Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah
Ibn Ezra on Genesis 33:5/אבן עזרא על בראשית ל״ג:ה׳
אמי אלה לך. מי אלה עמך או מי אלה שלך הם:
1WHO ARE THESE WITH THEE. Mi eleh lakh can be interpreted as meaning who are these with thee, or who are these who are yours.4 can be interpreted as meaning immekha (with you) or shellekha (yours). Esau knew that these women and children belonged to Jacob. What he wanted to know was their relationship to him; were they servants or children (Cherez).
בחנן. כמו נתן, וכמוהו "חנונו אותם", (שופ' כא כב), גם חנן כמו הם:
2GRACIOUSLY GIVEN. Chanan means gave graciously.5 usually means to show favor to, to be gracious to. Hence I.E. explains that here chanan means gave graciously. Grant them graciously (channunu) unto us (Jud. 21:22) is similar.6 has the meaning of to graciously give. The word chinnam7. 38. Most of the printed texts have chanan. This reading is impossible to interpret. I.E.’s point is that chinnam comes from the root chet, nun, nun and means something gotten gratis (Filwarg, Weiser). (gratuitously) comes from the same root.8 and chinnam both come from the root chet, nun, nun. See note 7.