Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah
Ibn Ezra on Numbers 32/אבן עזרא על במדבר ל״ב
אלבני ראובן. כי הוא בן הגבירה:
1THE CHILDREN OF REUBEN. For he was the son of the mistress.1
במקום מקנה. כי שם מרעה טוב:
2WAS A PLACE FOR CATTLE. For there it was good pasture.
אויבאו בני גד. הם היו בעלי העצה בתחלה על כן הקדימם הכתוב:
1THE CHILDREN OF GAD…CAME. They thought of this first. Hence Scripture places them first.2
אויאמרו יותן. אמר ויאמרו פעם אחרת בעבור שארכו הדברים י"א כי את הוא פעול יותן ולא אדע למה זה כי הנה כתוב נעתם ארץ. יחלק הארץ ולא נשא אותם הארץ אשר הוא בא שמה בקרבו:
1AND THEY SAID…LET THIS LAND BE GIVEN. Scripture repeats, and they said because they spoke at length.3). Our verse reads, va-yomeru (and they said). The latter is superfluous. Hence I.E.’s comment. Some say that the word et is the object of yuttan (be given).4 (let…[the] land be given). Now eretz is feminine. Thus our verse should read, tuttan et ha-aretz. Hence this opinion. I do not know why.5 Look, Scripture reads: netam eretz6 is masculine. We thus see that Scripture at times treats eretz as masculine. (the land is burnt up) (Is. 9:18); yechalek ha-aretz7 is masculine. (the land shall be divided) (Num. 26:55);8. I.E. omits the et in his quote. ve-lo nasa otom ha-aretz9 is masculine. (and the land was not able to bear them) (Gen. 13:6); and asher hu va shammah be-kirbo10 is masculine and refers to the land previously mentioned in the verse. See I.E. on Deut. 31:16. (whither they go to be among them) (Deut. 31:16).
אתניאון. כמו תשברון:
1YE TURN AWAY. Teniyun (ye turn away) means you break.
אויעלו עד נחל אשכול. כי העולים מצפון הלכו לנגב:
1FOR WHEN THEY WENT UP UNTO THE VALLEY OF ESHCOL. For those who went up11. According to I.E. this implies going north. to the north, went to the south.12 to the north, for I.E. occasionally uses the mem to mean to. Vat. Ebr. 38 reads: They went from the south to the north.
אלא מלאו. קל הלמ"ד והוא מהבנין הכבד מלא קרנך שמן לא השלימו מה שהתחילו:
1THEY HAVE NOT WHOLLY FOLLOWED ME. There is no dagesh in the lamed of mile’u (wholly followed). Mile’u is a pi’el.13 in it. Compare, malle (fill)14 is a pi’el and has a dagesh in it. See I.E.’s comments on verse 12. in fill thy horn with oil (I Sam. 16:1). They did not complete what they started.15 (because they have not wholly followed me).
אכלב בן יפנה. בתחלה כאשר דבר השם ומלת מלאו כמו בקשו נפשי שלחו באש מקדשך:
1CALEB THE SON OF JEPHUNNEH. Caleb is mentioned first, as in the case of God’s oath.16 The word mile’u (wholly followed) is similar to the word bikshu (have sought) in have sought after my soul (Ps. 44:5) and shilchu (they have set) in They have set Thy sanctuary on fire (Ps. 74:7).17 and shilchu are pi’els but, contrary to the rule, do not have a dagesh in them.
אוינעם. מגזרת נע ונד בעבור שלא נחו:
1AND HE MADE THEM WANDER. Va-yeni’em (and he made them wander) is related to the word na (a fugitive) in a fugitive and a wanderer (Gen. 4:12). Scripture reads va-yeni’em because they did not rest.18
אתרבות. מגזרת אשר טפחתי ורביתי והוא קרוב מגזרת על כל רב ביתו והטעם גדול השנים:
1A BROOD. The word tarbut (a brood) is connected to the word ribbiti (brought up) in That I have dandled and brought up (Lam. 2:22). It is close in meaning to the word rav (officers) in all the officers (rav) of his house19 (Esther 1:8). The meaning of tarbut is, grown up in years.
