Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah
Ibn Ezra on Genesis 49:20/אבן עזרא על בראשית מ״ט:כ׳
אמאשר. י"א כי המ"ם נוסף, והנכון בעיני שמארץ אשר יבא לחם ושמן, ופה לחם לשון נקבה וכן בית ומקום ויד ואש ועין ורוח וארץ וארון ועם,
1AS FOR ASHER. Some say that the mem of me-asher (as for Asher) is superfluous.128 prefixed to their names (Weiser). Our verse should thus be translated: Asher, his bread shall be fat. However, I believe that what our clause means is: from the land of Asher “fat bread” will come.129. 38 which reads lechem shamen. Our texts have lechem va-shemen (bread and oil). However, this reading is incorrect in view of I.E.’s interpretation of shemenah as being an adjective of lechem. See next note. According to this interpretation the mem prefixed to Asher is a preposition meaning from. Bread in our verse is in the feminine.130 (his bread shall be fat). Shemenah is a feminine, the masculine being shamen. In other places lechem is in the masculine, i.e., Num. 4:7; I Sam. 9:7. We find the same to be the case with the words house,131 (house) is masculine in Deut. 22:8 and feminine in II Kings 15:5. place,132 (place) is masculine in Gen. 1:9 and feminine in Job 20:9. hand,133 (hand) is masculine in Ezek. 2:9 and feminine in Ex. 14:31. Yad is generally feminine. fire,134 (fire) is masculine in Ps. 104:4 and feminine in Num. 16:35. eye,135 (eye) is masculine in Prov. 4:25 and feminine in Gen. 3:7. Ayin is generally feminine. wind,136 (wind) is masculine in Job 1:19 and feminine in Gen. 1:2. land,137 is masculine in Is. 9:18 and feminine in Gen. 1:2. Eretz is generally feminine. chest138 (chest) is masculine in Num. 10:33 and feminine in I Sam. 4:17. It is generally masculine. and people.139 (people) is masculine in Gen. 11:6 and feminine in Ex. 5:16. Am is usually masculine.
בוטעם מעדני מלך ידוע, וכן אמר משה "וטובל בשמן רגלו" (דבר' לג כד):
2[ROYAL DAINTIES.] The meaning of ma’adanne melekh (royal dainties) is known.140 (and he shall yield royal dainties) is that Asher will provide kings with food for their enjoyment. He will do so because his land is very fertile and produces the choicest foods (Cherez). Moses similarly said concerning Asher, And let him dip his foot in oil (Deut. 33:24).141