Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah
Ibn Ezra on Leviticus 11:22/אבן עזרא על ויקרא י״א:כ״ב
אנקר׳ ארבה. מלשון ריבוי:
1[THE LOCUST.] The word arbeh (locust) is connected to the word ribbuy (large amount).
בהסלעם. מין יעלה בסלעים:
2AND THE BALD LOCUST. The sale’am (bald locust) refers to a kind of locust which climbs on rocks (sela’im).54 means a rock. Thus sela’im means the “rocker,” i.e., the grasshopper that climbs a rock.
גהחרגול. אם היא מרובעת אין לו אח ואם היא שתי מלות כמלת לפלמוני המדבר תהיה תולדתו הפך תולדת הסלעם:
3AND THE CRICKET. If the word chargol (cricket) is a quadriliteral, then it has no brother.55 If it is a combination of two words56 (trembling). See I. E. on Ps. 18:46 and regel (foot). like the word palmoni (certain one) in unto that certain one who spoke (Dan 8:13), then the nature of the chargal is the reverse of the nature of the sale’am (bald locust).57 climbs rocks while the chargal has “trembling feet” and is not adept at climbing.
דהחגב. ידוע מלשון ישמעאל:
4AND THE GRASSHOPPER. Its meaning is known from the language of the Ishmaelite.58 in Arabic.