Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah

Ibn Ezra on Numbers 13/אבן עזרא על במדבר י״ג

אשלח לך. כתוב שהשם אמר לישראל עלה רש והם אמרו נשלחה אנשים אז אמר השם שלח לך אנשים:

1SEND THOU MEN. Scripture records that God told Israel: go up, take possession (Deut. 1:21)¹ and Israel answered: Let us send men before us (Deut. 1:22).² God then said, Send thou men.³

בוטעם אנשים. שהם ידועים גבורים וכן כלם אנשים וחזקת והיית לאיש כי איש היה:

2The meaning of men is, men known for their might. The same applies to all of them men⁴ (v. 3) and to be thou [Solomon] strong and show thyself a man⁵ is: and show thyself to be a man of valor. (I Kings 2:2), for he [Solomon] was a man.⁶ cannot be taken literally.

גויתורו. ויחפשו וכן ולא תתורו:

3THAT THEY MAY SPY OUT. The meaning of ve-yaturu (that they may spy out) is that they may search out. Compare, ve-lo taturu⁷ as: and you shall not search out after what your eyes see. (and that ye go not about) (Num. 15:39).

דכל נשיא בהם. כל אחד הוא נשיא בהם או תהיה מלת אחד מושכת עצמה ואחרת עמה וכן ושנים אנשים שרי גדודים היו בן שאול ורבים כן:

4EVERY ONE A PRINCE AMONG THEM. Kol nasi ba-hem⁸ is to be interpreted: each one was a prince among them.⁹ is short for kol ehad hu nasi be-hem. On the other hand, the word ehad mentioned earlier in our verse also applies here.¹⁰ is not missing in our text, and kol echad nasi ba-hem is not short for kol echad hu nasi ba-hem. There doesn’t seem to be much of a difference between the two interpretations offered by I.E. See Filwarg and Krinsky. Compare, And two men, captains of bands, were [captains of] the son of Saul¹¹ (II Sam. 4:2).¹² (sare) bands, were captains of the son of Saul, for captains of (sare) is to be read as if written twice. There are many such examples.¹³

אוטעם אלה שמות האנשים. אחר שאמר ואלה שמותם להודיע כי כן היה שמותם לעולם ולא השתנו כמו הושע:

1[THESE ARE THE NAMES OF THE MEN.] The reason that Scripture states, these are the names of the men, after earlier stating, And these were their names (v. 4),¹⁴ after And these were their names appears redundant. Hence I.E. comment. is to teach us that, unlike Hoshea,¹⁵ their names were never changed.

אעלו זה בנגב. עלו זה הדרך בנגב וידוע כי מצרים הוא נגב ארץ ישראל כאשר פירשתי בספר דניאל והראיה כי רוחב מצרים פחות משלשים מעלות ורוחב ירושלים שלשים ושלש ומדבר פארן בנגב ארץ מצרים והנה פירוש בנגב אינו נגב המחנה רק פירושו בנגב של ארץ כנען והעד בחברון שהוא ליהודה והכתוב אמר יהודה יעמוד על גבולו מנגב:

1GET YOU UP HERE INTO THE SOUTH. Get you up this way in the south.¹⁶ is to be rendered: get you up this way i n the south (of the land of Canaan). The literal meaning of alu zeh ba-negev is: get you up this into the south. Hence I.E.’s comment. It is known that Egypt is south of the land of Israel, as I have explained in the Book of Daniel.¹⁷ The following is proof of this. Egypt is less than thirty degrees north of the equator.¹⁸, a term referring to the distance of a plane to the equator. Jerusalem is thirty-three degrees north of the equator.¹⁹ The desert of Paran²⁰ is south of the land of Canaan.²¹ Observe that the meaning of in the South²². is not south of the camp²³ but in the south of the land of Canaan. Proof of the aforementioned is that Scripture tells us concerning Hebron, which belonged to the tribe of Judah, Judah shall abide in his border on the south (Josh. 18:5).²⁴

אוראיתם את הארץ מה היא. ומה העם:

1AND SEE THE LAND, WHAT IT IS. And the people, what is it?²⁵ (what is it) is carried over from ha-aretz (and the land) to ha-am (the people). Thus our text is to be read as if written, et ha-aretz mah hi vet ha-am ma hu (the land, what it is and the people what is it,) i.e., what is their nature.

בהחזק. למלחמה ואחר כן פירש מה הארץ הטובה היא שהאויר שלה והמים שלה טובים:

2WHETHER THEY ARE STRONG. In battle. Scripture then²⁶ goes on to explain, and see the land. It says, and what the land is…whether it is good, that is, whether its air and water are good.

אהבמחנים. כמו הקדריים שחונים באהלים:

1WHETHER IN CAMPS. Like the Kederites,²⁷ who live in tents.

אהשמנה היא. לתת חטה:

1WHETHER IT IS FAT. In producing wheat.

