Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah

Ibn Ezra on Numbers 23:3/אבן עזרא על במדבר כ״ג:ג׳

איקרה. מגזרת לקראתי:

1WILL COME. Yikkareh (will come) is derived from li-kerati (to meet me).¹² means will meet me. AND WHATSOEVER¹³. HE SHOWETH ME. The word devar is connected to mah.¹⁴ is connected by hyphen to yareni (He showeth me), for the word devar is in the construct. If the word were in the absolute it would be vocalized davar. Thus our text should be read, u-devar-mah yareni (And whatsoever He showeth me), rather than u-devar mah-yareni. (And a thing of, what will He show me).

בודבר. סמוך אל מה:

2The term devar means “thing of.” Mah literally means what.

גוילך שפי. דברי המתרגם ארמית ידועים שהוא לבדו והנה שפי לבדו גם הוא בלי אח ואחרים אמרו כי הוא כמו נכאה לכב מגזרת ושפו עצמותיו והנכון בעיני שהוא מגזרת קול על שפיים וימצא ביו"ד גם באל"ף כמלת פתאים והטעם שהלך אל שפי ותחסר מלת אל כמו ויבא ירושלים וכן נסעו העם חצרות ורבים כן והנה הוא מנחש בלכתו כי כן כתוב ולא הלך כפעם בפעם לקראת נחשים והנה גם פה רמזתי לך סוד חתום:

3AND HE WENT TO A BARE HEIGHT. The manner in which the Aramaic translator renders shefi (bare) is known. He translates shefi as alone.¹⁵ Now shefi is alone; it is also without a brother.¹⁶ Other say that the word shefi means broken in heart (Ps. 109:16).¹⁷ They say that the word shefi is related to shuppu (corrode) in and his bones corrode (Job 33:21). However, I believe that the word shefi is related to shefayim (high hills) in upon the high hills is heard (Jer. 3:20). The word is found spelled both with a yod¹⁸ and with an alef.¹⁹. We find the same thing with the word peta’im (simple) (Prov. 1:4).²⁰, and other times with a yod. The meaning of va-elekh shefi (and he went to a bare height) is, he went to a high hill. The word el (to) has been omitted from the phrase.²¹. Our texts reads va-elekh shefi, which literally means, and he went to high place. Hence I.E.’s comment. We find the same in va-yavo yerushalayim (and he came to Jerusalem)²² (and he came to Jerusalem), for the literal meaning of va-yavo yerushalayim is, and he came Jerusalem. (I Kings 3:15) and in nase’u ha-am hazerot (the people journeyed unto Hazeroth)²³ (the people journeyed unto Hazeroth), for nase’u ha-am hazerot means the people journeyed Hazeroth. (Num. 11:35). There are many such instances.²⁴ has to be added to the text. Observe, Balaam was divining²⁵ when he went,²⁶ for Scripture clearly states, he went not, as at other times²⁷ to meet with enchantments²⁸ (Num. 24:1). See, I have given you a hint regarding a sealed secret.²⁹