Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah
Ibn Ezra on Genesis 5:29/אבן עזרא על בראשית ה׳:כ״ט
אוטעם זה ינחמנו ממעשינו. שידע על ידי אדם כי נביא היה כי על יד זה הנולד תחיה האדמה או ראו זה בדרך חכמה, וכן היה כי על ידו נתקיים העולם גם הוא היה איש האדמה כי כן כתוב, גם יתכן שנקרא שמו נח כמו ירובעל אחר שעבד האדמה והצליחה ונח הפך העצבון "והטעם זה ינחמנו וננוח מעצבון ידינו", גם נחמה מנוחה מעצבון הלב, כי העברים ישמרו הטעמים ולא המלות, והעד ירבשת וירבעל, והשואלים מי היה אשת קין ושת, מה טעם לשאלה הזאת, כי כתוב באדם ויולד בנים ובנות וכן כולם:
1[THIS SAME SHALL COMFORT US.] Lamech was informed by Adam, who was a prophet, that through his newborn child the land would live. Or perhaps they learned the aforementioned through astrology. And so it was, for it was through Noah that the world was preserved. Furthermore, Noah was, as the Bible explicitly states, an expert in agriculture (Gen. 9:20).9 (a husbandman). Cf. his comments on Gen. 9:20. Krinsky explains that Noah introduced agricultural implements and other advances in working the soil. This is an additional example of Noah giving “life” to the land It is also possible that he got this name after10 his agricultural successes. We find the same with Jerubbaal.11 Noah (rest) is the opposite of toil (etzavon). The meaning of our verse is, this one will comfort us and we will rest (nanu’ach) from the toil of our hands. Moreover, comfort is a relaxation of the heart’s pain.12. However, if this was the case he should have named his son Menachem or Nahum which comes from the root nun, chet, mem, meaning to comfort. Noah comes from the root nun, vav, chet, meaning rest, hence I.E.’s comment that he was called Noah because comfort and rest are related. The Hebrews are more concerned with the idea expressed by a word than with its etymology. Proof of the above is the fact that Jerubbaal is referred to as Jerubbesheth.13 is Hebrew for shame. This was an undignified way of referring to Baal. Nevertheless, Jerubbaal and Jerubbesheth express the same idea. In the same way Noah expresses the same idea as Menachem. Those who ask whom Cain and Seth married raise a worthless question. Scripture tells us that Adam begot sons and daughters. The same is true of all of them.14