[Mesorah] Question on the word Mevarcheicha?

[Art Werschulz]

On 28 Oct 2020, at 4:22, Aharon Gal via Mesorah <mesorah at lists.aishdas.org> wrote:
> 
> Chapter 12 verse 3: וַאֲבָרְכָה מְבָרֲכֶיךָ וּמְקַלֶּלְךָ אָאֹר
> Onkelos translates: וֶאֱבָרֵךְ מְבָרְכָךְ וּמְלַטְטָךְ אֵילוּט
> Seems to me strange that the verse will say “...those who bless…and the one who curse..”
> Septuagint translates both as plural - “those”.
> As for Onkelos, I don't know. Is the word מְבָרְכָךְ singular, plural, or can be both?

Ibn Ezra says that the word for blessing is in the plural, and the word for cursing is in the singular, with no further comment.

Hizquni says that the plural/singular delineation is because more people are likely to bless someone such as Abraham than to curse him.

Art Werschulz
agw at comcast.net