Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah

Ibn Ezra on Genesis 16:8/אבן עזרא על בראשית ט״ז:ח׳

אאי מזה. כמו איה וכן אי הבל (בראשית ד ט) וטעם מזה מקום כאלו אמר אי מזה מקום באת:

1WHENCE. Ay (whence) means where. Ay (where) in Where is (ay) Abel thy brother (Gen. 4:9) is similar. Mi-zeh (from this)⁷ as whence. It literally reads, where (ay) from this (mi-zeh), hence I.E.’s comments. is short for mi-zeh makom (from this place).⁸ The meaning of ai mi-zeh vat is: where is the place thou camest from?

בבורחת. נפתח הרי"ש בעבור אות הגרון שהוא אחריו וכן "בורַחַת כל העיר" (ירמי' ד' כט), "והיא כפורַחַת" (בראשית מ י) "ברַחַת ובמזרה" (ישעי' ל כד) וכן "יודַעַת איש" (במדבר לא יז) בעבור אותיות הגרון שדם אחה"ע וכן משפט הלשון אין זר אתנו:

2I FLEE. The resh of borachat (I flee) is vocalized with a pattach because it is followed by a guttural.⁹. Compare, shomeret, kotevet. These are similar: borachat (fleeth) in The whole city fleeth (borachat) (Jer. 4:29); porachat (budding) in and as it was budding (khe-forachat) (Gen. 40:10); rachat (shovel) in with the shovel (va-rachat) and with the fan (Is. 30:24); and yoda’at (known) in that hath known man (yoda’at ish) (Num. 31:17). The reason the middle letter of the root of the above words is vocalized with a pattach is that it precedes gutturals. They are: alef, chet, heh, ayin. This is the rule. There is no exception.