Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah
Ibn Ezra on Genesis 47:19/אבן עזרא על בראשית מ״ז:י״ט
אואל תתמה שיאמר לשון מות על האדמה כי הפך זה "ואתה מחיה את כולם" (נחמי' ט, ו):
1[WHEREFORE SHOULD WE DIE…BOTH WE AND OUR LAND.] One should not be surprised that the Bible employs the term death to the land. We also find the reverse in Thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all things that are thereon…and Thou givest them all life (Neh. 9:6).13
בתשם. מגזרת "והבמות תישמנה" (יחז' ו ו), ומשקלו תדע, מצאנו בדרש כי נסתלק הרעב בזכות יעקב, ויתכן שהיה הרעב שלש שנים, ולא הי' כמו הארבעה שעברו:
2BE NOT DESOLATE. Tesham (be desolate) comes from the same root as tishamenah in and the high places shall be desolate (tishamenah) (Ezek. 6:6). Tesham follows the paradigm of teda (she will know).14 is yod, shin, mem (Filwarg). The yod drops out and the letters prefixed to the root which indicate that the word is an imperfect are vocalized with a tzere, as in the case of the imperfect of the word yada from the root yod, dalet, ayin. The Midrash tells us that the hunger ceased because of Jacob’s merit.15 89:11. See also Tosephta, Sotah 10, “Before Jacob came down to Egypt there was a famine there…after he came there Scripture tells us, Then Joseph said unto the people…Lo, here is seed for you, and ye shall sow the land. And it shall come to pass at the ingatherings (Gen. 47:23-24), which indicates that the famine ceased.” However, it is possible that the hunger lasted for seven years but that it was less intense in the final three years than during the first four years.16. 38 has the reading: “The Midrash tells us that the hunger ceased because of Jacob’s merit. This is possible. It is also possible that the hunger continued during the last three years of the famine but that it was less intense than during the first four years.” According to Weiser, I.E. is of the opinion that Joseph’s collection of the money (v. 14 and 15); of the cattle (v. 16 and 17); and of buying the land (v. 18 and 19) took place successively during the last three years of the famine and that it eased during these years. For another interpretation see Filwarg, Weiser and Krinsky.