אאמרו חז"ל כי טעם ויבא. על כלב בן יפנה כי כל אחד הלך לצד אחר:

1[AND CAME UNTO HEBRON.] Our sages of blessed memory said that and came refers to Caleb the son of Jephunneh,²⁸ 34b. Also see Rashi. And came (va-yavo) is in the singular. Hence the rabbinic interpretation. for each one of the men went to a different part of the country.²⁹

בצען מצרים. שם מדינה סמוכה אל מצרים וכן מבית לחם יהודה ויש אומרים שפירושו מגזרת אהל בל יצען בדרך רחוקה:

2ZOAN IN EGYPT. Zoan is the name of a city in Egypt.³⁰ literally, Zoan Egypt. Now a proper name does not come in the construct. Hence I.E. points out that here it does, contrary to the rule. According to I.E. tzo’an mitzrayim is short for tzo’an shel mitzrayim, Zoan of Egypt. Of Beth-lehem Judah³¹ (Ruth 1:1)³² is similar.³³ Some say that the word tzo’an (Zoan) is connected to the word yitzan (be removed) in A tent that shall not be removed (Is. 33:20).³⁴ as meaning the establishment of Egypt However, this is farfetched.

גוטעם להזכיר חברון להודיע שהיא קדמונית:

3Scripture mentions Hebron in order to tell us that Hebron came into being before Zoan.

אעד נחל אשכול. דברי משה ויתכן להיות כמו וירדוף עד דן להיות שם אחר:

1UNTO THE VALLEY OF ESHCOL. These are the words of Moses.³⁵ It is possible that it is similar to and pursued as far as Dan (Gen. 14:14) in that it had another name.³⁶

אקרא. הקורא כמו אשר ילדה אותה ללוי:

1WAS CALLED. Kara (was called) is to be rendered, someone called.³⁷ Compare, whom she bore to Levi³⁸ (Num. 26:59).³⁹ has to be rendered whom somebody bore.

איש מקץ שהוא תחילה ויש מקץ שהוא מסוף ויתכן להיות ראש הארבעים:

1[AT THE END.] The word mi-ketz (at the end) sometimes means at the beginning and sometimes means at the end.⁴⁰ Mi-ketz arba’im yom (and the end of forty days) probably means at the start of the fortieth day.⁴¹

אוילכו. להודיע שלא באו לאהליהם אל המחנה רק מיד הלכו:

1AND THEY WENT. This informs us that they did not go to their tents, which were in the camp, but immediately went [to Moses, Aaron, and all the congregation].

בוישיבו אתם דבר. אל משה ואהרן:

2AND BROUGHT BACK WORD. To Moses and Aaron.

אויספרו לו. למשה שהוא העיקר:

1AND THEY TOLD HIM. They told Moses, for he was the most important one.

אויהס כלב. אמר רבי יונה המדקדק שטעמו שאמר הסו:

1AND CALEB STILLED THE PEOPLE. Rabbi Jonah the grammarian says that the meaning of va-yahas (and…stilled) is: and he said be still (hasu).

אויוציאו דבת הארץ. דבר שלא היה ואין כן ויבא יוסף כי ויבא הפך ויוציאו:

1AND THEY SPREAD AN EVIL REPORT OF THE LAND. Va-yotzi’u dibbat ha-aretz (and they spread an evil report) means: and they spread a lie. This is not the meaning of va-yave yosef et dibbatam ra (and Joseph brought evil report of them) (Gen. 37:2), for va-yave (brought) is the reverse of va-yotzi (and they spread).⁴² follows va- yave, it refers to the truth. When it follows va-yotzi, it refers to a lie.

בדבה מפעלי הכפל מגזרת דובב שפתי ישנים ובמקומו פירשתיו:

2EVIL REPORT. The word dibbah (evil report) comes from a double root.⁴³, even though it is spelled dalet, bet, heh, which, prima facie, appears to be its root. It comes from the same root as the word dovev (moving gently) in Moving gently the lips of those that are asleep (Cant. 7:10). I have explained it in its place.⁴⁴ means to speak. It is possible the word dibbah is similar.” In other words, both dovev and dibbah refer to speech.

גאכלת יושביה. שהאויר שלה רע:

3EATETH UP THE INHABITANTS THEREOF. For its air is bad.

דאנשי מדות. כל איש הוא איש מדה רק טעמו מדות גדולות יותר מהכל וכן אנשי לבב ורבים כמו הם:

4MEN OF GREAT STATURE.⁴⁵ (literally, men of measurements). Hence I.E.’s comments. Every man is a man of measurements. Anshe middot means men of great measurement, men whose measurements are greater than everyone else’s. The same applies to the phrase anshe levav (men of heart)⁴⁶ (Job. 34:34).⁴⁷ There are many other instances similar to the above.

אהנפילים. פירשתיו:

1THE NEPHILIM. I have already explained this term.⁴⁸) at their huge stature).” See I.E. on Gen. 6:4 (Vol. 1, p. 96).

במן הנפילים. טעמו וגם אחרי כן אשר יבואו ושם מפורש:

2OF THE NEPHILIM. Its meaning⁴⁹ is that they were of the Nephilim, who were in the earth in those days, and also after that when…came in (Gen 6:4).⁵⁰. Thus the Nephilim were descended from the “sons of God.” I have explained it⁵¹. there.⁵² refers to after the flood. See I.E. on Gen. 6:4 (Vol. 1, p. 96).