Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah

Ibn Ezra on Genesis 17:5/אבן עזרא על בראשית י״ז:ה׳

אאברהם. תוספות הרי"ש אביר המון גוים, ולא בא השם לחסר משמו אות, כי אם להוסיף

1ABRAHAM. The new name with the addition of the resh means the mighty one of a multitude of nations. This is so because the new name did not come to diminish a letter from Abraham’s original name but to add one.⁶ there is no meaning for the resh in Abraham. I.E. argues that it does not have a meaning, for the resh is an integral part of the new name. Abraham means avir hamon goyim, for av hamon goyim with the resh added gives avir hamon goyim. I.E. is in contradistinction to Rashi who comments that the resh in Abraham was carried over from Abram and did not signify anything. We have followed Vat. Ebr. 38 in our translation, which reads, Abraham im tosefet ha-resh avir hamon goyim.

בושרה שם תואר כללי לא כשרי וברוך השם אשר לו נתכנו עלילות שהקדים וצוה אברהם להמול קודם שתהר שרה להיות זרעו קדוש:

2Sarah, unlike Sarai, is a general adjective.⁷ Blessed be the Lord before whom all actions are weighed. He commanded Abraham to circumcise himself before Sarah became pregnant so that his seed would be holy.⁸