Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah
Ibn Ezra on Genesis 47:13/אבן עזרא על בראשית מ״ז:י״ג
אותלה. על משקל ותתע (בראשית כא יד) כמתלהלה (משלי כו יח), כמו כמתעתע (בראשית כז יב) וטעמו כאדם שלא ידע מה יעשה:
1LANGUISHED. Va-telah (languished) follows the paradigm of va-teta (and strayed) (Gen. 21:14).5 is lamed, heh, heh. The root of va-teta is tav, ayin, heh. Both words drop the final root letter and are similarly vocalized. Similarly ke-mitlahle’ah (as a madman) (Prov. 26:18) is like ki-metate’ah (as a mocker) (Gen. 27:12).6 and tav ayin, tav ayin. Its meaning is, the land was like a person who has lost his wits.7 means crazed. Cf. I.E. on Prov. 26:18 and Kimchi on our verse.