Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah

Ibn Ezra on Numbers 18:23/אבן עזרא על במדבר י״ח:כ״ג

אועבד הלוי הוא. בעצמו ויש אומרים כי הוא פעול ואיננו נכון כי את עבודת אהל מועד הוא הפעול:

1BUT THE LEVITES ALONE SHALL DO THE SERVICE.⁴⁶) shall do the service of the tent of meeting. Hence the interpretations which follow. The word hu means himself. Others say that hu is the object.⁴⁷ as it. It maintains that But the Levites he (hu) shall do the service of the tent of meeting should be interpreted: But the Levites shall do the service of it (hu), namely, the tent of meeting (Weiser). Filwarg claims that hu refers to the kohen. In this case, But the Levites he (hu) shall do the service of the tent of meeting should be interpreted: But the Levites shall do the service of him (the kohen) and of the tent of meeting. However, this is incorrect, for the service of the tent of meeting is the object.⁴⁸ (shall do the service).

בוהם ישאו את עונם. אם לא ישמרו והנה המעשר נחלתם ע"כ אמרתי:

2AND THEY SHALL BEAR THEIR INIQUITY. If they do not keep the charge. Now, the tithe is their inheritance. I therefore stated: [and among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance].