And Hashem said to Moses: "Say to Aaron: Stretch forth your hand with your rod over the rivers, over the canals, and over the pools, and cause frogs to come up upon the land of Egypt."
verse value 4870 — יְהֹוָה֮ = 26 (Hashem)
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 83 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֮) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "say" (אֱמֹ֣ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·frogs" (אֶת־הַֽצְפַרְדְּעִ֖ים, 10 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Exodus. Unique to this verse in Exodus (hapax): "with·your·rod" (בְּמַטֶּ֔ךָ), "upon·the·rivers" (עַ֨ל־הַנְּהָרֹ֔ת), "upon·the·canals" (עַל־הַיְאֹרִ֖ים). The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 396x in Exodus); "and·said" (root אמר, 297x in Exodus); "Egypt" (root מצרי, 145x in Exodus). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·upon·the·ponds', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 4 words.
Onkelos
Hashem said to Moses: Say to Aaron, raise your hand with your staff over the rivers, over the canals, and over the ponds, and bring up the frogs upon the land of Egypt.
Ibn Ezra
"And he said. Stretch out your hand" — over the winds of the heavens. Then the frogs will come up from the rivers, from the streams, and from the pools — but not from every body of standing water.
Chizkuni
נטה את ידך, “extend your hand!” G-d wanted Pharaoh and the Egyptians to see that the cause of the plague wasMoses, although it was Aaron who actually extended his arm with Moses’ staff over the river.8.2. ותעל הצפרדע, “the frogs emerged from the river.” Even though the Torah uses the singular mode here, the meaning is that swarms of frogs came forth. We find something similar in Numbers 21,7 when the Torah describes the plague of snakes besetting the people as if it had been only a single snake, i.e. ויסר מעלינו את הנחש, “may He remove the snake(s) from us.”
Tur HaArokh
אמור אל אהרן נטה את מטך, “say to Aaron to stretch out his staff, etc.” seeing that we have been told earlier (6,6) that G’d would employ His זרוע נטויה, “outstretched arm,” when the “hand” was employed instead, the Torah had to spell this out. Ibn Ezra claims that the stretching out of Aaron’s hand with the staff in all four directions resulted in the frogs emerging from the streams and rivers as well as from the lakes, but not from the ponds.
And Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt; and the frogs came up, and covered the land of Egypt.
verse value 3795
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 47 letters. The shortest word is "upon" (עַ֖ל, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·frog" (הַצְּפַרְדֵּ֔עַ, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 380: Egypt, Egypt. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Exodus. Unique to this verse in Exodus (hapax): "the·waters·of" (מֵימֵ֣י), "the·frog" (הַצְּפַרְדֵּ֔עַ). The root מצרי appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Egypt" (root מצרי, 145x in Exodus); "land" (root ארץ, 133x in Exodus); "upon" (root על, 114x in Exodus). First appearance of the root כסה ("and·covered") in Exodus. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Egypt', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַיֵּ֤ט [and·held·out] (25) + אַהֲרֹן֙ [Aaron] (256) + אֶת־יָד֔וֹ [his·hand] (421) + עַ֖ל [upon] (100) + מֵימֵ֣י [the·waters·of] (100) + מִצְרָ֑יִם [Egypt] (380) + וַתַּ֙עַל֙ [and·went·up] (506) + הַצְּפַרְדֵּ֔עַ [the·frog] (449) + וַתְּכַ֖ס [and·covered] (486) + אֶת־אֶ֥רֶץ [land] (692) + מִצְרָֽיִם [Egypt] (380) = 3795.
Onkelos
Aaron raised his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt.
Rashi
ותעל הצפרדע AND THE FROGS (lit. frog) CAME UP — Really there was only one frog, but when they struck at it, it was split into many swarms. This is a Midrashic explanation of the usage of the singular noun here (cf. Sanhedrin 67b; Exodus Rabbah 10:4). But as a literal explanation one must say that the swarm of the frogs is denoted by the singular form. Similar is, (v. 14) “and there was the כנם” — the swarm of insects, in old French pedulier; i. e. a swarm of lice. So, too, here, ותעל הצפרדע means: and there came up a grenouillière (old French) i. e. a swarm of frogs.
Ibn Ezra
"And he stretched out" — here he stretched out his hand but did not strike the Nile as he had done the first time; rather, this was a signal that from the moment he stretched out his hand the frogs were able to come up.
Chizkuni
ותעל הצפרדע, “the frogs emerged from the river.” Even though the Torah uses the singular mode here, the meaning is that swarms of frogs came forth. We find something similar in Numbers 21,7 when the Torah describes the plague of snakes besetting the people as if it had been only a single snake, i.e. ויסר מעלינו את הנחש, “may He remove the snake(s) from us.”
Targum Yonatan
And Aharon uplifted his hand over the waters of Mizraim, and the plague of frogs came up and covered the land of Mizraim. But Mosheh (himself) did not smite the waters, either with the blood or with the frogs because through them (the waters of the Nile) he had (found) safety the time that his mother laid him in the river.
