Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah
Ibn Ezra on Genesis 49:22/אבן עזרא על בראשית מ״ט:כ״ב
אבן פורת יוסף. בן כמו סעיף והוא לשון נקבה וכן על בן אמצת לך (תהלים פ טז), ודקדוק פורת פועלת, כי על שני דרכים ימצא הפועל, כמו אֹיבֶיהָ, אֹיַבְתִי וכן פורה ופורת, מלשון "פוריה" (תהלים קכח ג) ויש מי שפי' אותה מלשון "ותשלח פארות" (יחז' יז ו), והזכיר בן פורת פֲעַמַיִם. כדרך אנשי לשון הקדש, "כי הנה אויביך ד', כי הנה אויביך" (תהלים צב י) והטעם פעם אחר פעם תמיד, ועל הפי' השני יהיה התי"ו תדת ח"א כתי"ו ושבת לנשיא (יחז' מו יז):
1JOSEPH IS A FRUITFUL VINE. Ben means a branch147 means a son. Metaphorically speaking, the branch is the son of the tree. Hence ben can also mean a branch (Cherez). and it is a feminine noun.148 is usually masculine. However, porat is feminine. Thus ben in ben porat yosef (Joseph is a fruitful branch) has to be feminine. If ben was masculine our phrase would read ben poreh yosef. Ben in And the branch (ben) that Thou madest strong for Thyself (Ps. 80:16) has a similar meaning. Grammatically speaking porat (fruitful) is a po’elet. A feminine singular participle can come in two paradigms,149 and po’elet, examples of which are oyevah and oyevet. A more common example would be kotevah and kotevet, or shomerah and shomeret. The translation follows Vat. Ebr. 38. Our texts have oyeveha and oyavti. The latter appears to be a scribal error (Weiser, Krinsky, Cherez). viz., oyevah and oyevet, and similarly porah and porat.150 is a po’alah and porat is a po’elet. The word porat is related to the word poriyyah (fruitful) (Ps. 128:3). There is a commentator who connects porat to the word porot (branches) in And brought forth branches (porot) (Ezek. 17:6).151 means a plant and porat a branch. According to this interpretation ben porat yosef means Joseph is a plant containing branches (Krinsky). The Bible repeats the phrase ben porot twice in succession, for that is Hebrew style. Compare, For, lo, Thine enemies, O Lord, For, lo, Thine enemies shall perish (Ps. 92:10). The repetition of a phrase indicates permanence. According to the second quoted interpretation152 is related to porot (in Ezek. 17:6) a tav has been substituted for a heh153. If porat means a branch then our verse should have read ben porah, since porah is the singular of porot (branches). Thus porat is a variation of porah. as in the case of the tav of ve-shavat (then it shall return) in then it shall return (ve-shavat) to the prince (Ezek. 46:17).154 instead of ve-shavat. Thus we see that a tav has been substituted for a heh.
בוטעם "בנות צעדה עלי שור". שיוסף היה כבן פרת, ועשה בנות, צעדה כל אחת ואחת מהן על החומה והטעם שגבהו מאוד על החומות הבצורות בנות צעדה, על דרך "זבובי מות יבאיש" (קהלת יו"ד א):
2[ITS BRANCHES RUN OVER THE WALL.] Joseph was as a fruitful vine. He gave birth to branches, each one of which ran over the wall; i.e., the branches were so tall that they ran over fortified walls.155 (wall) to mean a wall which serves a defensive purpose (Krinsky). Such walls are high and strong. I.E. is saying that the branches grew very high (Cohen) or that the branches were so tall that they needed a mighty wall to support them (Krinsky). Scripture here combines banot (branches) with tza’adah (run)156 is a noun in the plural, while tza’adah is a verb in the singular. If consistent, the text should read, banot tza’adu. I.E. explains that the combination of plural and singular means each one of the branches will run over the wall. in a manner similar to Dead flies (zevuve) make the ointment of the perfumer fetid (yavish) (Eccles. 10:1). 157 is in the plural and yavish is in the singular. The meaning of this verse is that each one of the dead flies makes the ointment of the perfumer fetid. Cf. I.E.’s comments on Eccles. 10:1.