם, ומרוב החום ייבש וכן טעם "כי ארץ הנגב נתתני" (יהושע טו יט):

1TOWARD THE SOUTH. Negev means south and it means the same in Aramaic.²² is an Aramaic word. Negev in Aramaic means dry as we see from Onkelos, who renders the waters were dried up (Gen. 8:13) as negivu mayya. The south is called Negev (dry) because it is hot there, and the heat parches the land. This is the way for that thou hast set me in the Southlands (eretz ha-negev)²³ means a dry land. give me therefore springs of water (Josh. 15:19) should be understood.