The Commentary Of Abraham Ibn Ezra On The Pentateuch Deuteronomy

Poet, Biblical commentator, grammarian, astronomer, mathematician--Abraham ibn Ezra was one of the most remarkable men of his time and one of the relatively few whose works have become the heritage of all those who wish to understand the Hebrew Bible properly. Ibn Ezra combined a passion for the plain sense of the verse with a reverence for the Rabbis as transmitters of reliable tradition. His most widely used works are his commentaries on the Torah, which are admired for their depth and penetration into the mysteries of the Hebrew language, the text of the Torah and the meaning of the mitzvot. Because of their many-faceted character and elusive language, his commentaries are often difficult to understand in their original Hebrew, and have thus inspired many super-commentaries. Here for the first time is an English translation of ibn Ezra's commentary on the Book of Leviticus, and the Book of Deuteronomy based on those super-commentaries, in a style which is both faithful to the original and yet enables those who wish to fathom his meaning to do so. An English rendering of Leviticus and Deuteronomy appears at the top of each page; the bottom of each page contains the translation of ibn Ezra's commentary. This volume includes and Appendix of astronomical units, and indices of Biblical and Talmudic references.

"Abraham ben Meir ibn Ezra was one of the outstanding and colorful scholars of medieval Jewry. He was a poet, mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, grammarian physician and philosopher. However, his chief claim to fame rests on his commentary on the Bible, especially on the Pentateuch, the five books of Moses. Ibn Ezra's commentary constitutes a major contribution to Biblical exegesis. One cannot be considered a true student of the Bible without having studied it. Ibn Ezra's works influenced all major Bible commentators. This commentary on NUMBERS is now available in an English translation." --