Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah
Ibn Ezra on Numbers 11:25/אבן עזרא על במדבר י״א:כ״ה
אויאצל. על דעתי מהבנין הכבד הנוסף:
1AND TOOK OF THE SPIRIT. In my opinion, the word va-yatzel (and took of the spirit) is a hifil.103).
בוי"ו ויתנבאו כפ"א רפה בלשון ישמעאל:
2[AND THEY PROPHESIED.] The vav of va-yitnabbe’u (and they prophesied) is like an unaspirated fa in Arabic.104 usually introduces a new clause. Here it does not. Hence I.E. points out that sometimes the conversive vav merely serves as a conjunction, like the fa in Arabic.
גולא יספו. פעם שנית וכן קול גדול ולא יסף ולא יסף עוד לדעתה ואין מדקדוק הלשון להיותו מגזרת פן תספו בכל חטאתם אמרו חכמים ז"ל שלקח משה מכל שבט ששה והנה שנים ושבעים ובעבור שאמר לו השם שבעים איש הניח השנים וזה נכון:
3BUT THY DID SO NO MORE.105. A second time.106 is, they did not add. Hence I.E. points out that this term is an idiom meaning they did not repeat it. The same applies to the phrase ve-lo yasaf (and it went on no more) in with a great voice, and it went on no more107 (Deut. 5:19) and ve-lo yasaf (now more) in and he knew her again no more108 (Gen. 38:26). According to the rules of Hebrew grammar, the word yasaf is not related to the word tissafu (swept away)109 comes from the root yod, samekh, peh, while the root of tissafu comes from the root samekh, peh, heh. If our word came from the latter root, it would have read safu not yasefu. in lest ye be swept away in all their sins (Num. 16:26).110 Our sages of blessed memory say that Moses took six men from each tribe. Their number thus came to seventy-two. However, Moses dropped the two111 because God told him to gather seventy men.112. 17a. This is correct.