Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah

Ibn Ezra on Genesis 49:9/אבן עזרא על בראשית מ״ט:ט׳

אגור אריה המשילו לגור אריה הקטן שהוא במין אריה כאשר יגדל, ואין בו כ"ף הדמות כמו ועיר פרא (איוב יא יב):

1JUDAH IS A LION’S WHELP. Jacob compared Judah to a small lion’s whelp, to a type of whelp that grows into a lion.⁵⁷ (whelp) can be applied to any young animal. I.E. points out that gur (whelp) aryeh (lion) means a gur that grows up to be a lion, that is, a gur of the lion family (Cherez). The comparative caf (meaning like) has been omitted,⁵⁸). as it is in When a wild ass’s colt (ayir pere) is born a man (Job. 11:12).⁵⁹ should have been placed before ayir pere (a wild ass’s colt). We thus see that Scripture occasionally omits the comparative caf. However, it should be supplied by the reader.

במטרף בני עלית. דמית לי בני לגור אריה כאשר עלית מהטרף, והטעם מטרף אחר, וזהו פשוטו, ואם נפרשנו על דבר יוסף היה ראוי שיהיה תחת עלית העלית, כי עלית פועל עומד, והנה הפסוק הבא אחריו לעד, והלא תראה "ותעל אחד מגוריה" (יחז', יט, ג),

2FROM THE PREY, MY SON, THOU ART GONE UP. My son, you appear to me as a lion’s whelp when thou art gone up from the prey. From the prey means after tearing a prey apart.⁶⁰ This is its plain meaning. For us to interpret it as referring to the saving of Joseph,⁶¹ (Gen. 37:26). Scripture should have written he’elita (thou brought up)⁶². rather than alita (thou art come up) which is an intransitive verb. The rest of the verse⁶³, etc. (Cherez). According to Krinsky and Weiser: the next verse, which reads, The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, is proof that our verse deals with Judah’s ability as a warrior and not with his saving Joseph. I.E. literally reads: “The following verse is proof.” Filwarg suggests that the word “following” is a scribal error. is proof that the first part of the verse deals with Judah’s tearing of a prey and not with Judah’s saving of Joseph from being a prey. Observe the verse And she brought up (va-ta’al) one of her whelps (Ezek. 19:3).⁶⁴. Cf. Kimchi on Ezek. 19:3. Also see Cherez.

גוטעם כרע רבץ כאריה, שמנהג האריה אחר שטרף ישב על כרעו וירבץ, ואילו היה עובר כל מין חיות לא יקום מפניהם שיברח:

3[HE STOOPED DOWN, HE COUCHED AS A LION.] After a lion tears its prey it sits on its knees and couches in security and no other passing animal⁶⁵ will cause it to get up and flee.