Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah
Ibn Ezra on Genesis 15:16/אבן עזרא על בראשית ט״ו:ט״ז
אודור רביעי. רובי המפרשים השתבשו בפי' דור והנה אמרו הקדמונים עשרה דורות (אבות ה ב) ונמצא לאלף דור (דבר' ז ט) ובאיוב ארבעה דורות (איוב מב טז) והנכון בעיני כי פי' דור כמו יושב, מדור באהלי רשע (תהלים פד יא) ומדתו הקץ שידור אדם בהלדו, ויש ארוך ויש קצר, ודור רביעי אחר היות זרעו גר והטעם על מצרים, וכן כתוב "כי גר היית בארצו" (דבר' כג ח) וכן היה, קהת גר ועמרם ומשה גם אהרן, ובניהם שבו אל ארץ כנען:
1AND IN THE FOURTH GENERATION THEY SHALL COME BACK HITHER. Many of the commentaries misunderstood the meaning of the word dor (generation).34. In Deut. 7:9 he quotes an opinion that a generation is 36 years. The sages of the Talmud said there were ten generations from Adam to Noah.35 5:2. The sages speak of generations in terms of people, not years. Each one of those mentioned had a life span that differed from the other. Hence dor cannot refer to a fixed number of years. We also find, to a thousand generations36 (Deut. 7:9) and Job speaks of four generations (Job 42:16).37 In my opinion the meaning of dor (generation) is dwells. Compare dur (dwell) in Than to dwell (mi-dur) in the tents of wickedness (Ps. 84:11). A generation is measured by a person’s life span. Some are long and some are short. Our verse refers to the fourth generation starting from the first that lived as strangers in Egypt. Thus it is written, thou shalt not abhor an Egyptian, because thou wast a stranger in his land (Deut. 23:8).38 And so it was: Kohath, Amram, Moses and Aaron were strangers in Egypt. Their children, who were the fourth generation, returned to the land of Canaan.
בעון האמורי. מפורש בפסוק "גדול עוני מנשוא" (בראשית ד יג) והזכיר האמורי בעבור תקפו והנה משה הרג המלכים הגדולים, והם מלכי האמורי וחמשת מלכי האמורי נתחברו על יהושע, ויש ראיות אחרות, וכן אמר הנביא "אשר כגבה ארזים גבהו" (עמוס ב ט) והמפרש האמורי מגזרת אומר לא אמר כלום:
2FOR THE INIQUITY OF THE AMORITE IS NOT YET FULL. I have explained the meaning of iniquity in my comments on My punishment is greater than I can bear (Gen. 4:13).39 The Amorites are singled out because they were the most powerful of the Canaanite peoples.40 Behold, the great kings whom Moses slew were Amorites.41 Furthermore, it was five Amorite kings who united to fight Joshua.42 There are other proofs.43 Similarly the prophet says concerning the Amorites, Whose height was like the height of the cedars, And he was strong as the oaks (Am. 2:9). Whoever says that Emori (Amorite) comes from the same root as amar (saying) does not contribute anything.44 (avon ha’emori) to mean the sin for saying (avon ha-amirah): O Lord God, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it. Pesikta Zutarta, Gen. 15:16.