Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah

Ibn Ezra on Genesis 24:62/אבן עזרא על בראשית כ״ד:ס״ב

אבא מבוא. שם מקום יקרא בב' שמות וי"א בא מבוא מבפנים וכן יפרשו "סוגר כל בית מבוא" (ישעי' כד י) והישר בעיני שהוא שם הפועל, וכן טעמו, בא מבוא באר לחי:

1AND ISAAC CAME FROM THE WAY OF BEER-LAHAI-ROI. Beer-lahai-roi has two names.⁶². If the Bible meant Isaac came from Beer-lahai-roi it should have read, ba mi-be’er-la-chai-ro’i. The word mi-bo thus presents a problem. This interpretation suggests that the verse be translated: Isaac came from Bo-beer-lahai-roi, the latter being a combination of both names (Cherez). Others say that ba mi-bo (came from the way) means came from the inside of.⁶³ means from inside. They explain our verse to mean that Isaac came from inside (mi-bo) of Beer-lahai roi. The latter was a town in which the well by that name was located. The town took the name of the well. Isaac had some business in this town and was leaving it when he met Rebekah (Weiser). They similarly explain the word mi-bo in Every house is shut up, that none may come in (mi-bo) (Is. 24:10). However, I believe that mi-bo is an infinitive⁶⁴ (come) plus the prepositional mem. Thus mi-bo means from the way. and ba mi-bo be’er-la-chai-ro’i means came from the way leading to Beer-lahai-roi.⁶⁵

בוהוא יושב. כי בימים ההם שם היה דר והוא בפאת נגב מארץ ישראל:

2FOR HE DWELT IN THE LAND OF THE SOUTH. For at the time he dwelt there (in the Negev). The latter is in the southern part of the land of Israel.⁶⁶