And the magicians did in like manner with their secret arts, and brought up frogs upon the land of Egypt.
verse value 2663
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 45 letters. Verse gematria: 2663 is prime. The shortest word is "and·brought·up" (וַיַּעֲל֥וּ, 5 letters) and the longest is "the·frogs" (אֶת־הַֽצְפַרְדְּעִ֖ים, 10 letters). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·did·so" (root עשה, 322x in Exodus); "Egypt" (root מצרי, 145x in Exodus); "upon·land" (root ארץ, 133x in Exodus). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'with·their·spells', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיַּֽעֲשׂוּ־כֵ֥ן [and·did·so] (462) + הַֽחַרְטֻמִּ֖ים [the·magicians] (312) + בְּלָטֵיהֶ֑ם [with·their·spells] (96) + וַיַּעֲל֥וּ [and·brought·up] (122) + אֶת־הַֽצְפַרְדְּעִ֖ים [the·frogs] (900) + עַל־אֶ֥רֶץ [upon·land] (391) + מִצְרָֽיִם [Egypt] (380) = 2663.
Onkelos
The sorcerers did likewise with their incantations and brought up the frogs upon the land of Egypt.
Ibn Ezra
"And they did" — with a small amount of water. Therefore Pharaoh saw that there was a difference between Aaron's act and their act; accordingly he summoned Moses, for he had seen that the magicians added to the plague but were unable to diminish it.
Sforno
ויעלו את הצפרדעים, the ones produced by the sorcerers were unable to reproduce themselves, as were those that Aaron had produced. The sorcerers were never able to produce any creature that could move on its own. [It is important to realise that our author considers the צפרדע as a type of crocodile, the major danger to humans and fish inhabiting the Nile. Ed.]
Chizkuni
בלטיהם, “with their spells.” According to Rashi, these “spells” are called such as the word means “silently,” they employed whispers to produce such illusions. Rashi had given this interpretation already on 7,11 where the spelling of the word had been slightly different.
Tur HaArokh
ויעשו כן החרטומים, “the sorcerers did likewise. “They succeeded in making frogs emerge from the relatively few ponds which had not yet produced frogs. Seeing that they were unable to make the frogs retreat to their natural habitat, [presumably this had been the task set for them by Pharaoh Ed.] Pharaoh saw himself compelled to appeal to Moses and Aaron to pray to their G’d to stop the plague.
Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said: "Entreat Hashem, that He take away the frogs from me, and from my people; and I will let the people go, that they may sacrifice to Hashem."
verse value 4386
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 79 letters. Verse gematria: 4386 = 86 × 51; 86 is the value of Elohim. The shortest word is "Pharaoh" (פַרְעֹ֜ה, 4 letters) and the longest is "the·frogs" (הַֽצְפַרְדְּעִ֔ים, 8 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Exodus. Unique to this verse in Exodus (hapax): "from·me" (מִמֶּ֖נִּי), "and·from·my·people" (וּמֵֽעַמִּ֑י). The root יהוה appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·Hashem" (root יהוה, 396x in Exodus); "and·said" (root אמר, 297x in Exodus); "to·Moses" (root משה, 277x in Exodus). First appearance of the root עתר ("entreat") in Exodus. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·from·my·people', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 4 words.
Onkelos
Pharaoh called to Moses and to Aaron and said: Pray before Hashem that He remove the frogs from me and from my people, and I will send out the people so that they may sacrifice before Hashem.
Ibn Ezra
"And he called" — he said "Entreat" as a polite request directed to both of them. And this plague was harsher than the first, for it is written: "and the frog that destroyed them" (Ps. 78:45).
Sforno
'העתירו אל ה, he did pay attention to the aspect of getting rid of this plague, recognising that there was some use in calling on the G’d of the Israelites to remove the plague.
Or HaChaim
העתירו אל ה׳, "Implore G'd, etc." Why did Pharaoh not simply go to his home as he had done during the first plague? After all, his magicians had demonstrated in both instances that they were able to duplicate Moses' and Aaron's magic? Actually, we should interpret Pharaoh's beliefs as reflected by his reactions. He would not have called in Moses and Aaron to pray for him unless he had been afraid of the deathly effect of the plague in question. The plague of blood did not represent a threat to life as people could still their thirst by either digging for water in the vicinity of the river or buying same from the Israelites. As a result, Pharaoh did not become overly agitated at that plague. The plague of frogs contained two elements. 1) It was accompanied by an overpowering noise orchestrated by all those frogs; 2) the frogs invaded people's entrails as we know from 7,29 "and the frogs shall come upon you, etc." This plague was very frightening, no one being certain of his survival. These considerations are what prompted Pharaoh to implore Moses to remove this plague accompanied by a promise that he would release the Israelites to offer sacrifices to their G'd. When he said: ממני, he referred to his entrails, which was the most frightening aspect of the plague. Pharaoh did not ask Moses for removal of the third plague, the insects, even though he had watched his magicians' impotence and admission that this plague was indeed a "finger of G'd;" his heart remained obstinate as the plague, painful though it was, did not constitute a danger to life. The fourth plague, that of wild animals invading Egypt's urban areas was truly fear-inspiring and resulted in Pharaoh instructing Moses and Aaron to go and take the Israelites to sacrifice to their G'd within the country. For the first time, Pharaoh was prepared to negotiate where this could take place. At any rate, he pleaded with Moses to pray on his behalf. The plague of pestilence did not move Pharaoh particularly as its main effect was on the animals, though none of the livestock owned by the Israelites died. Pharaoh remained obstinate, did not release the Israelites and did not ask Moses to pray to stop the plague. The sixth plague, painful boils on the skin, also did not move Pharaoh to prayer as it was not a life-threatening situation although for the first time even his magicians did not remain immune. The plague of hail was a major spectacle not only ruining the crops but killing people who had not heeded G'd's warning. For the first time Pharaoh reacted by admitting that he and his people had sinned against G'd. He pleaded with Moses to pray and not only promised to release the Israelites but did so without attaching conditions. During the eighth plague, the locusts, the Torah quotes Pharaoh's alarm when, for the first time, his servants move him to negotiate the Israelites' release before the onset of the plague. Negotiations having broken down, the plague does occur and Pharaoh pleads for ...
