Ibn Ezra on Numbers 16:30

בריאה. י"א שהיא תורה על המצא מה שלא היה וכבר פירשתי שאין המלה רק מגזרת וברא אתהן וכבר נבקעו מדינות רבות וירדו הדרים בהן שאולה והנה פירושה כטעם גזרה: BUT IF THE LORD MAKE A NEW THING. Some say that the word beri’ah (a new thing) refers to the bringing forth of something that was never in existence.I have already explained that the word beri’ah is related to the word u-vara (hack) in and hack them (Ezek. 23:47).⁷¹See I.E. on Gen. 1:1 (Vol. 1, pp. 22,23). Many cities⁷²Or countries. The text reads medinot. have been split open, and those who dwelt in them have gone down to the pit.⁷³The reference is apparently to earthquakes. The meaning of bara is to cut.⁷⁴Thus according to I.E., ve-im beri’ah yivra Adonai (But if the Lord make a new thing) should be interpreted, but if God shall certainly split. An alternative interpretation of I.E. is: The meaning of bara is to decree. According to this interpretation I.E. renders ve-im beri’ah yivra Adonai (but if the Lord make a new thing) as, but if God shall decree.

ופצתה האדמה את פיה. כמו ופתחה וכן יפצה פיהו וכבר רמזתי בעבור היות נשמת האדם העליונה תיכונה תדבר על הגבוהים ממנה כדרך ארמונה שהוא הגוף וכן על השפלים ממנה והטעם להבין השומעים: AND THE GROUND OPEN HER MOUTH. The word u-fatzetah means and opened. Compare, yiftzeh (doth open) in doth open his mouth (Job 35:16).I have already hinted⁷⁵See I.E. on Gen. 1:26 (Vol. 1, p. 45). that man’s highest soul,⁷⁶The rational soul. See I.E. on Gen. 1:1 (Vol. 1, p. 25). I.E. believes that man has three souls, a vegetable, an animal and a rational soul. I.E. refers to the soul as “her” for the Hebrew word for soul is neshamah, which is a feminine noun. which comes from the intermediary world,⁷⁷For the three worlds, see I.E. on Ex. 3:15 (Vol. 2, pp. 86-90). employs human language when speaking of things above her,⁷⁸Such as when speaking of God. for the body is its palace.⁷⁹Here on earth. Hence it must employ corporeal metaphors. It is philosophically significant that I.E. refers to the body as a palace for the soul. It similarly employs human language when speaking of things below her.⁸⁰Such as the earth. Hence Scripture reads, and the ground open her mouth. It does so in order that people understand her.