Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah
Ibn Ezra on Genesis 2:2/אבן עזרא על בראשית ב׳:ב׳
אויכל אלהים ביום השביעי י"א כי הימים נבראים, ובבריאת יום שביעי שלמה המלאכה, וזה הפירוש תפל, וי"א כי יש בי"ת שטעמו קודם, כמו לא תחסום שור בדישו (דב"ר כ"ה ד'), "אך ביום הראשון תשביתו שאור" (שמות י"ב ט"ו) ולמה זאת הצרה וכלוי מעשה איננה מעשה כאילו אמר לא עשה מעשה, וכן פי' ויכל, גם וישבות
1AND ON THE SEVENTH DAY GOD FINISHED. Some say2 implies that God created something on the seventh day. The question is what? that the days are created entities, and with the creation of the seventh day God’s work was finished. However, this interpretation is unpalatable. Others say that the bet may indicate before, as in Thou shalt not muzzle the ox when he treadeth out (be-disho) the corn (Deut. 25:4), and in howbeit the first day (ba-yom ha-rishon) ye shall put away leaven out of your houses (Ex. 12:15).3 is to be translated as And by the seventh day God had finished His work which He had made. They similarly translate Deut. 25:4, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox before he treadeth out the corn, and render Ex. 12:15 as howbeit before the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses. However, why go through all this trouble4 a novel meaning (before) when in fact “finished” does not imply that any work was done on the Sabbath. when finishing work does not constitute an act. Saying God finished is equivalent to saying God did no work. This is the meaning of God finished and of and He rested.5
בוטעם מלאכתו אשר עשה ביום הששי טרם יום השבת
2His work which He had made refers to the work that he had done on Friday prior to the onset of the Sabbath.
גוטעם וישבות ביום השביעי מכל מלאכתו מכל הבריאות שברא:
3And He rested on the seventh day from all His work pertains to all creations that God brought into being.6 and part B, all His work. Thus part B complements part A and is not redundant (Krinsky).