Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah
Ibn Ezra on Genesis 13:11/אבן עזרא על בראשית י״ג:י״א
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.