Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah
Ibn Ezra on Leviticus 26:18/אבן עזרא על ויקרא כ״ו:י״ח
אואם עד אלה. המכות:
1AND IF YE WILL NOT YET FOR THESE THINGS. The plagues.
בשבע. בעבור היותו חשבון שלם נאמר על לשון רבים וכן כי שבע יפול צדיק וקם עד עקרה ילדה שבעה ואין על חטאתיכם להוסיף שבעה רק ויספתי פעם אחרת כמו קול גדול ולא יסף:
2SEVEN. The number seven is used for “many” because it is a complete number.65 Similarly, For a righteous man falleth seven times (Prov. 24:16); While the barren hath born seven (I Sam. 2:5). Al chatatekhem (for your sins) does not add the number seven to each sin.66 does not mean that they will be punished seven times for each sin. Its meaning is, I will punish you again for each sin. Ve-yasafti (then …more) is similar to yasaf (more) in and it went on no more (Deut. 5:19).
גוטעם על חטאתיכם. בעבור חטאתיכם וי״א שהחשבון כמשמעו והראשון נכון כי אם נחשוב ושברתי אחד שמיכם כברזל שנים וארץ כנחושה ותם לריק ויבול הארץ ופרי העץ הנה שש ומכת חית השדה הנה שבע:
3The meaning of al chatatekhem67 literally means on your sins. Hence I.E.’s comments. is, because of your sins. Some say that the number seven is to be taken literally.68. However, the first interpretation69 is correct, for if we count And I will break…(v. 19) as one; your heaven as iron (v. 19) as two; and your earth as brass (v. 19);70 And your strength shall be spent in vain71 (v. 20); for your land…her produce72 (v. 20); the trees of the land…their fruit (v. 20), then we have six. Note, the plague of beast of the field (v. 22) makes seven.73 after it states, I will bring seven times more plagues upon you. If Scripture was listing the seven plagues that God would bring upon Israel, then the plague of the beasts would have been mentioned before the statement, I will bring seven times more plagues upon you.