Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah

Ibn Ezra on Genesis 13/אבן עזרא על בראשית י״ג

אודקדוק וַיַעַל פירשתיו בס' היסוד:

1[AND ABRAM WENT UP.] I have grammatically explained the word va-ya’al (and went up) in my Book of Foundation.¹ (and he went up) is short for va-ya’aleh.

אואברם כבד מאד. שיש לו כבודה רבה, ומי שיש לו כן תנועתו כבדה, הלא תראה כי כבוד מגזרת "כובד אבן" (משלי כז ב), וקלון מגזרת "קל ברגליו" (ש"ב ב יח), והוא היה בעל מקנה רב גם כסף וזהב הרבה היה לו:

1AND ABRAM WAS VERY RICH. Ve-avram kaved me’od (literally, Abram was very heavy) means that Abraham had great wealth. Whoever is laden with riches moves heavily (with difficulty).² (heavy) for rich. Don’t you see that the Hebrew word for honor (kavod) comes from the same root as the word for heavy (koved) in A stone is heavy (koved even) (Prov. 27:3). Conversely, the word for shame (kalon) comes from the same root as the word for light (kal). Compare, light of foot (kal beraglav) (II Sam. 2:18).³ in its various forms means heavy. Kavod (honor) really means heavy with glory. Similarly kaved means heavy with possessions. Conversely, kalon comes from “light,” i.e., not burdened with glory. Abraham possessed herds of cattle and a large amount of gold and silver.⁴, heavy because of his possessions (Krinsky).

אלמסעיו. שנסע מסעים רבים כאשר שב מפאת דרום אל בית אל שהוא בצפון ובא אל מקום המזבח להודות לשם שבא בשלום:

1ON HIS JOURNEYS. Abraham made many stops on his journey from the south to Beth-el which is in the north. He came unto the place of the altar (v. 4) to give thanks to God for ensuring his safe return.

אואֹהָלִים, לפי דעתי שלשון יחיד על משקל קֹדֶש והוא הנמצא והרבים "כי בָאֳהָלִים (ירמי' לה ז) כמו בַקָדָשים לא יאכל" (ויקרא כב ד) ואֹהָלים בחולם בין האל"ף והוי"ו, לשון יחיד, כמו גורל, ואם לא נמצא:

1AND TENTS. I believe that ohel (tent), in the singular, follows the paradigm of kodesh (holy). It is always found in Scripture following this form.⁵ is vocalized cholam, segol. Similarly, ohel. The latter is the term used in the Bible for tent. In the plural, its alef is vocalized with a chataf kamatz, as in the verse ye shall dwell in tents (Jer. 35:7).⁶ is similarly vocalized with a chataf kamatz beneath the kof. It is vocalized like the word kodashim in he shall not eat of the holy things (ba-kodashim) (Lev. 22:4). However, when the alef of the Hebrew plural for tents is vocalized with a cholam, the singular is vocalized like goral (lot).⁷. In our verse tents (ohalim) is vocalized with a cholam. Hence its singular cannot be ohel, for the singular of ohalim is ohal (cholam kamatz). I. E.’s point is that the Hebrew word for tent can come in two forms, ohel or ohal. The latter is so even though this form for tent (ohal) is not found in Scripture.⁸ in Scripture. However, it does not appear there. Nevertheless, I.E. insists that what he says is so.

איחדו. לשון שנים, ורבים, "ויענו כל העם יחדו" (שמות יט ח), והיא מלה זרה, ואין פירושו כמו יחד, רק כמו יחיד:

1TOGETHER. Yachdav (together) can refer to two (as in our verse) or to many, as in And all the people answered together (yachdav) (Ex. 19:8). This word does not follow the rules of Hebrew grammar.⁹ between the chet and the vav as do all other similar plural forms (Weiser). Yachdav is not synonymous with yachad (together). Yachdav means acting like one person.¹⁰ (yachdav) (Ex. 19:8), which means that all the people answered as if they were one person. Yachad implies two people acting at the same time, but each one by himself (Weiser).

אוטעם הכנעני והפריזי. כרעו ויתכן היות הפריזי מבני כנען והוא אחד מהנזכרים ויש לו שני שמות, כאשר מצאנו שני שמות לבן שמואל וגם לאבי אביו:

1[AND THE CANAANITE AND THE PERIZZITE DWELT THEN IN THE LAND.] This is to be understood as its counterpart (Gen. 12:6).¹¹ (Gen. 12:6) also apply here. It is possible that Perizzi was a son of Canaan and was included in the list of Canaan’s sons under a different name. He, like the prophet Samuel’s son¹². However, I Chron. 6:13 states, And the sons of Samuel: the first-born Vashni. Thus Samuel’s first-born had two names. and grandfather,¹³ had two names.¹⁴

אואימינה. מגזרת ימין

1THEN I WILL GO TO THE RIGHT. Ve-e’minah (I will go to the right) comes from the same root as yamin (right).

