Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah
Ibn Ezra on Genesis 20:12/אבן עזרא על בראשית כ׳:י״ב
אאחותי בת אבי. י"א שהוא כמו אלהי אבי אברהם והנכון בעיני שדחה אבימלך בדברים כפי צורך השעה ובפ' "אנכי עשו בכורך" (בראשית כז יט) אביא הברים:
1AND MOREOVER SHE IS INDEED MY SISTER, THE DAUGHTER OF MY FATHER. Some say that this verse is to be understood in the same way as O God of my father Abraham (Gen. 32:10).17 is short for the daughter of my brother, the son of my father, in the same way as O God of my father Abraham is short for O God of my father’s father Abraham (Weiser). Some identify Sarah with Iscah, the daughter of Haran. I.E. rejects this identification. Cf. I.E.’s commentary on Gen. 11:29. Krinsky suggests that what I.E. means is that grandchildren are considered as children. Thus Sarah, the daughter of Haran, was considered Terah’s daughter and hence Abraham’s sister. Similarly Jacob is considered Abraham’s son. However, I believe that Abraham put Abimelech off with a timely excuse. When we come to the verse I am Esau thy first-born (Gen. 27:19), I will offer other examples of the same.18