Ibn Ezra himself once—in an acrostic—names Toledo as his native place and at another time Cordova (beginning of the Ḥayyuj translation). According to Albrecht ("Studien zu den Dichtungen Abraham ben Ezra," in "Z. D. M. G." l.c. p. 422), it is certain that he was born in Toledo. Through his emigration from Spain his life was divided into two periods. In the first and longer of these, which extended almost to the year 1140, he won for himself in his native land a name as a poet and thinker. R. Moses ibn Ezra, who was an intimate friend of his, extols him as a religious philosopher ("mutakallim") and as a man of great eloquence; and a younger contemporary, R. Abraham ibn Daud, at the end of his history ("Sefer ha-Ḳabbalah," ed. Neubauer, p. 81), calls him the last of the great men who formed the pride of Spanish Judaism and who "strengthened the hands of Israel with songs and with words of comfort." In this first period of his life R. Ibn Ezra's creative activity was chiefly occupied with poetry; and the greater number of his religious and other poems were probably produced during that time. He likes to call himself "the poet" ("ha-shar," introduction to Pentateuch commentary) or "father of poems" (end of the versified calendar regulations); and in a long poem of lamentation (Rosin, "Reime und Gedichte des Abraham ibn Ezra," p. 88) he says: "Once in my youth I used to compose songs with which I decorated the Hebrew scholars as with a necklace." The fact, however, that Ibn Ezra had pursued serious studies in all branches of knowledge during his life in Spain, is shown by the writings of the second period of his life. The wealth and variety of their contents can be explained only by the compass and many-sidedness of his earlier studies.

The aim of the Mekize Nirdamin Society who published Sefer ha-Ibbur was both to propagate a knowledge of Jewish scholarship and to establish personal contact between scholars. The structure of the society—which still continues—provided for a board of directors, consisting of the best qualified scholars in their field, and annual subscriptions from members. The Mekize Nirdamim was founded in 1862 by R. E. L. Silbermann in Lyck, founder-editor of the first Hebrew weekly Ha-Maggid, with the cooperation of Chief Rabbi Nathan M. Adler (London), R. M. Sachs (Berlin), and R. S. D. Luzzatto. There was a certain amount of opposition—for a variety of reasons—which included a lack of faith in the possibility of the renaissance of Jewish culture, an opposition to the publication of non-rabbinic texts, and an opposition in principle to the exclusive use of Hebrew, which was established as a rule by the society, and/or an opposition to its founders by such scholars as A. Geiger and M. Steinschneider. Support was found, however, among Polish and Russian scholars and even in rabbis such as R. Samuel and R. Mattityahu Straschun, R. S. Ganzfried, R. M. L. Malbim, and by 1864 the number of subscribers, from a great many countries, stood at 1,200. In the same year the first four publications were issued, among them the first installment of S. D. Luzzatto's edition of Judah Halevi's Diwan. The adherence of Moses Montefiore in 1865 brought with it the support of many who had been aloof. After a decade's activity, there was a pause until, in 1885, the society resumed its work in Berlin, guided by A. Berliner, A. Harkavy, and others. It was then that the series Kobez al Jad was initiated (26 volumes by 1970), devoted to the publication of smaller manuscripts and documents. In 1934 the seat of the Mekize Nirdamim was transferred to Jerusalem. By 1970, 110 works had been issued. S. Y. Agnon served as president of the society (1954–70), and was succeeded by Gershom Scholem.

השער השלישי של הספר אבד כנראה. עיין: תרביץ, שנה כו, תשי"ז, עמ' 304-316; שנה כז, תשי"ח, עמ' 102.