Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah

Ibn Ezra on Genesis 45/אבן עזרא על בראשית מ״ה

אלהתאפק. לסבול:

1REFRAIN HIMSELF. Le-hitappek (refrain himself) means to bear.

בלכל הנצבים עליו. טעמו, עד שיצאו כל הנצבים עליו, והוצרך לקרוא להוציאם:

2BEFORE ALL THEM THAT STOOD BY HIM. Its meaning is, until all that stood by him left. Joseph was therefore compelled to call and have them withdrawn.¹

אבִבְכִי. במקום הפסקא וכמוהו "ראה עֳנִי (איכה ג, א):

1AND HE WEPT ALOUD. The word reads bi-vechi (wept) even though it is a pausal.² beneath the first bet and a segol beneath the second bet. Our word is vocalized chirik, sheva (Weiser). Oni (affliction) in I am the man that hath seen affliction (oni) (Lam. 3:1) is similar.³ in Lam. 3:1 is vocalized with a chataf kamatz even though it is a pausal. At such times the word is usually vocalized with a cholam. Cf. Deut. 16:3. We thus see that Scripture occasionally vocalizes a pausal as a non pausal.

אכי האלהים. שלחני:

1BUT GOD. Sent me.

בלאב. טעמו למורה וכן "אבי כל תופש" (בראשית ד כא):

2A FATHER. A teacher. Father in he was the father of all such as handle the harp and pipe (Gen. 4:21) is similar.⁴

אפן תורש. כמו תכרת, וכן להוריש גוים (דבר' ד לה):

1LEST THOU COME TO POVERTY. Tivvaresh (come to poverty) means thou be cut off. Le-horish in to drive out (le-horish) nations (Deut. 4:38) is similar.⁵, which usually means to inherit, can also mean to cut off, to destroy. I.E. renders Deut. 4:38 to destroy nations. He renders our verse, lest thou be destroyed (cut off).

אכי פי. ידוע, כי פה מוכרת וכאשר יהיה סמוך ישוב הה"א הנעלם ליו"ד נעלם, כמו "פי צדיק" (תהלים לז ל) גם כן לשון רבים, ופי רשעים (משלי יוד, יא) ובהתחבר זה היו"ד עם יו"ד סימן המדבר חסרו האחד, כמו "כי פי המדבר", והטעם שהיה מדבר בלשונם עמם בלא מליץ:

1THAT IT IS MY MOUTH. It is well known that peh (mouth) spelled peh, heh is in the absolute. However, when it appears in the construct the silent heh⁶ in peh is not sounded. changes to a silent yod,⁷ becomes pi (my mouth) or fi when the rules of grammar call for the omission of the dagesh. I.E. refers to the yod following a chirik as a silent yod. as in The mouth of (pi) the righteous (Ps. 37:30). The same form (pi) is also used for the plural, as in But the mouth (pi) of the wicked (Prov. 10:11).⁸ (wicked) is in the plural. Thus the mouth of the wicked should be rendered, the mouths of the wicked men (Cherez). Now when the yod that takes the place of the heh comes together with the yod of the first person pronominal suffix, one of the yods is dropped,⁹, one yod serving as the first person pronominal suffix and the other substituting for the heh. However, one yod is dropped to simplify enunciation. Thus pi can mean either my mouth or mouth of. as in my mouth (fi) that speaketh. The meaning of my mouth that speaketh unto you is: I speak directly to you in Hebrew without the use of an interpreter.

אצוארי. ימצא לשון רבים ויחיד, ועם תוספות נו"ן אכן האל"ף לא נעדר:

1NECK. Scripture employs both the plural and singular forms for the neck.¹⁰. Cf. Is. 8:8 and Jer. 28:10; tzavvare is a plural. However, the plural is occasionally also used for the singular when this noun is employed. We also find the word for neck spelled with a nun.¹¹ (thy neck) in Cant. 4:9. However, its alef is never dropped.¹² in tzavveronayikh. Filwarg suggests that in I.E.’s copy of the Bible tzavveronayikh had an alef. Also, Kimchi in his book of roots says that tzavveronayikh is spelled with an alef. Weiser suggests that what I.E. means is that tzavveronayikh should have been written with an alef but for some reason it was dropped.

