Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah
Ibn Ezra on Genesis 17:17/אבן עזרא על בראשית י״ז:י״ז
אהלבן מאה שנה יולד. תמה בעבור היות זרע הזקן קר על כן לא יוליד והתימא הגדול איך תלד אשה שנפסק דמה. והבן מהדם יבנה ויכונן וכאשר תסתכל ותרא כי דבר שרה נפלא מדבר אברהם כי הנה מצאנו אבות שכל אחד הוליד בן, והוא גדול יותר מתשעים שנה וחיי הדורות בימי אברהם ארוכים מחיי דור ודור וכאשר נסתלק המלאך מיד מל בנו וכל ילידי ביתו ומקנת כספו:
1SHALL A CHILD BE BORN UNTO HIM THAT IS A HUNDRED YEARS OLD. Abraham was amazed at being told that he would have a son because the sperm of an old man is cold21 and therefore aged men are infertile. However, he was even more amazed that Sarah, a woman whose menstrual cycle had ceased, would bear a child, since the embryo is made and constructed from the woman’s menstrual blood. If you will reflect you will conclude that Sarah’s conceiving was a greater wonder than Abraham’s begetting a child. For we find instances of men over ninety begetting children in later generations,22. 38 reads, “We find that King David’s forefathers each sired a son when over 90.” Cf. I.E.’s comment on Ruth 4:17. and the life span of people in Abraham’s time was much longer than in later times.23. 38 reads, “The life span of people in Abraham’s generation was longer than that of David’s generation.” As soon as the angel left, Abraham immediately circumcised Ishmael and all those born in his house and those bought with money.