And Moses said to Pharaoh: "Glorify yourself over me — for when shall I entreat for you, and for your servants, and for your people, that the frogs be destroyed from you and your houses, and remain in the river only?"
verse value 6513
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 79 letters. The shortest word is "to·you" (לְךָ֗, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·frogs" (הַֽצְפַרְדְּעִ֔ים, 8 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Exodus. Unique to this verse in Exodus (hapax): "glorify·yourself" (הִתְפָּאֵ֣ר), "over·me" (עָלַי֒), "for·when" (לְמָתַ֣י). 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 297x in Exodus); "Moses" (root משה, 277x in Exodus); "and·for·your·people" (root עם, 190x in Exodus). First appearance of the root מתי ("for·when") in Exodus. First appearance of the root רק ("only") in Exodus. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·from·your·houses', dividing the verse into phrases of 14 and 3 words.
Onkelos
Moses said to Pharaoh: Take glory for yourself — give me a time: for when shall I pray on your behalf and on behalf of your servants and your people, to destroy the frogs from you and from your houses? Only in the river shall they remain.
Rashi
התפאר עלי GLORY OVER ME — Similar is, (Isaiah 10:15) “Should the axe יתפאר against him that heweth therewith” i. e. should it boast, saying “I am greater than thou”; old French vanter. Therefore התפאר means pride yourself on showing your cleverness and on asking of me a difficult matter asserting that I shall be unable to do it. למתי אעתיר FOR WHAT PERIOD SHALL I ENTREAT FOR THEE — With reference to the entreaty which I shall make to-day regarding the destruction of the frogs, by what period do you wish that they should be destroyed, and you will see whether I can carry out my promise by the time which you will set me. If the text said מתי אעתיר (without ל), it would signify “when shall I pray?” but now that it is said למתי, it signifies I will pray to-day for you that the frogs should be destroyed by the time which you will set for me. Tell me, then, by what day you wish that they shall be destroyed. The words here, אעתיר and העתירו (v. 4) and העתרתי (v. 25) are Hiphil forms, and it does not say אֶעְתַּר and עִתְרוּ and וְעָתַרְתִּי (Kal forms) because wherever the root עתר is used it denotes to pray much (more lit. Rashi’s words signify “to multiply praying”, “to make much praying”), and just as one says אַרְבֶּה and הַרְבּוּ and וְהִרְבֵּתִי which all have the meaning of “causing an action to happen” (in this case, causing a thing to be much — our Hiphil conjugation), so one says אַעְתִּיר and הַעְתִּירוּ and וְהֵעְתַּרְתִּי “I increase”, “increase ye” and “I will increase” i. e. I will increase words. The passage which serves as evidence of the meaning of all these words is (Ezekiel 35:13) “וְהֵעְתַּרְתֶּם your words against Me” — which can only mean “Ye have multiplied” (being a transitive verb; cf. Rashi on Genesis 25:21).
Ramban
L’MATHAI’ (AGAINST WHAT TIME) SHALL I ENTREAT FOR THEE? Rashi commented: “If the text said mathai (when) — [not l’mathai] — shall I entreat, it would signify ‘when shall I pray?’ But now that it said l’mathai, it means ‘Today I will pray for you that the frogs be destroyed by the time which you will set for me. Say then by what day you wish that they shall be destroyed.’”In line with the plain meaning of Scripture, the removal of the plagues took place at the time of Moses’ prayer, as it is written, And Moses cried unto the Eternal, etc., and the Eternal did according to the word of Moses and it is not written “and the Eternal did so tomorrow.” The letter lamed in the word l’mathai is no proof that Moses prayed immediately, for the word l’mathai is equivalent to mathai, there being many verses where the lamed occurs [just for elegance of language], thus: ‘l’min’ (from) the day that thou didst go forth out of the land of Egypt; until ‘l’minchath’ (the offering) of the evening; the wing of the one cherub was five ‘l’amoth’ (cubits). There are many other such cases. THAT THE FROGS BE DESTROYED. This is an allusion to their death, just as the expressions: that soul shall be cut off; and I will cut off from Ahab every man-child. The intent of Moses’ repeating the promise to Pharaoh, And the frogs shall depart, etc., was to state that as soon as he will have prayed, the frogs will all be removed, and that Pharaoh should not fear that when these frogs die, others will come up from the river. Rather, the plague will be completely removed even though some of them will remain in the river. All this was to inform Pharaoh that the plague came from G-d for the sake of Israel alone.
Ibn Ezra
"And Moses said to Pharaoh: Have this honor over me" — I grant you this honor: I will entreat Hashem to remove the plague on whatever day you ask. And the meaning of "they shall remain in the Nile" is that that is where they were in the beginning; and since he has already mentioned the Nile, there is no need to mention the streams and the pools.
