Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah

Ibn Ezra on Leviticus 11:44/אבן עזרא על ויקרא י״א:מ״ד

אוהייתם קדושים כי קדוש אני. על כן אמרתי לכם ולא תטמאו והוי״ו כפ״א רפה בלשון ישמעאל וכן ויעזוב את עבדיו ורבים כמוהו:

1YE SHALL THEREFORE BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY. Hence I told you neither shall ye defile yourselves (v. 44). The vav¹³² (ye shall therefore be). is similar to the unaspirated fah in Arabic.¹³³ is not a continuation of the first half of the verse. It is an independent clause. Similarly the vav in va-ya’azov (left) in left his servants (Ex. 9:21).¹³⁴ (left) in Ex. 9:21 is to be rendered as left, not and he left. There are many such instances.¹³⁵ has the meaning of an unaspirated fah in Arabic.