Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah
Ibn Ezra on Genesis 22/אבן עזרא על בראשית כ״ב
אוהאלהים נסה את אברהם. י"א כי הסמ"ך תחת שי"ן, והה"א תחת האל"ף וטעם כל הפרשה יכחישם רק נסה כמשמעו ואנשי שיקול הדעת אמרו, כי הדעות הם שתים האחת דעת העתיד בטרם היותו, והשנית דעת היש הנמצא, וזה פי' נסה, גם כי עתה ידעתי והגאון אמר שמלת נסה להראות צדקתו לבני אדם, גם מלת ידעתי כטעם הודעתי והלא ידע זה הגאון, כי בשעה שעקד בנו לא הי' שם אפילו נעריו ואחרים אמרו כי פי' והעלהו שם לעולה שיעלהו אל ההר, וזאת תחשב לו לעולה, ואברהם לא ידע סוד הנבואה, וימהר לשחוט אותו, והשם אמר לו לא בקשתי זאת. ואחרים אמרו הראה שתעלהו לעולה כמו "והשקית אותם יין" (ירמי' לה ב) והוצרכו אלה הגאונים לפי' האלה, כי יאמרו לא יתכן אחר שיצוה השם מצוה שיאמר אח"כ לא תעשינה והנה לא שמו על לב הבכורים שהחליפם בלוים אחר שנה ואחר שהכתוב אומר בתחלה "והאלהים נסה את אברהם" סרו כל הטענות והשם נסהו כדי שיקבל שכר
1THAT GOD DID PROVE ABRAHAM. Some say that the word nissah (did prove, tested) is a variation of nissa (lifted up),1 as prove is that it seemed to imply that God did not know what Abraham’s response to his request would be. They thus interpreted nissa as coming from nun, sin, alef, meaning lifted up; i.e., God exalted Abraham by showing him to be a paragon of absolute obedience to the Lord’s will. Cf. Bereshit Rabbah 80:55. with the sin replacing the samekh2 is spelled nun, samekh, heh ; nassah is spelled nun, sin, alef. and the heh replacing the alef.3 in nissah, like the alef in nasa, is silent. However, the plain meaning of the entire chapter contradicts this interpretation.4 means proved, tested, not exalted. The word nissah is thus to be taken literally. The philosophers teach that there are two kinds of knowledge, knowledge of events prior to their occurrence, and knowledge of what is presently in existence. The latter is the meaning of God did prove, and for now I know (v. 12).5 Saadiah Gaon says that did prove means that God tested Abraham in order to demonstrate his piety to mankind; furthermore, he interprets for now I know that thou art a God-fearing man (v. 12) to mean that now I have made known to all that thou art a God-fearing man. But didn’t Saadiah know that even Abraham’s young men were not present when he bound Isaac and placed him on the altar?6 Others say that and offer him there for a burnt offering is to be interpreted as: bring him up to the mountain; this will be considered as if you brought him up as a burnt offering.7) literally means bring him up. However, Abraham did not understand his prophetic vision8 and hurried to sacrifice Isaac. God then told him, “I did not ask you to slay Isaac.”Still others say that God told Abraham: act as if you were bringing him up as a burnt offering. We find a similar occurrence in connection with the prophet Jeremiah, who was commanded to Go unto the house of the Rechabites…and give them wine to drink (Jer. 35:2).9 he did not intend that Jeremiah actually make them drink. Similarly God’s intention was not that Abraham actually sacrifice Isaac. He wanted Abraham to make all the preparations necessary for the sacrifice, i.e., to bind Isaac, lay him on the altar, etc. He was to do everything as if he were offering him as a sacrifice. Now these geonim offered the above interpretations because they held that it is not possible that God would issue a command and then take it back.10 However, they overlooked the fact that God took the firstborn to serve Him and after a year replaced them with the Levites.11 In reality all questions are removed by Scripture’s first stating that God did prove Abraham.12 The reason God tested Abraham was in order to reward him.13.
בוטעם כי עתה ידעתי, כמו "ואם לא אדעה" (בראשית יח כא) ועוד אפרש סודו בפסוק "ידעתיך בשם" (שמות לג יב) אם יעזרני השם יודע הנסתרות:
2The meaning of for now I know that (v. 12) is the same as and if not, I will know (Gen. 18:21).14 I will also explain, if God who knows all hidden things will help me, the secret meaning of this term in my comments on I know thee by name (Ex. 33:12).
אאחד ההרים. שם נבנה הבית, וכן מפורש ויבן שלמה את הבית בהר המוריה (דה"ב ג א), ואיננו הר גבוה, ובו היה גורן ארונה:
1UPON ONE OF THE MOUNTAINS. The temple was later built on this mountain. This is explicitly stated in Scripture: So Solomon built the house on Mount Moriah.15 It was not a very tall mountain. The threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite was on it.
אויבקע עצי עולה. ושמם על החמור:
1AND HE CLEAVED THE WOOD FOR THE BURNT-OFFERING. And placed them on his ass.16
אביום השלישי. שיצא מבאר שבע
1ON THE THIRD DAY. That he set out from Beersheba.