Sforno
למתי אעתיר לך?. In order that you will recognise the difference between what your sorcerers are able to do and what G’d is capable of doing. When Moses offered two scenarios to Pharaoh, i.e. when the crocodiles would die, and henceforth restricting them to the river Nile, he also had in mind that whatever the sorcerers had done would be strictly limited in duration, and things would return to normal, whereas G’d could maintain the changes He had effected in nature indefinitely, totally or partially as He wished.
Or HaChaim
התפאר עלי, "have this glory over me, etc." What exactly did Moses mean by the expression התפאר עלי? If what he meant was that even if Pharaoh would ask for an immediate removal of the frogs this would constitute his glory, the result of Pharaoh asking that the frogs be removed only on the morrow would indicate that he was not interested in besting Moses; Moses' confirmation: "as you have said," would make little sense in that scenario. We also need to analyse why Moses did not say מתי אעתיר לך which we would have expected, but said למתי וגו׳? I believe Moses wanted to demonstrate that G'd tries to oblige those who are dear to Him so that it was beyond his imagination that G'd would forsake him (not do what he promised). He did this by contrasting the relationship between man and G'd with that of slave and master. When a slave asks a favour from his master he will be happy if his master grants the favour at all and it would not occur to him to attach conditions as to the time when such a favour has to be granted. He will be even less likely to ask for the date of such a favour to be advanced or delayed, but will await the time when he judges his master to be in a favourable frame of mind to grant his request. He will be most happy if his request is granted at the time it pleases his master. Not so the relationship between Moses and G'd. Moses was anxious to demonstrate to Pharaoh that a) he could offer a prayer at any time; b) his prayer would not only be granted but that he could attach conditions as to the "when" of G'd's response. This is why he asked Pharaoh what time or day he wanted him to pray that the frogs should disappear. Pharaoh was to prove himself superior in that he could determine when Moses should pray.
Chizkuni
!התפאר עלי למתי, אעתיר, “have this boast over me about when you will release the Children of Israel, and I will pray for the frogs to disappear immediately!” לעמך, “and for your people;” the letter מ in this word has the semi vowel sheva. Logic tells us that this plague did not last one quarter of a month. If you were to say that the conversation between Moses and Pharaoh took place on the sixth day of this plague, it does not make much sense, as the plague would have come to an end on the following day anyways without Moses praying for its removal.
Rabbeinu Bahya
למתי אעתיר לך?, “for when shall I pray on your behalf?” Rashi comments: ”if the Torah had written מתי אעתיר, the meaning would have been: “when shall I pray?” Seeing the Torah wrote למתי, the meaning is: “concerning which time, i.e. which day shall I pray for the plague to be removed?” You find a parallel wording when Pharaoh asked for the plague of wild beasts to be removed from his land. There too the wild beasts were removed the next day (8,25-26). Although Moses prayed for the removal of the plague as soon as he left the presence of Pharaoh, the plague was not removed until the following day. The wording there confirms Rashi’s approach here. I am surprised at the comments by Nachmanides who claims that Moses delayed praying until the following day. He claims that the letter ל in the word למתי is similar to the letter ל in the words למן היום אשר יצאת מארץ מצרים, “ever since the day you departed from the land of Egypt” (Deut. 9,7). In other words, the letter ל is integral to the word מתי, and is not a prefix. The argument of Nachmanides is that if Moses had prayed on the same day that the frogs be removed only on the morrow, then the Torah would have added the word ממחרת, “on the following day,” to its report in verse 9 that the frogs did die and would have written: “G’d did as Moses had said and the frogs died on the morrow.” Seeing that the Torah did not do so it is clear that the frogs perished immediately after Moses prayed. Seeing Pharaoh did not want them to die or retreat until the following day this leaves us with no choice but to assume that Moses held off with his prayer until the following day. Thus far Nachmanides. I feel that if that were so the Torah would have mentioned in connection with the plague of wild beasts that Moses delayed his prayer. Seeing that the Torah did not do so this is proof that Rashi is correct. Moses never said that he would pray only on the morrow. Seeing that already during the plague of frogs Pharaoh acted as if time were not of the essence to him and he wanted the frogs dead or removed only on the following day, Moses took a cue from this when he announced in future that the plagues he would orchestrate would occur on the following day, such as in 8,19. The same occurred again with the plague of hail which Moses also announced as about to occur on the day following his announcement (9,18). The same was true of the plague of pestilence when Moses gave a full day’s warning for the G’d-fearing people to bring their livestock to safety (9,5). The same occurred again when Moses announced the plague of the locusts (10,4). The reason why Pharaoh did not ask for the frogs to die or disappear immediately was that he thought that the plague had run its course and that by waiting a day he could show up Moses as not having had anything to do with the cessation of that plague. When Moses demonstrated that the frogs would leave when he wanted, he showed that the plague fulfilled the purpose of showing למען תדע כי אין כה' אלוקינו, “so that you’ll know there is no one like the Lord our G’d.”
