Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah
Ibn Ezra on Genesis 2:20/אבן עזרא על בראשית ב׳:כ׳
אומלת לכל הבהמה, גם היא מושכת עצמה ואחרת עמה, כי טעמו ולכל עוף השמים, וכן "ויהי מתיו ממפר" (דבר' לג ו), וכן "ולא למדתי חכמה" (משלי ל, ג),, ורבים כאלה,
1[TO ALL CATTLE.] Le-khol (to all) also governs two words,71 (to all), which is prefaced to cattle, also governs fowl. for the meaning of our verse is: And the man gave names to all cattle, and to all the fowl of the air.72. In that his men become few (Deut. 33:6)73 in the first part of the verse also governs yehi (let). and And I have not learned wisdom (Prov. 30:3)74. The not of the first part also applies to the second part. Thus the above should read: And I do not have knowledge of the Holy One. Thus not governs two words. are similar. There are many other such instances.
בוטעם ולאדם לא מצא, ולנפשו לא מצא, כי כן מנהג לה"ק, כמו "וישלח ד' את ירבעל ואת בדן ואת יפתח ואת שמואל" (ש"א יב יא),, ורחוק הוא בעיני שישוב אל השם, ופה אמר כי העוף נוצר מהאדמה, ולמעלה מהמים כי משניהם נוצר:
2[BUT FOR ADAM.] The meaning of but for Adam he did not find a help meet is that Adam did not find a helpmeet for himself.75. However, the literal reading of the verse is: but for Adam he did not find a help meet. The question is, to whom does “he” refer? I.E. suggests it refers to Adam, not God. I.E. points out that the Bible occasionally uses a proper noun in instances where a reflexive pronoun is expected. Cf. David Kimchi’s commentary on this verse. This is the way of the Hebrew language. Thus we find Samuel saying, And the Lord sent Jerubbaal, and Bedan, and Jephthah, and Samuel (I Sam. 12:11).76. It appears farfetched to me that he did not find a help meet refers to God. Scripture says here that the fowl were created out of the ground.77 However, it states above that they were created out of the water.78 This is so because the fowl were created out of both earth and water.