Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah
Ibn Ezra on Genesis 45:26/אבן עזרא על בראשית מ״ה:כ״ו
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).