Tur HaArokh
למתי אעתיר לך?, “for when should I entreat for you?” According to Rashi, Moses offered to pray immediately for the plague to cease at a time of Pharaoh’s choosing. Nachmanides, approaching the text from a literal perspective, claims the plague disappeared immediately at the time Moses prayed, as we know from verse 9 “G’d did in accordance with Moses’ word.” The Torah did not write that the frogs disappeared on the morrow. The letter ל in the word למתי does not prove anything concerning the timing of the cessation of the plague. According to Nachmanides there is no special significance in the construction למתי, as to when precisely the frogs should die. להכרית הצפרדעים, “to wipe out the frogs.” Seeing that Pharaoh had been under the impression that the frogs would increase dramatically, Moses prayed that the frogs should die forthwith, the word להכרית being of the same root as such verses as ונכרתה הנפש ההיא, “that particular life will be terminated, etc.” (Genesis 17,14, Exodus 12,15, et al.) The reason Moses prayed for the death of the frogs and not for their return to their habitat, was so that the stench from their carcasses should remind the Egyptians of how their conduct vis a vis the Jews was viewed by the G’d of the Jews. Pharaoh had assumed that Moses had meant that the removal of the plague meant that the frogs would return to where they had come from. Moses assured him that the frogs remaining at this time in the river would indeed remain there, but that the ones already on dry land would perish there. The line (promise) וסרו הצפרדעים, “the frogs will depart etc.,” (verse 7) was not meant to suggest that they would leave Egypt, but that a plague of frogs emerging from the river would not occur again. Moses’ elaborating on all this to Pharaoh only meant to prove to him that the plague emanated from G’d, and that it was decreed on account of his treatment of the Jewish people.
Rashbam
התפאר עלי, arrogate to yourself the right to ask what you want of me and I shall carry out your wish. The construction is similar to Judges 7,2 פן יתפאר עלי ישראל לאמר ידי הושיעה לי, “lest Israel be arrogant enough vis-à-vis Me to say: ‘my hand has been strong enough to provide my own salvation.’” למתי אעשה לך?, for which day and at what hour would you like for all the frogs to depart, and I will pray forthwith that they will all die before that deadline. Seeing that they do not normally all die at once, you will realise that my prayer will have been answered. [Moses wanted to forestall Pharaoh asking for the frogs to all die immediately. Ed.]
And he said: "Against tomorrow." And he said: "Be it according to your word; that you may know that there is none like Hashem our God.
verse value 1941
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 42 letters. Verse gematria: 1941 = 3 × 647. The shortest word is "you·may·know" (תֵּדַ֔ע, 3 letters) and the longest is "our·God" (אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 257: and·said, and·said. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Exodus. Unique to this verse in Exodus (hapax): "as·your·word" (כִּדְבָ֣רְךָ֔), "like·Hashem" (כַּיהֹוָ֥ה). The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "like·Hashem" (root יהוה, 396x in Exodus); "and·said" (root אמר, 297x in Exodus); "as·your·word" (root דבר, 158x in Exodus). First appearance of the root מחר ("for·tomorrow") in Exodus. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'for·tomorrow', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 7 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֖אמֶר [and·said] (257) + לְמָחָ֑ר [for·tomorrow] (278) + וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ [and·said] (257) + כִּדְבָ֣רְךָ֔ [as·your·word] (246) + לְמַ֣עַן [so·that] (190) + תֵּדַ֔ע [you·may·know] (474) + כִּי־אֵ֖ין [that·there·is·none] (91) + כַּיהֹוָ֥ה [like·Hashem] (46) + אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ [our·God] (102) = 1941.
Onkelos
He said: Tomorrow. And he said: According to your word — so that you may know that there is none like Hashem our God.
Rashi
ויאמר למחר AND HE SAID, FOR TO-MORROW — He said: Pray to-day that they may be destroyed by to-morrow.
Ramban
AND HE SAID, FOR TOMORROW. It is a known fact that it is man’s nature to pray that his misfortune be removed from him at once. [The question then arises: Why did Pharaoh say that the frogs were to be removed tomorrow?] In the name of the Gaon Rav Shmuel ben Chophni, they have explained that Pharaoh thought that perhaps some heavenly constellation brought the frogs upon Egypt, and that Moses [by his knowledge of astrology] knows the time when they will disappear, and therefore Moses had said to him, Have thou this glory over me, thinking that Pharaoh will now tell him to destroy them immediately. Therefore Pharaoh extended the time until the morrow. The correct interpretation appears to me to be that because Moses had said, Against what time shall I entreat for thee, Pharaoh thought that Moses was desirous for time, and so he fixed the shortest time limit, And he said, For tomorrow. Moses answered him, “According to thy word, let it be so, for since you did not ask that they be removed immediately, they shall not be removed until tomorrow.”
Ibn Ezra
"And he said: Tomorrow." Rav Shmuel ben Hofni said: It is not a person's custom to ask for anything other than that the plague be removed from him immediately. But Pharaoh reckoned that the configuration of the celestial bodies had brought the frogs upon Egypt, and that Moses knew this, and that now the time had arrived for the frogs to depart. He therefore tested him by asking for a delay, and said: "Tomorrow."
Sforno
כדברך, in accordance with your wish. You had stipulated that the crocodiles should be removed from yourself, and from your people,” (verse 4) you did not ask for them to be eliminated from nature as a species. למען תדע כי אין כה' אלוקנו, that there is no power in the universe other than the G’d of the Israelites who possesses the power to fundamentally effect changes in natural law. At that time, consigning crocodiles exclusively to the river Nile was a fundamental change in the habitat of this species. This species is different from all other known species in that instead of moving its lower jaw when eating, it moves its upper jaw. It also ingests food without excreting waste products. G’d will banish the species only from you and your houses, as this is all you asked for.
