Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah
Ibn Ezra on Genesis 30:32/אבן עזרא על בראשית ל׳:ל״ב
אעקדים. ברגל והטעם שומה שעקדה הרגל:
1STREAKED.39 are found in Gen. 31:10. I.E. inserted it here because he wanted to clarify the type of marks that the Bible refers to before proceeding to comment on the account of Jacob’s hire. The streak was on the animal’s foot. Akuddim (streaked) refers to a cord-like mark that bound the foot40 means to bind. Akuddim is a mark resembling a cord going around the foot of the animal at the place where it is normally bound. This is what I.E. means by “a mark that bound the foot.”
בונקדים. שיש בו נקדות נקדות:
2SPECKLED. Nekuddim means speckled.
גוברודים. מגזרת ברד שיש לו שומות לבנות,
3GRIZZLED. Beruddim (grizzled) comes from the same root as barad (hail). It means having white spots.41
דומלת טלוא שם כלל והוא מגזרת "בלות ומטולאית" (יהושע ט ה), והטעם כמו שומית וטעם כל שה נקוד וטליא תיש, וכן כתוב "שה כשבים ושה עזים" (דברים יד ד) ואחר ששם טלוא כלל, הנה פי' כל תיש נקוד ועקוד וברוד:
4[SPOTTED.] Talu is a general term for all type of spots.42 It comes from the same root as u-metulla’ot (and clouted) in and worn shoes and clouted (u-metulla’ot) upon their feet (Josh. 9:5).43. The meaning of u-metulla’ot is marked.44 is a general term for spotted. The term seh (v. 32), refers to he-goats.45 refers to he-goats because the sheep were not speckled and spotted but were chum (dark) and the she-goats are mentioned in the final part of the verse. Hence seh must refer to he-goats (Cherez). It is similarly written the sheep (seh kevasim) and the goat (seh izim) (Deut. 14:4).46 can thus apply to both goats and sheep. In the first part of our verse it applies to he-goats. Now since talu (spotted) is a general term for all type of spots, the meaning of every speckled and spotted (talu) one is: every he-goat speckled, streaked and grizzled.47 means speckled and talu includes the other types of spots, i.e., a mark around the ankle, akuddim (streaked), and hail like spots, beruddim.
הוכל שה חום. הוא השחרות, ויתכן שנקרא השחרות כן מפני החום כי השחרות יותר חום מן הלבן:
5AND EVERY DARK ONE AMONG THE SHEEP. Chum means black. It is possible that chum means black because it is affected by heat (chom), for a black object gets hotter than a white object.48
ווטלוא ונקוד בעזים. עקוד וברוד ונקוד:
6AND THE SPOTTED AND SPECKLED AMONG THE GOATS. Streaked, grizzled and speckled.