Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah

Ibn Ezra on Numbers 17:6/אבן עזרא על במדבר י״ז:ו׳

אממחרת. זה היום כי לעולם הוא סמוך:

1ON THE MORROW. Of this day, for mochorat (morrow) is always connected to the previous day.⁹ (morrow) can refer to a morrow in the far future.

באתם המתם. הטעם מה ראיה היתה זאת ששבט לוי הוא הנבחר ונבחר אהרן לכהן גדול ויתכן שבתפלתכם או החכמה שידעתם שרפתם המקריבים:

2YE HAVE KILLED. Its meaning is, what proof is this¹⁰ that the tribe of Levi is the chosen one, and that Aaron was chosen to be kohen gadol?¹¹ It is possible that those who offered the fire-pans were burned because of your prayer¹² or through your knowledge of the sciences.¹³