Or HaChaim
It is difficult to understand why Pharaoh wanted the frogs to be removed only on the following day. Although we know from Proverbs 21,10 that wicked people harbour a death wish (unconsciously), this applies only in the abstract. No wicked person deliberately opts for continued flagellation when given a chance to escape the pain involved. Why then did Pharaoh ask Moses to make his prayer effective only on the following day? At first glance one may be tempted to conclude that Pharaoh misinterpreted Moses' offer as proof of his awareness that the plague was about to come to an end, and that he wanted to take the credit for this by appearing to pray for the removal of the frogs at once. Pharaoh therefore wanted to show up Moses as a fraud. He interpreted Moses' use of the word התפאר as a trick designed to induce him to ask for the immediate removal of the frogs. This is why he decided to suffer a little longer if only he could expose Moses as a fraud. What is wrong with this theory is that if Pharaoh wanted to unmask Moses as a fraud he did not really have to extend the period of his suffering at all by asking Moses not to pray until the following day. Besides, Pharaoh had never heard of a prayer that is offered up at one time and is not to be effective until the following day. This is why he wanted Moses to demonstrate that though he prayed now and his prayer would be accepted, the removal of the frogs would not be implemented until the morrow. This was the challenge Pharaoh presented to Moses when he said: למחר. He wanted proof that Moses prayed immediately though the frogs would not disappear until the morrow. When Moses told Pharaoh: כדברך, "as you said," he meant that he had accepted Pharaoh's challenge. Moses did not leave the city to offer his prayer (as he did on other occasions) but prayed inside the city in order for everyone to be aware precisely when he had prayed. This is why the Torah writes: "Moses and Aaron left the presence of Pharaoh and Moses cried out to G'd concerning the frogs G'd had brought on Pharaoh, etc." Moses prayed concerning two matters. 1) Removal of the frogs. 2) Not to remove the frogs until the following day. This is why the Torah states על דבר הצפרדעים, "concerning the matter of the frogs," instead of להסיר הצפרדעים, "to remove the frogs."
Chizkuni
ויאמר: למחר, he said: “for tomorrow!” He meant to say: “I will send your people on their way tomorrow!” A different interpretation that was brought by Rashi: the word למחר refers to the disappearance of the frogs on the day following. Pharaoh thought that the reason that Moses had asked him to determine when the frogs should disappear was that he thought that Pharaoh would, of course, wish to get rid of them immediately, and Moses was aware that they would leave without his doing anything to hasten their disappearance. This is why he thought he could show up Moses as a sorcerer by asking him to delay their departure. In the event he was disappointed.
Tur HaArokh
ויאמר למחר, He said: “as of tomorrow.” The whole world wonders why Pharaoh did not choose an immediate cessation of the plague. The answer given is that Pharaoh was still under the illusion that possibly this was a natural phenomenon, the approach of which had been overlooked by the astrologers, and that the frogs would disappear of their own accord in short order. By asking Moses not to stop the plague immediately, he hoped to disprove that G’d had anything to do with it. Nachmanides writes that from the word למתי, “for when,” used by Moses, Pharaoh had thought that Moses would be unable to stop the plague in short order, but that it might take at least a week, (as it had with the plague of blood). This is why he allowed Moses only a very short period to make good on his boast. Moses told him that he would honour Pharaoh’s wish for when the plague should cease. Other commentators understand the word למתי as not relating to the plague and its cessation at all, but understand it as Moses asking Pharaoh when he would release the Israelites in response to the plague’s cessation. Pharaoh promised to do so on the following day. However, he conditioned this on the understanding that Moses would pray immediately. The tone signs under the letters support this explanation somewhat, seeing that there is a pessik, a clear division sign, between the word למתי and the word אעתיר, “I shall pray, entreat.”
Rashbam
למחר, pray now that they should all die by tomorrow!
And the frogs shall depart from you, and from your houses, and from your servants, and from your people; they shall remain in the river only."
verse value 3146
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 45 letters. Verse gematria: 3146 = 26 × 121; 26 is the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "only" (רַ֥ק, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·frogs" (הַֽצְפַרְדְּעִ֗ים, 8 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Exodus. Unique to this verse in Exodus (hapax): "and·shall·depart" (וְסָר֣וּ), "and·from·your·courtiers" (וּמֵעֲבָדֶ֖יךָ), "and·from·your·people" (וּמֵעַמֶּ֑ךָ). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·from·your·people" (root עם, 190x in Exodus); "and·from·your·courtiers" (root עבד, 73x in Exodus); "and·from·your·houses" (root בית, 56x in Exodus). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·from·your·people', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 3 words. Full calculation: וְסָר֣וּ [and·shall·depart] (272) + הַֽצְפַרְדְּעִ֗ים [the·frogs] (499) + מִמְּךָ֙ [from·you] (100) + וּמִבָּ֣תֶּ֔יךָ [and·from·your·houses] (478) + וּמֵעֲבָדֶ֖יךָ [and·from·your·courtiers] (152) + וּמֵעַמֶּ֑ךָ [and·from·your·people] (176) + רַ֥ק [only] (300) + בַּיְאֹ֖ר [in·the·Nile] (213) + תִּשָּׁאַֽרְנָה [shall·remain] (956) = 3146.
Onkelos
The frogs shall depart from you and from your houses and from your servants and from your people; only in the river shall they remain.
Ibn Ezra
"And they shall depart" — this word carries a mil-ra' accent, contrary to the rule. Similar to it is "for they put me in the pit" (Gen. 40:15).
Sforno
וסרו הצפרדעים, G’d will not only remove the ones which have already bothered you, but He will ensure that they will not again afflict you. ממך ומבתיך, but not from the whole country; on the contrary, they will die in the land and cause a stench, but in the future they will not leave their habitat in or near the river.