בלספות. כמו להוסיף רק הוא משרש אחר וכמוהו ספו על זבחיכם כי לא מצאנו בבעלי היו"ד מזה השרש בבנין הקל חסר יו"ד:
2TO AUGMENT. Li-sepot (to augment) means the same as le-hosif (to add). However, it comes from a different root.20 comes from the root samekh, peh, heh. Hosif comes from the root yod, samekh, peh. The word sofu (add) in Add…unto your sacrifices (Jer. 7:21) is similar,21; i.e., it comes from the root samekh, peh, heh. for we do not find this root22. among the stems that begin with a yod and drop the yod in the kal.23.
אוערים. בתחלה לטפנו:
1AND CITIES. First24 for our little ones.
אחשים. על משקל מולים היו כמו מהירים מגזרת מהרה חושה אל תעמוד:
1READY. The word chushim (ready) is vocalized like the word mulim (circumcised) in were circumcised (Josh. 5:5). It means quickly. It is related to the word chushah (hasten) in Make speed, hasten, stay not (I Sam. 20:38).
אוהלאה. נמצא על מקום ועל זמן והטעם ולמעלה:
1AND FORWARD. The word ve-hale’ah (and forward) is used with regard to both place25 (me-hale’ah) Migdal-eder. and time.26 (ve-hale’ah). The meaning of ve-hale’ah is, and above.27
אעד הורישו. השם:
1UNTIL HE HATH DRIVEN OUT. God.28 (He hath driven out) refers to God.
אלפני ה'. כי שם הארון. לפני ה' כאשר פירשתי כי לעולם הוא לשבח:
1BEFORE THE LORD. For the ark was there.29 Before the Lord is to be taken as I have explained,30 means before the divine glory which is upon the cherubim. for the phrase31. is always used in a positive sense.32 (before the Lord) literally means before the Lord’s face. This can be taken in a negative sense, that is, to anger God. See I.E. on the word li-fene in Gen. 11:28 (Vol. 1, p. 146).
אאל"ף לצאנכם. נוסף כמו והאזניחו נהרות:
1FOR YOUR SHEEP. The alef in tzonakhem (your sheep) is superfluous.33. It is like the alef in he’eznichu (become foul) in and the rivers shall become foul (Is. 19:6).34.
אכל חלוץ צבא. כמו הארון הברית והטעם כל חלוץ חלוץ צבא:
1EVERY MAN THAT IS ARMED FOR WAR. Kol chalutz tzava (every man that is armed for war) is similar to ha-aron ha-berit35 has a heh, the definite article, prefixed to it. Such a word cannot be in the construct. Hence our phrase reads, the ark, the covenant. This should be read as if written, the ark, ark of the covenant. See I.E. on Gen. 2:9 (Vol. 1, p. 54, and the notes thereto). (the ark of the covenant) (Josh. 3:14). Its meaning is, every man armed, armed for war.36 was apparently vocalized with a kamatz. This being the case, the verse read, armed, war. Hence I.E. suggests that our verse be read as if written, armed, armed for war (Motot). It should be noted that in our versions of Scripture the word chalutz is vocalized with a chataf pattach and is in the construct with tzava. It thus reads, armed for war.
אונתתם. תתנו להם והוי"ו כפ"א רפה בל' ישמעאל כי כן משפט הלשון:
1THEN YE SHALL GIVE THEM. The meaning of u-netattem la-hem is, you shall give them.37 prefixed to netattem does not mean and. It is placed there for emphasis and is not to be translated. The vav is like the Arabic fa,38 for such is the rule of the language.39.
