ALSO WHEN THEY SHALL BE AFRAID OF THAT WHICH IS HIGH. Some say that the verse speaks of the aged. The aged have no strength to go up to a high place. They say that the vav1 of yira'u (shall be afraid)2 is superfluous. Some say that yira'u refers to the thighs;3 that is, man's thighs shall fear [high places].
AND TERRORS. The first and third letter of the root
4 are doubled in the word
chatchattim (terrors),
5 for the middle root letter is “swallowed” [by the second
tav of the root].
Chatchattim is related to the word
chatat (terror)
6 in:
ye see a terror (Job 6:21). It means “terror.”
AND THE ALMOND TREE SHALL BLOSSOM. Some of the commentators say that
ve-yanetz (shall blossom) is related to the word
nitzah (its blossoms) in:
its blossoms shot forth (Gen. 40:10). The reference is to old age.
7
AND THE GRASSHOPPER SHALL DRAG ITSELF ALONG. Chagav (grasshopper) means “ankle.”8
Some say that shaked (almond tree) refers to the organ that turns white after the hair on the head and the beard turn white.9
AND THE GRASSHOPPER SHALL DRAG ITSELF ALONG. The testicles will hang down. Some say that that the chet in chagav is in place of an ayin.10 This too is nonsense, for the only letters which interchange are yod, heh, vav, and alef. The reason for the aforementioned is that these letters are sometimes seen11 and at other times are [sounded but] not seen.12
AND THE CAPERBERRY SHALL FAIL. Some say
aviyonah (caperberry) is related to the word
avah (desire)
13 (Ex. 10:27). It refers to sexual desire.
Rabbi Adonim ben Tamim Ha-Mizrachi,14 whose soul is in Eden, says that aviyonah is another name for man's spirit.15 [According to Rabbi Adonim,] the following is the grammatical explanation of aviyonah:]
Evyon (needy man)
(Deut. 15:4) is a masculine adjective, and
evyonah (needy woman) is a feminine adjective.
If you wish to minimize
16 [the status of] an
evyonah (needy woman),
17 you use the term
aviyonah.
18 The same applies to
Aminon (Amnon)
(2 Sam. 13:20)19 and
Gashmu (Geshem)
20 in
Gashmu saith it (Neh. 6:6).
This is a poor21 explanation, for we do not find any such words in Hebrew.22
If it were in the basic structure of Hebrew to have such forms,23 then we would find hundreds and thousands of such words in Scripture.
I will now explain our verse.
After saying
And those that look out shall be darkened in the windows (Kohelet 12:3) and that the person will not eat and his voice will not be heard
(Kohelet 12:4), how can Kohelet go back and say, Also
when they shall be afraid of that which is high in addition to all that he says [in our verse] concerning the hair turning white?
25
[The answer is:]
Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high does not refer to physical height. Our verse is to be interpreted in a different manner.26 This is the way it is to be understood:
Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high means: "Also when his thoughts shall be afraid of that which is high." For the spirit thinks that it27 is going to a high place, and it fears the journey [that it is about to undertake].28 The end of the verse shows that this is the case, for it reads: because man goeth to his long home.29
The word
ve-yanetz (shall blossom) is spelled with an
alef.
30 Ve-yanetz is similar to
va-yinatz (and hath despised)
31 in:
and hath rejected in the indignation of His anger (Lam. 2:6). The meaning of
va-yinatz is “and He despised.” This is so even though
ve-yanetz and
va-yinatz are two different forms.
32
Ha-shaked (the almond tree) is an adjective.
33 Shaked34 follows the form of words that are vocalized like
dashen35 (fat) and s
hamen36 (plenteous) in:
and it shall be fat and plenteous (Is. 30:23).
Ha-shaked (the almond tree) refers to the power which preserves the body's make up.
37 Shaked is similar to
shikdu (watch ye) in:
shikdu ve-shimru (Watch ye, and keep)
(Ezra 8:29), and
shakad (watcheth) in:
the watchman watcheth but in vain (Ps. 127:1). It is also similar to the word
shoked (watcheth) in:
a leopard watcheth over their cities (Jer. 5:6).
The meaning of ve-yanetz ha-shaked (and the almond tree shall blossom) is: the power that usually protects the body will loath to watch over it.38
And the grasshopper shall drag itself along means that it will be too hard for the power that preserves the body to provide enough strength to even bear a light grasshopper. How much more so will it be difficult for this power to bear the body?39
The
tav in the word
ve-yistabbel (and shall drag along) is the
tav of the
hitpa'el.