Targum Yonatan
And the frogs shall depart from thee, and from thy house, and from thy servants, and from thy people; and those only that are in the river shall remain.
And Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh; and Moses cried to Hashem concerning the frogs, which he had set for Pharaoh.
verse value 3928
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 56 letters. The shortest word is "Moses" (מֹשֶׁ֛ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·frogs" (הַֽצְפַרְדְּעִ֖ים, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 345: Moses, Moses. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Exodus. Unique to this verse in Exodus (hapax): "concerning·the·matter·of" (עַל־דְּבַ֥ר). The root משה appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·Hashem" (root יהוה, 396x in Exodus); "Moses" (root משה, 277x in Exodus); "from" (root עם, 190x in Exodus). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Pharaoh', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 7 words. Full calculation: וַיֵּצֵ֥א [and·went·out] (107) + מֹשֶׁ֛ה [Moses] (345) + וְאַהֲרֹ֖ן [and·Aaron] (262) + מֵעִ֣ם [from] (150) + פַּרְעֹ֑ה [Pharaoh] (355) + וַיִּצְעַ֤ק [and·cried] (276) + מֹשֶׁה֙ [Moses] (345) + אֶל־יְהֹוָ֔ה [to·Hashem] (57) + עַל־דְּבַ֥ר [concerning·the·matter·of] (306) + הַֽצְפַרְדְּעִ֖ים [the·frogs] (499) + אֲשֶׁר־שָׂ֥ם [which·he·had·set] (841) + לְפַרְעֹֽה [for·Pharaoh] (385) = 3928.
Onkelos
Moses and Aaron went out from before Pharaoh, and Moses prayed before Hashem concerning the matter of the frogs that He had brought upon Pharaoh.
Rashi
ויצא. . ויצעק THEY WENT … AND CRIED [UNTO THE LORD) immediately that they should be destroyed by to-morrow.
Ibn Ezra
"And he went out" — the meaning of "and he cried out" is that he trusted in Hashem that He would not put him to shame, for he had told Pharaoh on his own — "as you say it shall be" — without having received permission from Hashem.
Sforno
ויצעק משה אל ה' על דבר הצפרדעים אשר שם לפרעה, Moses prayed that G’d remove only the crocodiles which had been sent against Pharaoh and his people, whereas any others should remain in the river. It required a special prayer, here described as an outcry, to ask G’d how to arrange the removal of this plague.
Or HaChaim
אשר שם לפרעה, which He had brought on Pharaoh. We learn from this that one must be articulate and precise when offering a request in prayer.
Rabbeinu Bahya
ויצעק משה אל ה' על דבר הצפרדעים, “Moses cried out to the Lord on account of the frogs.” You will not encounter the expression “he cried out” in connection with any other plague which Moses asked G’d to stop. The Torah then reported only the normal ויעתר משה, “Moses pleaded,” or “Moses spread out his hands,” or similar expressions. It is possible to explain the words על דבר הצפרדעים as something necessary in view of the fact that G’d had announced that the frogs would “ascend from the river.” G’d had also spoken of ושרץ, that the river would produce a swarm of frogs each time these frogs were reported as having arisen from the river, making it sound like a natural occurrence. Seeing Moses was interested in making sure the Egyptians would not forget the supernatural element of this plague, he spoke of the דבר הצפרדעים, “the whole subject of the frogs,” i.e. their arrival and their departure. Moses wanted the manner in which the frogs would disappear to reflect that their appearance too had been due to supernatural causes. Even the words אשר שם לפרעה, “which He had inflicted on Pharaoh,” were not superfluous in Moses’ prayer. He stressed at every turn the divine origin of what had happened.
Tur HaArokh
ויצעק משה, “Moses cried out;” seeing that he had gone out on a limb giving Pharaoh a chance to prove him wrong (התפאר עלי) without having first consulted G’d, he now had to add an element of urgency to his prayer, i.e. “he cried out.” על דבר הצפרדעים, “concerning the matter of the frogs.” This is an allusion to what our sages (Sanhedrin 80) said when they claimed that the frogs were even quacking within the Egyptians’ entrails. [which would make G’d’s task of removing them difficult. Ed.]
And Hashem did according to the word of Moses; and the frogs died out of the houses, out of the courts, and out of the fields.
verse value 4089 — יְהֹוָ֖ה = 26 (Hashem)
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 49 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֖ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "Moses" (מֹשֶׁ֑ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·frogs" (הַֽצְפַרְדְּעִ֔ים, 8 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Exodus. Unique to this verse in Exodus (hapax): "and·died" (וַיָּמֻ֙תוּ֙), "from·the·houses" (מִן־הַבָּתִּ֥ים), "from·the·courtyards" (מִן־הַחֲצֵרֹ֖ת). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 396x in Exodus); "and·did" (root עשה, 322x in Exodus); "Moses" (root משה, 277x in Exodus). First appearance of the root חצר ("from·the·courtyards") in Exodus. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Moses', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַיַּ֥עַשׂ [and·did] (386) + יְהֹוָ֖ה [Hashem] (26) + כִּדְבַ֣ר [according·to·the·word·of] (226) + מֹשֶׁ֑ה [Moses] (345) + וַיָּמֻ֙תוּ֙ [and·died] (462) + הַֽצְפַרְדְּעִ֔ים [the·frogs] (499) + מִן־הַבָּתִּ֥ים [from·the·houses] (547) + מִן־הַחֲצֵרֹ֖ת [from·the·courtyards] (793) + וּמִן־הַשָּׂדֹֽת [and·from·the·fields] (805) = 4089.
