Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah

Ibn Ezra on Genesis 14:14/אבן עזרא על בראשית י״ד:י״ד

אוירק. שנתן להם כלי מלחמה כטעם "והרק חנית" (תהלים לה ג) וי"א להוציא החרב מתערה כטעם אל הארץ יריקו (קהלת יא ג) מריקים שקיהם (בראשית מב לה) גם יש לחנית כן:

1HE LED FORTH HIS TRAINED MEN. He armed them.²⁴ (he led forth) means he armed. Compare, ve-harek (arm) in, Arm (ve-harek) with the spear (Ps. 35:3).²⁵ Others say that va-yarek refers to the unsheathing of the sword. Compare, They empty themselves (yariku) upon the earth (Eccles. 11:3), and emptied (merikim) their sacks (Gen. 42:35).²⁶ (he led forth his trained men) means, he gave his trained men unsheathed swords (Krinsky). A spear also has a sheath.²⁷ (Ps. 35:3) may be rendered as unsheath the spear.

בחניכיו. שחנכם פעמים רבות במלחמה ואם לא נזכר וחשבון אותיות אליעזר דרך דרש כי אין הכתוב מדבר בגימטריא כי יכול הרוצה להוציא כל שם לטוב ולרע רק השם כמשמעו:

2HIS TRAINED MEN. Abraham had trained them many times for battle. This is the meaning of the term chanikhav (his trained men) even though Scripture does not previously note that Abraham trained young men for war. Those who identify Abraham’s trained men with his servant Eliezer on the basis of the numerical value of the latter’s name are indulging in Midrash,²⁸ 43:2, 44:9. as Scripture does not speak in gematria (numericals). With this type of interpretation one can interpret any name as he wishes, both in a positive and a negative manner. Eliezer is to be taken literally.²⁹