Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah

Ibn Ezra on Genesis 44/אבן עזרא על בראשית מ״ד

אגביעי. כוס:

1MY GOBLET. Gavi’a (goblet) means a cup.

אוהוא נחש ינחש בו. הוא נסה אתכם בו לדעת אם אתם גנבים, כמו "נחשתי" (בראשית ל, כז) וכן "כי נחש ינחש" (בראשית מד טו), וטעמו למה לא פחדתם, כי לנסותכם שמתי גביע הכסף לפניכם, והעלמתי עיני עד שתקחוהו, ויאמר ר' יונה כי פי' "בו" בעבורו, וכן הוא טעמו, והוא ישאל למנחשים בעבורו, גם כי נחש ינחש כי איש כמוני יש לי מנחשים, וי"א כי הגביע היה מצויר ובו היה מסתכל לפני אחיו ואומר זה הוא הגדול וזה נולד אחריו:

1AND WHEREBY HE INDEED DIVINETH. He used this cup to test you to see if you are thieves.¹ Nachesh (divineth) in our verse is similar to nichashti (I have observed the signs) (Gen. 30:27).² to mean divines. Weiser explains I.E.’s comment on our verse as meaning tested by divination. However, this is not what I.E. seems to be saying. I.E. was apparently inconsistent. This is also the explanation of know ye not that such a man as I will indeed divine (v. 15).³ Its meaning is, why were you not afraid to steal my goblet? I placed the goblet before you to test you. I looked aside and you stole it.⁴ in ve-hu nachesh yenachesh bo (and whereby he indeed divineth) means whereby, the meaning of the aforementioned being, and whereby he indeed tests. However, Rabbi Jonah says that bo (whereby) means for it. He interprets nachesh yenachesh bo as: he would indeed inquire of diviners for it. Similarly the meaning of I will indeed divine (v. 15) is: a man in my position has diviners. Some say that the cup had designs on it and that Joseph looked at the cup in the presence of his brothers and announced which of them was the oldest and which one was born next.⁵ 92:5. The point being and whereby he divineth and I will indeed divine are to be taken literally. Joseph, of course, did not practice magic. However, his servants and his brothers had no way of knowing this. Also according to this interpretation bo means whereby.

אטי"ת נצטדק. תחת תי"ו התפעל בעבור הצדי"ק:

1[CLEAR OURSELVES.] There is a tet in place of the tav of the hitpa’el conjugation in the word nitztaddak (clear ourselves) because the first root letter is a tzadi.

בהאלהים מצא. על דרך משל, כי עון היה לנו וכאלו נשכח ואיננו והיום נמצא,

2GOD HAS FOUND OUT THE INIQUITY OF THY SERVANTS. They spoke by way of parable.⁶ is God, as it were, found (Krinsky). We committed a sin and it was, as it were, lost and long forgotten, but found today.

גאו יהיה פי' עון עבדיך, כמו גדול עוני מנשוא (בראשית ד' יג):

3Or the iniquity of thy servants means the punishment of thy servants, as in My iniquity is greater than I can bear (Gen. 4:13).⁷) at times has the meaning of punishment.

אויגש. כי כמוך כפרעה. אתה כמלך והמלך כמוך, וכן כל שני כפי"ן שהן זה אחר זה, כמו "כעמי כעמך" (מ"ב ג ז) והיא דרך קצרה:

1FOR THOU ART EVEN AS PHARAOH. Ki kha-mokha ke-faro means: thou art as the king⁸ and the king is as you. This is true in all instances where two cafs are prefixed to two words following each other.⁹. Compare, ke-ammi khe-ammekha (my people as thy people) (II Kings 3:7).¹⁰ (my people as thy people) which means my people as thy people and thy people as my people. The use of two cafs in this manner is an abridged form.¹¹ is short for thou art as Pharaoh and Pharaoh is as you.

אאב זקן. כי הגדול שבכולם הוא בן מ"ה שנים ויתכן להיות אביהם בחור:

1WE HAVE A FATHER, AN OLD MAN. They indicated that their father was an old man because he could have been a relatively young man in view of the fact that the oldest among them was only 45 years old.¹²

אואשימה עיני עליו. שאראה אותו:

1THAT I MAY SET MINE EYES UPON HIM. That I may see him.¹³ may be interpreted to mean, that I will take care of him, as in Jer. 24:6 and 39:12, hence I.E.’s comment. See also Nahmanides.

אועזב את אביו ומת. ולמה לא הביא המזכיר החמשה שאין להם הכרע, כמו "וישלוף נעלו" (רות ד ח), וזה עמהם:

1FOR IF HE SHOULD LEAVE HIS FATHER, HIS FATHER WOULD DIE. Why didn’t the one who lists the five undecided verses¹⁴ 92a,b) lists five verses wherein it is impossible to determine concerning what or of whom the verse speaks. Our verse and Ruth 4:8 are not included. I.E. asks, why not. It should be noted that according to Nahmanides’ reading, I.E. explains that the “he” in he would die refers to Jacob. In that case I.E. only questions why Ruth 4:8 is not included in Isi ben Judah’s list. not include our verse and And he drew off his shoe (Ruth 4:8) among them.¹⁵ refers to Boaz or the near kinsman.

אאך טרף טרף. והעד כי לא ראיתיו עד הנה:

1SURELY HE IS TORN IN PIECES. Proof of which is, And I have not seen him since.