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Ibn Ezra, Psalms 115:16

 

אבן עזרא, תהלים קטו:טז

Original Text:

השמים... וחסרי דעה חשבו כי ממשלת האדם בארץ כממשלת השם בשמים ולא דברו נכונה כי מלכות השם בכל משלה רק פירוש נתן לבני האדם שהאדם כמו פקיד אלקים בארץ על כל מה שיש בה והכל בדבר השם:

Translation:

“The Heavens”... Ignorant people once thought that the dominion of people on earth was like the dominion of God in the Heavens, and they were not speaking correctly, because God's dominion is everywhere. But the meaning of “the earth God gave to humans (Psalms 115:16)” is that people are like the clerks of God on earth over all that is on earth, and everything is [ruled by] the word of God. [translation: Sareet Benayahu]

Suggested Discussion Questions:

1. The full verse on which this text comments reads "The heavens belong to the Lord, but the earth God gave over to humans." How did the ignorant people understand this verse? How does the Ibn Ezra correct this misunderstanding?
2. How do you see people acting today as though people have full dominion over the earth? How can we correct our environmental behaviors to better reflect the values of the Ibn Ezra?

According to this source, what is the relationship between humans, G-d, and the earth?

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Jewcology

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