Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah
Ibn Ezra on Genesis 3:14/אבן עזרא על בראשית ג׳:י״ד
אארור. לנחש שיהי' חייו קצרים, והנכון שיהי' חסר בהליכתו.
1CURSED. The serpent was cursed with a short life.36 refers to the serpent’s life span. However, the correct interpretation is that the serpent was cursed in manner of locomotion.37 refers to the serpent’s means of locomotion.
בעל גחונך, החזה ולא נדע אם הנו"ן שרש כאדון או נוסף כזדון, והאומר שנקרא כן בעבור הרוח שיגיח ממנו זה דרך דרש, וכן אמרו על גיחון גם פישון מגזרת כי תפושו (ירמי' נ יא) גם פרת מגזרת פרו ורבו, והנה הנהר הגדול הוא חדקל עמד בפניהם ולא יכלו לעבור ויאמרו שתי מלות הן, שהמים חדים וקלים:
2UPON THY BELLY. Gechonekha (thy belly) means thy chest. We cannot determine if the nun of gakhon (thy belly) is part of the root of this word, as the nun of adon (lord) is, or if it is a paradigm nun like the nun of zadon (insolence).38 (insolence) comes from the root zayin, vav, dalet; therefore the nun of zadon is not part of its root. Those who say that gakhon is so called because of the air that rushes forth from it39, meaning to burst forth. They explained Gihon to mean the dashing river, Perat as the river whose waters are fruitful and multiply, and Pishon as the gamboling river. are indulging in homiletics. They similarly explain Gihon (Gen. 2:13). They also say that Pishon (Gen. 2:11) comes from the same root as tafushu (ye gambol) in Because ye gambol (tafushu) as a heifer (Jer. 50:11). Also, they say that Perat (the Euphrates, Gen. 2:14) comes from the same roots as Be fruitful (peru), and multiply (u-revu) (Gen. 1:28). But they are unable to cross the great river, the Chiddeckel (the Tigris) (Gen. 1:28), which stood before them.40 They decided that it is made up of two words, chad (swift) and kal (light), and means the river whose waters are swift and light.