Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah
Ibn Ezra on Genesis 20:13/אבן עזרא על בראשית כ׳:י״ג
אהתעו אותי אלהים. לשון קודש והטעם שהוא נוסע ממקום למקום ולא ידע אנה ילך, וכן "והנה תועה בשדה" (בראשית לז טו) ואין זו התעייה בלב גם כן כתוב "למה תתענו ד'" (ישעי' סג יז):
1WHEN GOD CAUSED ME TO WANDER. The word Elohim is to be rendered as God.19 is the plural. Hence at first glance Elohim cannot refer to God since there is only one God. I.E. points out that even so, Elohim here refers to God. It should be noted that Onkelos apparently took Elohim as referring to idols. See also Rashi’s note on this verse. Cf. M. Adler’s commentary on Onkelos, Netivat Ha-Ger, Israel, 1968. The meaning of hitu oti Elohim (God caused me to wander) is that God made Abraham journey from place to place without Abraham knowing where he would go next. To’eh (wandering) in and, behold he was wandering (to’eh) in the field (Gen. 37:15) is similar. Hitu (caused me to wander) in our verse is not to be translated as caused me to err.20 as err. He explains when God caused me to wander as meaning: when the nations erred and followed idols, God drew me near to his service; i.e., ka-asher hitu (when the nations erred), oti Elohim (God took me). We find the Bible using the word to’eh in the sense of erring21 in O Lord, why does Thou make us to err (tatenu) from thy ways (Is. 63:17).22, the same as the root for wander. The word can therefore mean wander or err. Erring is an intellectual wandering.
באמרי לי. בשבילי וכן "ואמר פרעה לבני ישראל" (שמות יד ג):
2SAY OF ME. Imri li 23 usually means to me, hence I.E.’s comment. is to be rendered: say of me. And Pharaoh will say of the children of (le-vene) Israel (Ex. 14:3)24 means of, not to. is similar.