Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah
Ibn Ezra on Genesis 15:11/אבן עזרא על בראשית ט״ו:י״א
אהעיט. עוף, וכן "העיט צבוע נחלתי" (ירמי' יב ט):
1THE BIRDS OF PREY. Ayit (birds of prey) is a type of bird. Ayit (bird of prey) in Is my heritage unto Me as a speckled bird of prey (ha-ayit) (Jer. 12:9) is similar.
בעל הפגרים. על הגופות:
2UPON THE CARCASSES. On the lifeless bodies.25 (carcasses) and not betarim (pieces). The reference is to the carcasses of the turtle dove and the young dove (Krinsky).
גוישב. בדגשון השי"ן תחת הנו"ן המובלע כמו יגרש וישלח מהפגרים וכן ישב רוחו (תהלים קמ"ז יח) או השיב הפגרים להבריח העיט:
3AND ABRAM DROVE THEM AWAY. Va-yashev (drove away) has a dagesh in the shin to make up for a missing nun.26. He drove them and sent them off the carcasses.27 (otom) refers to the birds of prey. It should be noted that ayit (birds of prey) is in the singular. I.E. takes it as a collective noun. Yashev (he caused to blow) in He causeth His wind to blow (yashev rucho) (Ps. 147:18) is similar.28 means to blow. Similarly in our verse Abraham drove the birds off by causing a wind to blow over them, i.e., by flapping at them. On the other hand, he may have flapped at the carcasses to drive the bird of prey off them.29 refers to the carcasses and ayit refers to one bird. The verse is to be interpreted as follows: the bird of prey came down…and Abraham flapped at the carcasses and drove “it” off.