Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah
Ibn Ezra on Genesis 44:5/אבן עזרא על בראשית מ״ד:ה׳
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.