Abraham Ibn Ezra's Non-Literal Interpretations - Hakirah.org

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288 : Hạkirah, the Flatbush Journal of Jewish Law and ThoughtThe ninth statement, namely, “Do not testify as a false witness…”corresponds to the sphere of Mercury, which indicates language.The tenth statement, namely, “Do not be envious…” clearly correspondsto the sphere of the moon, which is the lowest of thespheres. It indicates desire. 27Ibn Ezra’s commentary contains many philosophic commentsthat, while interesting and important in and of themselves, stray farfrom offering a plain meaning of the text.Thus Ibn Ezra explains that there are three worlds: an upperworld of the intelligences, an intermediate world of the heavenlyspheres, and a lower sub-lunar world of creation and decay. 28 He discussesthe makeup of the human soul and notes that there are threesouls in man: vegetative, animal and rational. 29Not only do some of his commentaries not explain the plainmeaning of the text, but they themselves are cryptic and have been asource of controversy among students of Ibn Ezra. Thus in commentingon Gen. 1:26 Ibn Ezra notes, “God is the One. He is thecreator of all. He is all. He fills the universe.” Some have taken this tomean that Ibn Ezra was a pantheist. 30 Others maintain that Ibn Ezramerely believed that God is immanent in the world. Be the latter as itmay, this comment has nothing to do with the literal meaning ofGen. 1:26.Psalms 1:6 reads: “For the Lord knows the way of the righteous;but the way of the wicked shall perish.”In his comments on Psalms, Ibn Ezra writes:“There is no doubt that the revered God knows the whole and theparticulars. The whole is the soul of all life that animates all createdbeings. The particulars refer to each one of the species. The particularsalso refer to each and every individual creature of the species,for they are all the work of His hands. However, the knowl-27 Ibid. 20:12.28 Ibid. Long Commentary 3:15.29 Ibid. Kohelet 7:3.30 See Isaac Barzilay, Yoseph Shlomo Delmedigo, Yashar of Candia, p. 276,“[Ibn Ezra believed that] He is the world… there is nothing besidesHim… Everything is He Himself”; Stephen Wylen, The Seventy Faces ofTorah, p. 174.
Abraham Ibn Ezra’s Non-Literal Interpretations : 289edge of each individual, be he righteous or wicked, is by way of thewhole.”This comment seems to limit Divine Providence for the individual.This is the way Rabbi Hasdai Crescas 31 and Rabbi Abraham IsaacKook understood the above. 32 Others have tried to reconcile IbnEzra’s comment with normative views on God’s providence. Heretoo, as important as the comment is for the study of Jewish philosophy,it is far from being an interpretation of the plain meaning of thetext.A plain reading of 1 Samuel indicates that David committed adulterywith Bath-Sheba and saw to it that her husband died in battle.Late one afternoon, David rose from his couch and strolled on theroof of the royal palace; and from the roof he saw a woman bathing.The woman was very beautiful, and the king sent someone tomake inquiries about the woman. He reported, “She is Bathshebadaughter of Eliam [and] wife of Uriah the Hittite.” David sent messengersto fetch her; she came to him and he lay with her—she hadjust purified herself after her period—and she went back home (2Samuel 11:2-4).Ibn Ezra argues that David did not commit adultery with Bathsheba.He claims that Bathsheba “was not really a married woman”when David had intercourse with her. .33The Prophet Nathan accused David of murdering Uriah: “Youhave put Uriah the Hittite to the sword; you took his wife and madeher your wife and had him killed by the sword of the Ammonites.”Despite this Ibn Ezra claims that David “was not a murderer… forDavid did not order that Uriah be put to death.” 34Another example: It would appear from Numbers 12:1 thatMiriam and Aaron were angry at Moses for marrying a Cushitewoman. After confirming this reading, Ibn Ezra suggests that Moses’siblings were angry with him not because he married a Cushitewoman, but because he refrained from having sexual relations with31 Or Adonai, 2.32 Orot Ha-Kodesh; Musar Ha-Kodesh. See also I. Husik, A History of MediaevalJewish Philosophy, Jewish Publication Society: Philadelphia, 1940, p. 193;Ibn Ezra’s comments on Gen. 18:21 and Nahmanides’ ad loc.33 Ibn Ezra on Ps. 51:2.34 Ibid. 16.
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