בונראה אל"ף שמאל ולא ידענו אם הוא שרש כי נעדר ממלת הימיני השמילי

2[THEN I WILL GO TO THE LEFT.] The alef of the noun semol (left) is enunciated in the verb ve-asme’ilah (then I will go to the left). Now this alef is missing in the word hasmili (direct thyself to the left) in Go thee one way to the right, or direct thyself to the left (Ezek. 21:21). Thus, we cannnot determine whether the alef is part of the root of semol or not.

אככר הירדן. מקום צמחים והכ"ף כפול או נעדר "מכר נרחב" (ישעי' ל כג) וכן בת עין, מן "בבת עינו" (זכריה ב יב):

1THE PLAIN OF THE JORDAN. Kikkar (plain) means an area with plants. The caf is doubled in kikkar.¹⁵, as in Is. 30:23. Our word reads kikkar because the caf is doubled. On the other hand, it is possible that one caf has been dropped in kar nirchav (large pastures) (Is. 30:23).¹⁶. Similarly bat (apple of) in bat ayin (the apple of the eye) (Ps. 17:8) is short for bavat in bavat eno (the apple of his eye) (Zechariah 2:12).¹⁷ has been dropped in bat, for the full word is bavat, with two bets (Krinsky). Others interpret: “Similarly we do not know whether a bet has been dropped out in bat, or a bet is doubled in bavat” (Weiser, Cherez). The text supports Krinsky.

במשקה. זכר אחר נקבה וכן "תאכלהו אש לא נפח" (איוב כ כו):

2WELL WATERED. Mashkeh (watered) is masculine; khullah (well) is feminine.¹⁸. A fire not blown by man shall consume him (Job 20:26)¹⁹ (shall consume him) is feminine; nuppach (blown) is masculine. Hence Scripture uses both a masculine and feminine word in reference to the same thing (fire). It does the same in our verse with regard to kikkar. is similar.

גלפני שחת ד'. קודם שישחת, והוא שם הפועל מהבנין הכבד הדגוש:

3BEFORE THE LORD DESTROYED SODOM AND GOMORRAH. Shachet (destroyed) is an infinitive in the pi’el. The meaning of li-fene shachet is: before the Lord destroyed.

אויסע לוט מקדם. כי סדום מערב בית אל:

1AND LOT JOURNEYED. From the east,²⁰ (and Lot journeyed east). According to I.E., Lot journeyed west to Sodom, away from Abraham who was in Beth-el. The problem with I.E.’s interpretation is that Sodom lies east, not west of Beth-el. Because of this difficulty the Midrash homiletically interprets the clause to mean: He removed himself from the ancient one (mi-kedem) of the universe saying, I desire neither Abraham or his God (Bereshit Rabbah 41:7). As to the problem raised by Sodom lying east of Beth-el, Weiser suggests that in order to reach Sodom from Beth-el one had to journey westward first and then eastward. However, this interpretation is forced. M.S. Siegal in his commentary on Genesis suggests that mi-kedem here has the meaning of eastward, or that mi-kedem is short for mi-kedem levet-el; i.e., Lot journeyed east of Beth-el, where Abram had pitched his tent. As to I.E., he most probably was not aware that Sodom lies east and not west of Beth-el. for Sodom is west of Beth-el.

אויאהל. נטה אהליו:

1AND MOVED HIS TENT. Pitched his tent.

ארעים. לבני אדם ויחזקאל פי' זה "ויד עני ואביון לא החזיקה" (יחז' טז מט):

1NOW THE MEN OF SODOM WERE WICKED. To their fellow man. This is stated in Ezekiel, viz., neither did she (Sodom) strengthen the hand of the poor and needy (Ezek. 16:49).

אלך אתננה. בדבור, וכן ונתן אותם על ראש השעיר (ויקרא טז כא)

1FOR ALL THE LAND WHICH THOU SEEST, TO THEE WILL I GIVE IT. By word.²¹ And he shall put them (Israel’s sins and transgressions) upon the head of the goat (Lev. 16:21) is similar.²²

אופה פי' כי אלוני ממרא בחברון הוא:

1In this chapter Scripture informs us that the terebinths of Mamre are located in Hebron.