Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah
Ibn Ezra on Numbers 25:11/אבן עזרא על במדבר כ״ה:י״א
אבקנאו. קל הנו"ן להקל על הלשון והטעם כי הוא קנא כקונו וכתוב על השם כי הוא אל קנא בע"א:
1IN THAT HE WAS VERY JEALOUS FOR MY SAKE AMONG THEM. There is no dagesh in the nun of be-kano (in that he was very jealous) in order to simplify enunciation.17 is in the pi’el. The middle root letters in the pi’el receive a dagesh. Hence I.E.’s comment. It means that Phinehas was jealous like his creator.18. 38 reads: He acted jealously in My place. Scripture tells us that God is a jealous God (Ex. 20:5) when it comes to idolatry.
בולולי הוא שקנא הייתי מכלה כל ישראל בדבר בקנאתי:
2[SO THAT I CONSUMED NOT THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL IN MY JEALOUSY.] If Phinehas had not been jealous for My sake, then I would have destroyed all of Israel in My jealousy.