Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah
Ibn Ezra on Genesis 25:25/אבן עזרא על בראשית כ״ה:כ״ה
איו"ד אדמוני. נוסף כיו"ד אכזרי,
1[RUDDY.] The yod of admoni (ruddy) is superfluous. It is similar to the yod of akhzari (cruel).46 and akhzari mean the same thing, cruel. Hence its yod is superfluous. Similarly admoni and admon mean the same thing and Scripture could have read admon.
בואין מלת כאדרת סמוכה רק טעמו כולו שער כאדרת, ועל דעת אחרים שהיא סמוכה:
2[LIKE A MANTLE.] Ke-adderet (like a mantle) is not in the construct with se’ar (hairy).47 (all over like a hairy mantle) but as kullo se’ar ke-adderet (all over hairy; like a mantle). In other words, kullo (all over) refers to se’ar (hairy) even though the word ke-adderet (like a mantle) separates the two (Krinsky). The verse is to be read as follows: all over hairy, like a mantle. However, others say that ke-adderet is in the construct with se’ar.48
גויקראו שמו. רואיו, ויתכן שפירושו מעשה בפני עצמו, ופליאה גדולה היתה זאת הלידה בעבור שכל בן אדם יוצא בשליא שהיא מכסה עליו, והנה שתי השליות נפתחו רגע אחד:
3AND THEY CALLED HIS NAME. Those who saw him called him thus. The name Esau possibly connotes a unique occurrence (ma’aseh).49, a participle meaning made, the idea being that Esau was born a complete man. Filwarg explains that Esau’s birth was a unique event (ma’aseh) in that unlike all other children he was born hairy. This birth was extremely wondrous. Every human being leaves the womb in a placenta which covers him.50 However, in this instance the two placentas opened simultaneously.51