Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah

Ibn Ezra on Genesis 13:10/אבן עזרא על בראשית י״ג:י׳

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.