Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah

Ibn Ezra on Genesis 6:8/אבן עזרא על בראשית ו׳:ח׳

אחן. מגזרת רחמים וממנו תחנה ומשקלו קץ ושניהם מפעלי הכפל וטעם מציאות חן כמו לא חסה עליך עין (יחז' טז ה),

1GRACE. Chen (grace) means mercy. From it we get the word techinnah (supplication).²⁶ is used in the sense of mercy in Ezra 9:8. Grace usually implies beauty, hence I.E.’s comment. Chen follows the paradigm of ketz (end); both have roots whose second and third letters are the same.²⁷ (end) comes from a three letter double root (kefulim), kaf, tzadi, tzadi. Chen (grace) similarly comes from a double root, chet, nun, nun. Both ketz and chen drop the final letter of the root. The meaning of found grace (mercy or pity) in the eyes of the Lord is like No eye pitied thee (Ezek. 16:5).²⁸