Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah
Ibn Ezra on Genesis 3:23/אבן עזרא על בראשית ג׳:כ״ג
אוישלחהו. כל שלוח ואחריו מ"ם כמו גרוש והוא לגנאי כמו שלח מעל פני (ירמי' טו א), ולא כאשר אמר חכם גדול ספרדי שהוא לשון כבוד, כמו הולך. עמם לשלחם (בראשית יח טז), וכמו וישלחהו וילך בשלום (ש"ב ג כג), שאם כן יהיה כבוד האדמה גדל מכבוד גן עדן, ואם אמר למה נכתב "ויגרש את האדם" אם פירושו וישלחהו ויגרשהו, כן פירושו כאשר גרשו השכין את הכרובים
1THEREFORE THE LORD GOD SENT HIM FORTH. When the word shelach (sent forth) is followed by a mem, it has a negative connotation and means banished, as in cast them out (shalach) of My sight (Jer. 15:1). The great Spanish scholar who interpreted sent him forth in our verse in a positive way, as in and Abraham went with them to bring them (le-shallecham) on the way (Gen. 18:16), and in and he hath sent him away (va-yeshallechehu), and he is gone in peace (II Sam. 3:23), erred. For if he was right then the place Adam was going to was a better place than the Garden of Eden. If this sage should ask, if the meaning of sent him forth is he banished him, then why does Scripture go on to say, So He drove out the man (v. 24)?67 means drove out, then Scripture is being redundant. The answer is that when man was driven from the garden (v. 4), God placed the cherubim at the east of the Garden of Eden.68
בומלת כרובים י"א כנערים, תרגום ארמית כרביא. ולפי דעתי שהיא מלת לל צורות כולם. ויחזקאל שאמר בתחלה ופני שור לא, התחלפה הצורה, שהעגל לא נעשה בימיו, ואח"כ באמרו פני הכרוב (יחז' יו"ד, יד) בה"א הידיעה הצורה צורת שור כאלו אמר הצורה שהזכרתי בתחלה על כן כל צורת שור כרוב, ואין כל כרוב צורת שור, והראייה הגמורה שאמר באחרונה "כי כרובים המה" (שם שם פסוק כ), ופה אמר הכרובים והם המלאכים הידועים, ובידם חרב יש לה להט ולה שתי פיות, וזה פי' המתהפכת, והמפרשים שאומרים כי על השמש דבר איננו אמת:
2[THE CHERUBIM.] Some say that cherubim means like images of youths,69 13b. The Talmud says that the Hebrew word keruv is like the Aramaic ke-ravyah, ke (like), ravyah (a child). which is the translation of the Aramaic ke-ravyah. However, I believe that the word is a general term for any image. Ezekiel, who first says that he saw the image of an ox (Ezek. 1:10) and later speaks of a cherub (Ezek. 10:14), refers to one and the same image. The image was not changed from that of an ox to that of a cherub because an ox would be a reminder of the sin of the golden calf, as this sin was not committed in Ezekiel’s day.70 13b states, “One verse says…and they had the face of an ox (Ezek. 1:10). Elsewhere it is written…the face of a cherub (Ezek. 10:14). Resh Lakish said: Ezekiel entreated concerning it and changed it into a cherub. He said before Him, Lord of the Universe, shall an accuser become an advocate.” I.E. notes that the Talmudic interpretation is not in keeping with the literal meaning of the Bible. When Ezekiel speaks of the cherub (10:14) he has in mind the image he had mentioned previously (the image of an ox in 1:10). Therefore every image of an ox is a cherub, but not every cherub is an image of an ox. Proof of this is that Ezekiel refers to all images that he had seen as cherubim (10:20).71 Our verse speaks of the cherubim, which implies the cherubim known to all, i.e., angels.72 They had a flaming two-edged sword in their hands. The meaning of which turned every way is that the sword had two edges. Those who say that the flaming sword refers to the sun are incorrect.73