Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah
Ibn Ezra on Leviticus 11:21/אבן עזרא על ויקרא י״א:כ״א
אאשר לא כרעים. העיקר להיות לו עם וי״ו:
1WHICH HAVE JOINTED LEGS. The main reading is the one that spells lo with a vav.51. The ketiv spells lo with a vav. With a vav the phrase means “which have jointed legs;” without a vav it reads, “which does not have jointed legs.” According to the rabbis the meaning of the latter is: which does not have jointed legs now but will grow them later. See Sifra on this verse.
בלנתר. אין לו אח והמתרגם אמר לקפצא בהון כמו מקפץ וטעם דולג ואמת תרגם:
2TO LEAP. The word le-natter has no brother.52 The Aramaic translator renders le-natter ba-hen by le-kappatza behen; since the word le-kappatza is similar to mekappetz (leaping) (Cant. 2:8),53 means wherewith to leap. its meaning is leaping. He translated correctly.