Sunday, August 17, 2025

Ibn Ezra on Psalm 2:12

  

Ibn Ezra on Psalms 2:12:1

Kiss the son (נַשְּׁקוּ־בַר - nashku var): Behold, "Serve Ad-nai" [from v. 11] corresponds to [the rebellion] "against Ad-nai" [in v. 2]. And "Kiss the son" [nashku var] corresponds to [the rebellion] "against His anointed" [in v. 2].

 

Ibn Ezra on Psalms 2:12:2

And behold, the interpretation of bar is "son," as in (Proverbs 31:2): "What, my son (beri), and what, O son (bar) of my womb?" And so it is written [in verse 7], "You are My son (b'ni atah)." And the custom of nations in the world is to place their hands under the hand of the king (like the brothers of Solomon [showing submission, cf. (I Chronicles 29:24)]), or [for] the servant [to place his hand] under the thigh of his master [for an oath, cf. (Genesis 24:2)], or to kiss the king. And this custom [of kissing the ruler] exists until today in the land of India.

 

Ibn Ezra on Psalms 2:12:3

Lest He be angered (פֶּן־יֶאֱנַף - pen ye'enaf): [The pronoun "He"] refers back to HaShem [God] mentioned in the previous verse ("Serve Ad-nai"). Even if the antecedent is distant, [this occurs elsewhere], like [in (Exodus 15:12)] "the earth swallowed them" – ["them"] does not refer back to the [immediately preceding] phrase "Who is like You among the gods?" [v. 11] but rather to [the more distant] "[the] enemy said" [v. 9].¹ And similarly [in (Exodus 40:17-19), the fulfillment of actions] "and they erected the Tabernacle" [refers back to commands given much earlier].

 

Ibn Ezra on Psalms 2:12:4

And some say (v'yesh omrim): That nashku is from the root neshek (נֶשֶׁק - arms, weaponry). And the meaning [would be]: Arm yourselves (nashku) with purity (var). And behold, bar [would then mean "pure"], like [in (Psalm 24:4)] "pure (b'rei) of heart." [However, Ibn Ezra notes grammatical issues:] It properly should have been [the noun] bor (בֹּר - purity), or [the phrase would be] "equip (tiknu) the purity (ha-bor)" or "[take up] the weapon/vessel (k'li) of purity (ha-bor)."

 

Ibn Ezra on Psalms 2:12:5

And you perish [from the] way (וְתֹאבְדוּ דֶרֶךְ - ve-to'vdu derekh): [This means] you will be perishing because of the way (mi-pe'at ha-derekh). Similar [is the construction in (Isaiah 1:30)] "whose foliage fades" (novelet aleha, lit. 'fading its leaves') – for the [tree] itself does not fade, but its leaves fade. Because it [the verb avad - אבד, to perish] is one of the intransitive verbs (po'alim ha-omdim). And Rabbi Moshe Rabbi Moshe [ben Shmu'el Gikatilla] HaKohen said: That way (derekh) here is like "a foot's tread" (midrakh kaf regel) [from (Deuteronomy 2:5), meaning a place to stand]. And this is far-fetched (rachok) because it has no sense/reason (ta'am). [Ibn Ezra rejects this interpretation].

 

Ibn Ezra on Psalms 2:12:6

For His anger burns quickly (כִּי־יִבְעַר כִּמְעַט אַפּוֹ - ki yiv'ar kim'at appo): [The verb b'r - בער, burn] is [often] transitive (po'el yotze), like [in (Isaiah 9:17)] "as fire burns (tiv'ar) the forest," in the manner of (Deuteronomy 4:24) "a consuming fire (esh okhlah)." And [here] the object (ha-pe'ulah) is missing [i.e., it doesn't say what the anger burns], because there is no need [to state it], for burning anger (chari ha-af) is [already inherently] compared to fire. (source)