Abraham Ibn Ezra was born in Tudela, one of the oldest and most important Jewish communities in Navarre.

[citation needed] From outside sources, little is known of ibn Ezra's family; however, he wrote of a marriage to a wife who produced five children.

His son's conversion was deeply troubling for ibn Ezra, leading him to pen many poems reacting to the event for years afterward.

In his commentary, Ibn Ezra adhered to the literal sense of the texts, avoiding Rabbinic allegory and Kabbalistic interpretation.

[8] In addition, he sharply criticized those who blended the simplistic and logical explanation with Midrash, maintaining that such interpretations were never intended to supplant the plain understanding.

[10] In his commentary, Ibn Ezra examines Deuteronomy 1:1 and expresses concern over the unusual phrasing that describes Moses as being "beyond the Jordan."

[11] Relating this inconsistency to others in the Torah, Ibn Ezra stated, "If you can grasp the mystery behind the following problematic passages: 1) The final twelve verses of this book [i.e., Deuteronomy 34:1–12, describing the death of Moses], 2) 'Moshe wrote [this song on the same day, and taught it to the children of Israel]' [Deuteronomy 31:22]; 3) 'At that time, the Canaanites dwelt in the land' [Genesis 12:6]; 4) '...

[10] Spinoza and later scholars were thus able to expand on several of Ibn Ezra's references as a means of providing stronger evidence for non-Mosaic authorship.

One work in particular that belongs to this province, Yesod Mora ("Foundation of Awe"), on the division and the reasons for the Biblical commandments, he wrote in 1158 for a London-based friend, Joseph ben Jacob.

The presentation appears to have been planned as an integrated whole, with cross-references throughout, including references to subsequent books in the future tense.

Each of the books is known in two versions, so it seems that at some point Ibn Ezra also created a revised edition of the series.

[18] According to Jewish tradition, Abraham ibn Ezra was buried in Cabul, alongside Judah Halevi.