Commentary: On Exodus 3:15
Abraham Ibn Ezra
1155–1157
Know that there are three worlds. One of them is the lower [world] and it has many levels, although three include [all of] them. One is that of the metals, of which there are seven, corresponding to the seven planets. Above them are the plants, which have many levels. Above them are the animals, which have many levels. Man is alone in the highest…
In this excerpt from his lengthy comment on Exodus 3:15 (“And God said to Moses, Thus shall you say to the children of Israel, the Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you: this is my Name for ever, and this is my memorial to all generations”), Abraham Ibn Ezra describes the division of existence into three worlds, each of which is subdivided into various levels. The lowest level is the earthly realm, the middle contains the planets, moon, and stars, and the highest is the realm of the incorporeal angels, or separate intellects. Many of the ideas expressed here are found in Ibn Ezra’s other writings.
Related Guide
Early Medieval Bible Translations and Commentaries
Creator Bio
Abraham Ibn Ezra
Abraham ben Meir Ibn Ezra was a remarkably productive itinerant intellectual who contributed to an astonishing array of fields, including biblical exegesis, science, mathematics, grammar, astronomy, astrology, piyyut (liturgical poetry), and philosophy. Born in Toledo, in al-Andalus (Muslim Spain), in the first part of his life Ibn Ezra moved in elite circles, for the most part writing poetry, and enjoyed a close relationship with the poet and theologian Judah ha-Levi. Around the age of fifty, Ibn Ezra fled Almohad persecutions in his homeland and traveled to Italy, northern France, and England. Most of his scientific writings date to this period, including numerous works on astrology, number theory, and grammar. His biblical commentaries, which were concerned with the straightforward meaning of scripture but also incorporated philosophical and scientific insights, were enormously popular. In later centuries, they attracted many supercommentaries , namely, commentaries on his commentary
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