Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah

Ibn Ezra on Numbers 22:18/אבן עזרא על במדבר כ״ב:י״ח

אמלא ביתו. ביתו מלא וכן מלא כל הארץ כבודו כי רבים טעו שחשבו כי כבוד השם הוא מלא העולם כטעם לה' הארץ ומלואה:

1HIS HOUSE FULL. Melo beto means his house full.⁴⁸ Melo khol ha-aretz kevodo (the whole earth is full of His glory) (Is. 6:3) is similar. Many err who thought that the meaning of the latter is that the contents of the earth is God’s glory,⁴⁹). However, this interpretation is incorrect, for God’s glory consists of much more than the contents of the earth. as in the earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof (Ps. 24:1).

בקטנה או גדולה. תאר השם ויחסר מקום השם וכן ועשיר יענה עזות ומאכלו בריאה:

2SMALL OR GREAT. The words ketannah (small) and gedolah (great) are adjectives. However, the nouns⁵⁰ are missing. But the rich man answers impudent⁵¹ (Prov. 18:23)⁵² is short for, but the rich answers impudent words. Thus here too the noun which the adjective modifies is missing. and, and his food fat⁵³ (Hab. 1:16)⁵⁴ is short for, And his food a fat lamb. See I.E. on Hab. 1:16. are similar.