Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah

Ibn Ezra on Genesis 34:14/אבן עזרא על בראשית ל״ד:י״ד

אחרפה. לדורות וזה טעם כי נבלה עשה בישראל,

1A REPROACH. It will be a reproach for generations.⁵ This is the meaning of because he had wrought a vile deed in Israel (v. 7).⁶

בוטעם וידברו אשר טמא, וידברו את שכם אשר טמא אחותם, כי מצאנו "דברו לשלום" (בראשית לז ד) כמו דבר לו, או טעם "אשר" כי ענו במרמה בעבור אשר טמא:

2[13. AND SPOKE BECAUSE HE HAD DEFILED.] And spoke to Shechem who had (asher) defiled their sister.⁷ which literally means: and they spoke who had defiled Dinah their sister. This makes no sense. Hence I.E. points out that Shechem, who is mentioned in the first part of the verse (et shechem), is also the object here. We should thus read it as if it were written: va-yedabberu et shechem asher timme et dinah achotam, viz., and spoke to Shechem who had defiled their sister. It should be noted that according to this interpretation, asher means who. We may interpret our verse in this manner because we find Scripture stating, dabbero le-shalom (Gen. 37:4), which is to be rendered: speak peaceably unto him (Gen. 37:4).⁸ is grammatically similar to dabbero. For an explanation of their linguistic similarity see Filwarg. See also notes to Gen. 37:4. For alternate interpretations see Weiser, Cherez and Krinsky. On the other hand asher may mean because. In this case the Bible is telling us that they answered with guile because (asher) he had defiled Dinah their sister.⁹

גאשר לו עולה. ערלת בשר וטעמו דבר שיכבד וכן "ערל שפתים" (שמות ו יב), "ערלה אזנם" (ירמיה ו י) בעבור הנוסף, והאומרים שהשם אמר לאברהם "והיה תמים" (בראשית יז א) ובהמולו הנה הוא חסר, הדבר הפוך, והנה הבהמות יוכיחו, ואם אמרו למה נחתך דבר בראו השם גם הטבור יוכיח:

3TO ONE THAT IS UNCIRCUMCISED. One whose sexual member is uncircumcised.¹⁰, hence I.E.’s interpretation. The meaning of the term orlah (uncircumcised) is something which is heavy. Aral (uncircumcised), in uncircumcised (aral) lips (Ex. 6:12), and arelah (dull), in their ear is dull (arelah) (Jer. 6:10), are similar. An orlah is something which lays heavy because it is an unnecessary appendage.¹¹ Those who say that Abraham blemished himself by undergoing circumcision, and thereby violated God’s charge to him, and be thou whole (Gen. 17:1), err. The opposite is true.¹² Proof of this can be offered from the animal kingdom. ¹³ As to their query, why remove that which God created, we respond that God also created the umbilical cord.¹⁴