40 The
tav is placed later in the word,
41 as is the case in all words whose first root letter is a
samekh or
shin. Compare
mistolel42 (exaltest thou thyself)
(Ex. 9:17), and
mishtolel (maketh himself a prey) (Is. 59:15).
43
AND THE CAPERBERRY SHALL FAIL. It is known that the word
hafer (he hath broken)
(Ezek. 17:19) is always transitive.
44The meaning of
ve-tafer ha-aviyonah is: “the counselor
45 will break her counseling.”
Ha-
aviyonah (caperberry) refers to man's spirit.
This linguistic detail
46 was already explained by Rabbi Judah son of David,
47 the master grammarian whose soul is in Eden. Rabbi Judah son of David taught that the words
kam (arose)
(Joshua 8:19),
shav (returned)
(Gen. 18:33),
48 and similar words
49 come from a three-letter root whose middle stem letter is a
yod. The word
kiyyem (confirmed) in:
confirmed these matters of Purim (Est. 9:32) shows that this the case.
50 The word
binah (understanding) is like the word
kimatam (their rising up) in:
their sitting down, and their rising up (Lam. 3:63).
51 Hevin (understanding) (Is. 29:16)
52 is like
hekim (causeth to stand)
(Num. 30:15).
53 Bantah (Thou understandest) in:
Thou understandest my thought (Ps. 139:2)54 is like
kamta55 (thou didst rise)
(2 Sam. 12:21).
Kam, which is an adjective,
56 is like
shav57 (turn) in
I will turn the captivity of Jacob's tent (Jer. 30:18).
The complete form of kam (established)58 is kayyam. Kayyam is vocalized like gannav.59 The full [present] feminine form of kam is kayyemet. When spelled with a heh [rather than with a tav] it is kayyamah.60 The accent is placed on the last syllable in kayyamah.
I now will backtrack and explain the word
aviyonah. I believe
61 that the
alef of aviyonah is superfluous.
62 It is like the
alef in ekdach (carbuncles) (Is. 54:12),
63 ezro'a (arm)
(Jer. 32:21),
64 and
eznichu (shall become foul) (Is. 19:6).
65According to this interpretation,
aviyonah is an adjective meaning “understanding.” It is an expression for the spirit of understanding.
66
BECAUSE MAN GOETH TO HIS LONG HOME. The reference is to the grave. The grave is the home in which man dwells forever.67
The word
olam (long) is also found meaning “a fixed time.”
68 Compare
: and there abide forever (ad olam)
(1 Sam. 1:22), and:
he shall serve him forever (
le-olam)
(Ex. 21:6).
AND THE MOURNERS GO ABOUT THE STREETS. When they carry the deceased. Compare: He is borne upon the shoulder, he is carried (Is. 46:7).
1. A vav placed at the end of a third person perfect verb indicates that the verb is a plural.
2. Yira'u is a plural. However, our chapter is directed to an individual. See v. 1. Hence, this interpretation suggests that yira’u be interpreted as if written yira.
3. Yira'u refers back to the strong men—which Ibn Ezra interprets as the thighs—in v. 3. Hence, the plural form yira'u.
4. Chatchattim comes from the root chet, tav, tav.
5. Chatchattim is spelled chet, tav, chet, tav, yod, mem. It consists of the word chat doubled, and it comes from the root chet, tav, tav. The first root chet is doubled, the second tav is dropped, and the third tav is doubled. The middle tav is not present in chatchattim. It is “swallowed” by the tav which is present in the word.
6. From the root chet, tav, tav.
7. The blossom of the almond tree is white. The hair turns white in old age. Thus, And the almond tree shall blossom is a metaphor for old age when the hair turns white.
8. The part of the leg used for jumping.
9. The reference is probably to pubic hair.
10. Chagav is to be read as if written agav (lust).
11. The alef, yod, vav and heh are vowels letters. Sometimes they appear as part of the spelled word. At other times they are present but are pronounced as part of the vowel.
12. Literally, “hidden.” See note 52. All these letters may be dropped and thus may interchange with each other.
13. According to this interpretation, the phrase means: “and sexual desire shall fail.”
14. A tenth century Babylonian grammarian and philosopher. Ibn Ezra places him along with Rabbi Saadiah Gaon and RabbiYehuda ben Kuraish among the “Elders of the Holy Tongue.”
15. Rabbi Adonim interprets aviyonah as meaning “a poor little spirit.” Our clause would then mean: “And the poor little spirit shall fail”; that is, be removed from the body.
