Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah

Ibn Ezra on Genesis 49:17/אבן עזרא על בראשית מ״ט:י״ז

אודמהו ברוב גבורתו לנחש. גם יתכן להיות פי' שפיפון מגזרת הוא ישופך ראש (בראשית ג, טו), והטעם כפול:

1[A SERPENT.] Jacob compared Dan in his strength to a serpent.¹¹³ It is also possible that shefifon (a horned snake) comes from the same root as yeshufekha (they shall bruise thy) in they shall bruise thy (yeshufekha) head (Gen. 3:15).¹¹⁴ means a snake. It is so called because it bruises (Krinsky). According to this interpretation shefifon ale orach (a horned snake in the path) means the same as nachash ale derech (a serpent in the way).