אי"א איך אמר אברהם ונשובה, ואחרים ענו כי היה בדעתו להביא עצמותיו, ואברהם דחם בדברים כדי שלא יסורו עד שובו, ושלא ירגיש יצחק ויברח, ורז"ל אמרו שהיה יצחק כאשר נעקד בן שלשים ושבע שנים, ואם דברי קבלה נקבל ומדרך סברא אין זה נכון, שהיה ראוי שתהיה צדקת יצחק גלויה, ויהיה שכרו כפול משכר אביו שמסר עצמו ברצונו לשחיטה, ואין בכתוב מאומה על יצחק ואחרים אמרו שהי' בן חמש שנים, גם זה לא יתכן, בעבור שנשא עצי העולה והקרוב אל הדעת שהיה קרוב לי"ג שנים והכריחו אביו ועקדו שלא ברצונו, והעד שאביו הסתיר הסוד ממנו, ואמר "אלהים יראה לו השה" כי אילו אמר לו אתה העולה יתכן שיברח:
1Some ask, how could Abraham say, and (we will) come back to you (v. 5)?17 Others answer them by saying that Abraham intended to return with Isaac’s bones, and he disguised his intentions so that his young men would wait for him till he returned and Isaac would not know what was about to happen and flee.18 Our sages, of blessed memory, say that Isaac was thirty-seven years old at the time of his binding.19 56:11. If this be a tradition, we will accept it. However, from a strictly logical point of view it is unacceptable. If Isaac was an adult at this time, then his piety should have been revealed in Scripture and his reward should be double that of his father for willingly having submitted himself to be sacrificed. Yet Scripture says nothing concerning Isaac’s great self-sacrifice. Others say that Isaac was five years old at the time of his binding. This, too, is unacceptable, since Isaac carried the wood for the sacrificial pyre.20 It thus appears logical to assume that Isaac was close to thirteen years old and that Abraham overpowered him and bound him against his will. Proof of this can be seen from the fact that Abraham hid his intention from Isaac and told him, God will provide Himself the lamb for a burnt-offering, my son (v. 8). Abraham knew that if he said, “You are to be the burnt-offering,” Isaac would quite possibly have fled.
אאברהם אברהם. פעמים כמו בחפזון:
1ABRAHAM, ABRAHAM. The repetition of the name expresses urgency.
אאחר נאחז. אחר שנאחז בסבך בקרניו, ואם הוא חי"ת נאחז קמוץ אז תחסר מלת "היה" וכן טעמו אחר היותו נאחז ורבים כמוהו, וי"מ כי אחר דבק עם "וישא אברהם את עיניו" ואילו היה כן היה אחרי, אחר כן, או אחרי זאת כמשפט הלשון בכל מוכרת:
1BEHIND HIM A RAM CAUGHT IN THE THICKET. Abraham beheld a ram after (achar) it had been caught in the thicket by its horns.21. This is ungrammatical. I.E. suggests that it be interpreted as if written, achar she-ne’echaz (after it had been caught). J.P.S. renders achar (after) as behind him. If the chet of ne’echaz (caught) is vocalized with a kamatz, then the word “was” is missing from the text and the meaning of the phrase is, after it was yet caught in the thicket.22 (caught) is vocalized with a pattach. When ne’echaz is so vocalized it is a third person perfect, meaning it was caught. However, there are texts in which ne’echaz is vocalized with a kamatz. In this instance ne’echaz is a participle, meaning it is caught. If this be the case, then the word “was” has to be inserted in the text to make sense out of the verse, as “was” followed by a participle is proper Hebrew. There are many other similar instances.23 { Aboth 1:2), literally translated, he was saying; i.e., he used to say. Others say that achar is connected to And Abraham lifted up his eyes.24 (after) as being connected to caught. This new interpretation suggests that achar concludes the first clause in our verse. This is the opinion of Rashi and Onkelos. According to them our verse reads: And Abraham lifted up his eyes after this. But if this were so, the word achar would have been followed by ken or zot,25. 38 and Filwarg. Our text is probably corrupt. The word achar is always in the construct. When achar is not in the construct it is written, achar ken or achar zot. Hence our verse should read achar ken. Since it does not, achar cannot be connected to the preceding clause but rather to what follows. as is the case whenever the word achar (after) indicates a pause.
אוטעם בהר ד' יראה. באלה הדברים:
1[IN THE MOUNT WHERE THE LORD IS SEEN.] The meaning of this clause can be ascertained in my comments on These are the words (Deut. 1:1).26
אבי נשבעתי. זו היא השבועה הגדולה העומדת. לעד
1BY MYSELF HAVE I SWORN. By Myself indicates a great and eternal oath.27
ביען מטעם ענה, זה המעשה יענה ויעיד:
2BECAUSE. Ya’an (because) is similar in meaning to anah (testify or bear witness).28 is spelled yod, ayin, nun ; anah is spelled alef, nun, heh. Anah means to respond, answer, bear witness. The meaning of the term is: this act will testify and bear witness.29 is, what is going to happen will bear witness that, etc. Cf. I.E.’s comments on Is. 7:15 and Friedlander’s comment thereto.
אשער אויביו. מדינות בעלות שערים:
1THE GATE OF HIS ENEMIES. Cities surrounded by walls having gates.
אעקב. שכר באחרית:
1BECAUSE. Ekev (because) means a reward that is granted at the end.30 means heel. The heel is the bottom of a person; hence it means the reward ultimately given (at the end) for a deed (Krinsky, Weiser, Cherez). Thus the clause should be rendered: as a reward for thou hast harkened to my voice.
אוישב אברהם. ולא הזכיר יצחק, כי הוא ברשותו והאומר ששחטו ועזבו, ואח"כ חיה אמר הפך הכתוב:
1SO ABRAHAM RETURNED. Isaac is not mentioned because he was under Abraham’s care. Those who say that Abraham slaughtered Isaac and left him on the altar and following this Isaac came to life are contradicting Scripture.31
אילדה מלכה. להזכיר יחס רבקה:
1BEHOLD, MILKAH, SHE ALSO HATH BORNE. This is stated to inform us of Rebekah’s pedigree.32