16. Literally, “to make young.” Young people lack status.
17. Or anyone else. If you want to disparage someone, you add a yod or a vav to his or her name.
18. Evyonah means “a poor woman.” Aviyonah means “a poor little woman”; that is, a poor insignificant woman.
19. According to Rabbi Adonim, Aminon means “little Amnon.”
20. According to Rabbi Adonim, Gashmu means “little Geshem.”
21. This is a word play alluding to R. Adonim’s interpretation of aviyonah as “poor little soul.”
22. We do not find words (nouns or names) spelled differently in order to diminish their status. For example, we do not find the form Yisra'elu employed to diminish Yisra'el.
23. Literally, to make young.
24. The vav in Gashmu is like the vav in Yitro, who was also called Yeter. In both cases, the addition of the vav results in a slightly different name for the same person.
25. The fear of heights comes before the eyes darken and one stops eating. When one's eyes darken and he stops eating, he is house bound. He is beyond worrying about heights.
26. Literally, in truth it refers to a different subject. That is, it does not refer to physical height. It refers to a different sort of height.
27. Literally, she.
28. The sprit fears the journey that it is about to undertake.
29. This shows that man is afraid because he faces death.
30. The alef is silent. Ibn Ezra notes the spelling of ve-yanetz because he wants to compare ve-yanetz to va-yinatz, as both words come from the root nun, alef, tzadi.
31. Translated according to Ibn Ezra
32. Ve-yanetz is a hifil. Va-yinatz is a kal.
33. Ibn Ezra calls non-proper nouns “adjectives.”
34. Shaked is vocalized kamatz, tzere.
35. Vocalized kamatz, tzere.
36. Vocalized kamatz, tzere.
37. What today we call the immune system.
38. The power that protects the body will no longer "want" to watch over it, as evidenced by increasingly poor health.
39. Man's own body.
40. It is not a root letter. The root of ve-yistabbel is samekh, bet, lamed.
41. In most cases, the tav of the hitpa'el form is placed before the first root letter. However, when a stem has a samekh, shin, or sin as the first root letter, the tav follows the first root letter.
42. From the root samekh, lamed, lamed.
43. From the root shin, lamed, lamed.
44. According to Ibn Ezra, ve-tafer in our verse is also transitive and means “will break.”
45. The counselor (man's spirit) will cease giving counsel. Ibn Ezra believes that aviyonah means “counselor.” He associates aviyonah with binah (understanding), which comes from the root bet, yod, nun.
46. The basis for relating aviyonah to binah (understanding). Ibn Ezra explains that certain Hebrew words like binah come from a three-letter root even though they often appear to come from two letter roots. He stresses this because not everyone of his readers was aware of this point. In fact, many believed that words like kam, shav and the like come from two letter roots.
47. Rabbi Judah ibn Chayuj.
48. Which appear to come from two-letter stems.
49. Literally, their comrades. Other verbs which similarly appear to be based on two-letter roots.
50. That kam and shav, which appear to come from two-letter roots, are based on three-letter roots whose middle stem is a yod. For kam also appears with a yod, as in kiyyem. Ibn Ezra now gives other examples of such words.
51. Binah like kimah, comes from a three-letter root. Kimatam is the word kimah plus the third person plural pronominal suffix.
52. From the root bet, yod, nun.
53. From the root kof, yod, mem.
54. From the root bet, yod, nun.
55. From the root kof, yod, mem.
56. Ibn Ezra refers to the present form as an adjective.
57. From the root shin yod, bet.
58. The present form in which the middle root letter, yod, is present.
59. It is vocalized pattach, kamatz.
60. The full feminine present form of kam is kayyemet or kayyamah.
61. Literally, I will say.
62. According to Ibn Ezra, the root of aviyonah is bet, yod, nun, which means “understanding.” In other words, aviyonah is a variant of binah.
63. From the root kof, dalet, chet. See Ibn Ezra on Is. 54:12.
64. The usual word for arm in Hebrew is zero'a, from the root zayin, resh, ayin.
65. From the root zayin, nun, chet.
66. According to this interpretation, ve-tafer ha-aviyonah (and the caperberry shall fail) means “and understanding shall fail.” That is, man's sense of reason shall fail.
67. According to this interpretation, olam means “forever,” and thus bet olamo (long home) is “his eternal home.”
68. It is possible that this interpretation alludes to the doctrine of resurrection. The grave is not the eternal home of man; but he is there for a fixed time. See Ibn Ezra on Dan. 12:2 (R. Goodman).