אונאחזו בתככם. חלק להם כבוד כי הטעם אם לא יעברו חלוצים תוליכום עמהם בעל כרחם ונאחזו או אם יתנחמו ונאחזו בתוככם ובאת זו המלה כמשפט בעלי היו"ד כי אותיות אהו"י מתחלפים:
1THEY SHALL HAVE POSSESSIONS AMONG YOU. He gave them respect,40 for the meaning of our verse is, if they41 will not go armed before you, then you shall force them to go with you and they shall have possessions among you.42 Or, if they change their minds, then they shall have possessions among you. The word ve-nochazu (they shall have possessions) follows the rules of a root that has a yod as its first letter,43 is vocalized as if it came from the root yod, chet zayin, when in reality its root is alef, chet, zayin. for the letters alef, heh, vav, and yod interchange.
אויענו בני גד. שנית חזוק:
1AND THE CHILDREN OF GAD…ANSWERED. A second time for emphasis.
אנחנו. הוא העיקר ואל"ף אנחנו נוסף ולא הזכיר עד עתה חצי שבט מנשה בעבור היותו חצי השבט:
1WE WILL PASS. The form nachnu (we) is the original form of the word. The alef in anachnu (we)44 is added. The half tribe of Manasseh is not mentioned until now because it was but half a tribe.
אואת נבו. יתכן שהוא הר נבו ששם נקבר משה כאשר אפרש:
1AND NEBO. It is likely that the reference is to Mount Nebo, where, as I shall explain,45 Moses was buried.
במוסבות. אלה הערים הוסבו שמותם וכן שבמה:
2THEIR NAMES BEING CHANGED. These cities had their names changed.46 (their names being changed) is not the name of a city. The same applies to Sibmah.47
אויורש. יש אומרים כי מכיר חי היה ולפי דעתי שמלת ויורש שבה אל הגבור שהיה במשפחה:
1AND DISPOSSESSED. Some say that Machir was alive.48 (and [he] dispossessed) applies. These commentaries interpret thus because verse 40 states, And Moses gave Gilead unto Machir. The latter is taken literally. However, I believe that and dispossessed49 refers to the warrior that was in the family.50
אוטעם למכיר בן מנשה. לבני מכיר כמו ויאמר יהודה לשמעון אחיו:
1[UNTO MACHIR THE SON OF MANASSEH.] The meaning of unto Machir the son of Manasseh is, unto the sons of Machir the son of Manasseh.51 Compare, And Judah said unto Simeon his brother (Jud. 1:3).52
אויאיר בן מנשה. הוא ממשפחת יהודה כי כן כתוב כי חצרון לקח בת מכיר בן מנשה והוליד ממנה שגוב ושגוב הוליד את יאיר שהיו לו הערים בערי הגלעד ונקרא על שם משפחת אמו גם יש כהנים שנקראו על שם בני ברזילי הגלעדי כי כן כתוב ואין פה מקום לשאול איך לקח יאיר נחלה עם שבט אחר כי ארץ כנען היא הנחלקת ולא ארץ האמורי שהיא מעבר לירדן מזרחה כי יש אמורי בארץ כנען והוא היה התקיף מכל שבעה גוים:
1AND JAIR THE SON OF MANASSEH. Jair was from the family of Judah.53 This is explicitly stated.54 For Hezron55 took the daughter of Machir the son of Manasseh, and she bore him Segub. Segub begot Jair,56 who had cities among the cities of Gilead.57. Jair is called after his mother’s family. There were also kohanim who were called after the name of the children of Barzillai the Gileadite.58. The latter is clearly stated in Scripture.59 This is no reason to ask: How did Jair60 inherit among another tribe,61 for it was the land of Canaan that was divided,62 not the land of the Amorites that was on the eastern side of the Jordan,63 for64 there were Amorites in the land of Canaan65 and they were the mightiest of the seven nations.
בחותיהם. פירושו לפי מקומו כמו קריות:
2THE VILLAGES THEREOF. Chavvotehem (villages thereof) is to be interpreted in context.66 It means walled cities.