אטענו. שימו משא ומטעני חרב (ישעי' יד יט) קרוב ממנו:

1LADE. Ta’anu means load. The word meto’ane in thrust through (meto’ane) with the sword (Is. 14:19) is close in meaning to it.¹³ to meto’ane; therefore he connects meto’ane with an Arabic word meaning pierced.

בבעירכם. בהמתכם וכן "אנחנו ובעירנו" (במדבר כ, ד):

2BEASTS. Be’irekhem means your cattle. Be’irenu in we and our cattle (u-ve-irenu) (Num. 20:4) is similar.

אחלב הארץ. כמו שומן:

1THE FAT OF THE LAND. Its meaning is shuman ha’aretz (fat of the land).¹⁴ (fat), it follows that the fat of the land is a metaphor for the best of the land (Weiser).

אחליפות שמלות. מלבושים אין זה כמו זה והפחות שתים:

1CHANGES OF RAIMENT. Two garments, each different from the other, two being the minimum for a plural.¹⁵ (changes of raiment) is in the plural. The minimum of the plural is two. Hence two garments are implied. Had Scripture intended more than two their number would have been listed, as in the case of Benjamin. Chalifot (changes) implies each garment was different from the other. He didn’t give them two identical garments (Cherez).

אוטעם כזאת. מחליפות שמלות מהטובות שהיו במצרים:

1[IN LIKE MANNER.] That is, of the finest changes of raiment¹⁶ (in like manner) not only applies to what follows but also to what comes before, viz., garments (Weiser). Or ke-zot applies only to what comes before; i.e., the verse is to be understood: And to his father he sent in like manner ten asses laden with the good things of Egypt, viz., the finest changes of raiment that were found in Egypt (Cherez). that were found in Egypt.

בבר. דגן:

2CORN. Bar (corn) means grain.

גולחם. כמשמעו:

3AND BREAD. That is to be taken literally.¹⁷ (bread) can mean food, hence I.E.’s comment.

דומזון. אפונים ופול ועדשים ודחן וכסמין ותאנים וצמוקים ותמרים, כי אלה לבדם הם מזון חוץ מדגן ושעורה:

4AND VICTUAL. The term mazon (victual) refers to peas, beans, lentils, millet, spelt, figs, raisins and dates, for only these, excluding wheat¹⁸ (grain) but he means wheat (Weiser). and barley, are termed mazon.¹⁹ but bar (Krinsky, Filwarg).

אוטעם אל תרגזו. שיכעום איש על אחיו בעבור מכירתו:

1[SEE THAT YE FALL NOT OUT BY THE WAY.] Don’t be angry with each other because of my being sold into slavery.²⁰ (fall out) as be angry (Cherez); i.e., don’t be angry and thus quarrel with each other, the idea being, don’t be angry that you sold me and thus quarrel with each other about who was responsible. It should be noted that in Ps. 4:5 I.E. renders rigzu as fear.

אויפג לבו. מגזרת "אל תתני פוגת לך" (איכה ב יח) והטעם שעמד לבו ודמם, כטעם "וימת לבו" (ש"א כה לז), כי לא האמין, ויהי כראותו העגלות ותחי רוחו, ואל תתמה על מלת ויפג, כי כן דרך הנביאים לדבר, כמו "ונשמה לא נשארה בי" (דניאל יו"ד יז):

1AND HIS HEART FAINTED. Va-yafag (fainted) comes from the same root as fugat²¹ in Give thyself no respite (fugat) (Lam. 2:18). It means his heart stopped and was still. It has the same meaning as and his heart died within him (I Sam. 25:37). Jacob reacted in this manner because he didn’t believe them.²² However, when he saw the wagons, his spirit revived. Do not be surprised at the term his heart stopped for it is the style of the prophets to speak in hyperbole. Compare, neither was there breath left in me (Dan. 10:17).

ארב עוד יוסף. רב לי זאת השמחה:

1IT IS ENOUGH; JOSEPH MY SON IS YET ALIVE. This happiness is enough for me.²³. I.E. suggests that enough is short for “this happiness is enough for me” (Weiser). What Jacob was saying was, I am not concerned with the fact that he is a ruler over Egypt; the fact that he is alive is joy enough for me (Krinsky). Cherez suggests rendering I.E., I have great happiness since Joseph is yet alive.