אבן עזרא — עד כל ימי הארץ זרע וקציר

Q — Will the physical world endure forever, or does it have a fixed end? And what does the formulation "עוד כל ימי הארץ" reveal about this?

A — Ibn Ezra presents the dispute openly — "יש אומרים, כי לעולם היא עומדת. ויש אומרים, כי יש לה סוף ועת" — and then sides decisively with the second view through the language of the pasuk itself: "עוד כל ימי הארץ — לאות כי יש לה קץ קצוב." The word "עוד" (so long as) inherently implies finitude. The brit with bnei Noach holds only as long as the earth itself does. This precedes by a generation Rambam's parallel discussion in Moreh Nevuchim (ב, כז) — that while creation ex nihilo is foundational to Torah, the world's eventual destruction is contingent on God's will, not philosophically necessary. Striking methodological humility from Ibn Ezra: he presents both views as legitimate before resolving via the pasuk.