Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah
Ibn Ezra on Genesis 41:16/אבן עזרא על בראשית מ״א:ט״ז
אבלעדי. מלה אחת מורכבת משתי מלות והטעם שב אל תשמע חלום לפתור אותו, אמר יוסף בלעדי, פתרוני יענה אלהים את שלום פרעה וי"א כי טעמו בעבור שאמר לו כי אתה פותר חלום, אמר בלעדי, הוא הפותר, והוא אלהים שיענה את שלום המלך,
1IT IS NOT IN ME. Biladai (it is not in me) is a compound of two words.38 (not) and ade (unto). It is not in me refers to And I have heard say of thee that when thou hearest a dream thou canst interpret it (v. 15). When Joseph heard Pharaoh say this he replied, it is not in me, but God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace via my interpretation.39 (it is not in me) refer to. According to this explanation biladai refers to the power to interpret dreams. The power to interpret dreams is not in me, it comes from God (Cherez). Others say that when Joseph heard Pharaoh say, thou canst interpret dreams, Jospeh replied, I am not (it is not in me) the interpreter; God is, and He will give the king an answer of peace.40 means not I, and refers to the interpreter (Cherez). It should be noted that I.E. is vague and that Krinsky, Kaputa and others interpret differently.
בוטעם יענה שימציא תמיד, וכן "כי האלהים מענה בשמחת לבו" (קהלת ה יט) וכן "והארץ תענה" (הושע ב כד) והוא קרוב ממשמעו:
2[WILL GIVE AN ANSWER.] The meaning of ya’aneh (will give an answer) is, He will always provide. Compare, ma’aneh in for God answereth him (ma’aneh) in the joy of his heart (Eccles. 5:19), and ta’aneh in And the earth shall respond (ta’aneh) (Hos. 2:24). Nevertheless, the word is close to its primary meaning.41