Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah
Ibn Ezra on Genesis 36:31/אבן עזרא על בראשית ל״ו:ל״א
אואלה המלכים. י"א כי בדרך נבואה נכתבה זאת הפרשה, ויצחקי אמר בספרו כי בימי יהושפט נכתבה זאת הפרשה, ופי' הדורות כרצונו, הכי קרא שמו יצחק, כל השומע יצחק לו כי אמר כי הדר הוא הדד האדומי, ואמר כי מהיטבאל אחות תחפנחס, וחלילה חלילה שהדבר כמו שדבר על ימי יהושפט, וספרו ראוי להשרף, ולמה תמה על שמונה מלכים שמלכו שהם רבים, והנה מלכי ישראל כפלים במספר, ושני אלה המלכים קרובים לשני מלכי ישראל גם מלכי יהודה רבים הם ממלכי אדום עד ימי משה והאמת שפי' לפני מלך מלך על משה מלך ישראל, וכן כתוב ויהי בישורון מלך (דבר' לג ה):
1AND THESE ARE THE KINGS. Some say that this chapter records a prophecy.33. Saul was Israel’s first king. Thus our chapter appears to deal with the post Mosaic period. These commentaries explain that Moses wrote our chapter as prophecy. However, Yitzchaki34 claims in his book that this chapter was composed during the reign of King Jehoshaphat.35 He explained the generations as he saw fit. Was he not rightly named Yitzchak?36 Everyone that heareth his interpretation will laugh at him.37 For he identified Hadar (v. 39) with Hadad the Edomite (I Kings 11:14)38 and also said that Mehetabel (v. 39) is to be identified with the sister of Tahpenes the queen of Egypt.39 Far be it for one to believe that our chapter was written in the days of Jehoshaphat as Yitzchaki maintains. Indeed his book is fit to be burned. Why did Yitzchaki maintain that it is impossible for eight Edomite kings to have reigned before Moses40 13a). We thus subtract 17 from 210 and we get 193 (Cherez). when we find double the number of kings in Israel in about the same number of years?41., v. 13). Thus Israel had 16 kings in 241 years. Why, then, is it so hard to believe that eight Edomite kings reigned in 193 years (Krinsky)? Cherez explains that the first 16 kings of Israel reigned 210 years. Thus Israel had 16 kings in 210 years. Furthermore, there were also proportionally many more kings of Judah in the same time period than the eight Edomite kings who reigned till the age of Moses.42 The truth is that king, in before there reigned any king over the children of Israel, refers to Moses who was king over Israel, and so it is written, And there was a king in Jeshurun (Deut. 33:5).