Onkelos
Hashem acted according to the word of Moses, and the frogs died — from the houses, from the courtyards, and from the fields.
Ibn Ezra
"And Hashem did according to the word of Moses" — of his own initiative.
Chizkuni
מן הבתים מן החצרות, “from the houses and subsequently from the courtyards,” but not the frogs that had ventured into the ovens and kneading bowls. Seeing that these frogs had risked their lives by performing such a dangerous mission on behalf of G-d, they were allowed to remain alive. Compare Talmud Pessachim folio 53.
Tur HaArokh
וימותו הצפרדעים, “The frogs died.” How do we square this with verse 7 in which Moses predicted the frogs as “departing?” Moses had referred to the frogs as a plague departing, he did not predict that they would depart under their own power, as did the locusts in the eighth plague. On this occasion the dead frogs remained wherever they had died. מן הבתים ומן החצרות ומן השדות, “from the houses, the courtyards, and the fields.” You will note that the frogs that had put their lives at risk by entering the ovens of the Egyptians, are not reported as having died. This was their reward for their self-sacrificing conduct in the service of the Lord. They were rewarded by returning to their habitat, the river, alive. The frogs that had remained in the river also did not die so as to preserve the species.
Daat Zkenim
מן הבתים, “away from the houses.” The frogs which had invaded the ovens of the Egyptians did not die, as they had displayed faith in G–d by invading such potentially deadly areas, all in the service of the Lord. (Yalkut Shimoni Vaeyra, section one, item 182)
And they gathered them together in heaps; and the land stank.
verse value 2336
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 26 letters. The shortest word is "them" (אֹתָ֖ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·heaped·up" (וַיִּצְבְּר֥וּ, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 288: heaps, heaps. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Exodus. Unique to this verse in Exodus (hapax): "and·heaped·up" (וַיִּצְבְּר֥וּ), "and·stank" (וַתִּבְאַ֖שׁ). The root חמר appears 2 times in this verse. 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·land" (root ארץ, 133x in Exodus). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'heaps', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַיִּצְבְּר֥וּ [and·heaped·up] (314) + אֹתָ֖ם [them] (441) + חֳמָרִ֣ם [heaps] (288) + חֳמָרִ֑ם [heaps] (288) + וַתִּבְאַ֖שׁ [and·stank] (709) + הָאָֽרֶץ [the·land] (296) = 2336.
Onkelos
They gathered them into heaps upon heaps, and the land stank.
Rashi
חמרים חמרים means IN HEAPS, just as the Targum renders it, דגורין, which means גלין heaps (דגורא is the Targum of הגל in Genesis 31:46).
Ibn Ezra
"And they heaped them up" — like "and Joseph heaped up grain" (Gen. 41:49). "Heaps upon heaps" — like "ḥamor ḥamoratayim" (Judg. 15:16).
But when Pharaoh saw that there was respite, he hardened his heart, and did not heed them; as Hashem had spoken.
verse value 2998 — יְהֹוָֽה = 26 (Hashem)
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 50 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָֽה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 2998 = 2 × 1499. The shortest word is "that" (כִּ֤י, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·relief" (הָֽרְוָחָ֔ה, 5 letters). Words sharing gematria 37: and·hardened, and·not. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Exodus. Unique to this verse in Exodus (hapax): "the·relief" (הָֽרְוָחָ֔ה), "and·hardened" (וְהַכְבֵּד֙). 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 396x in Exodus); "as" (root אשר, 245x in Exodus); "was" (root היה, 235x in Exodus). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·them', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיַּ֣רְא [and·saw] (217) + פַּרְעֹ֗ה [Pharaoh] (355) + כִּ֤י [that] (30) + הָֽיְתָה֙ [was] (420) + הָֽרְוָחָ֔ה [the·relief] (224) + וְהַכְבֵּד֙ [and·hardened] (37) + אֶת־לִבּ֔וֹ [his·heart] (439) + וְלֹ֥א [and·not] (37) + שָׁמַ֖ע [heeded] (410) + אֲלֵהֶ֑ם [to·them] (76) + כַּאֲשֶׁ֖ר [as] (521) + דִּבֶּ֥ר [had·spoken] (206) + יְהֹוָֽה [Hashem] (26) = 2998.
Onkelos
Pharaoh saw that there was relief, and he hardened his heart and did not heed them, as Hashem had spoken.
Rashi
והכבד את לבו HE ALLOWED HIS HEART TO BE HARDENED — The word הַכְבֵּד expresses doing something (the Hebrew infinitive but having a past meaning) just as, (Genesis 12:9) “going (הלוך) and journeying (ונסוע)”. So, too, (2 Kings 3:24) “and smiting (והכת) Moab”; (I Samuel 22:13) “and enquiring (ושאול) of God for him”; (1 Kings 20:37); “smiting (הכה) and wounding (ופצוע)”. כאשר דבר ה׳ AS THE LORD HAD SPOKEN — And where had He said this? When He said, (Exodus 7:4) “Pharaoh will not hearken to you”.
Ibn Ezra
"And Pharaoh saw that there was relief" — like "and Saul had relief" (1 Sam. 16:23). "And he hardened his heart" — an infinitive used in place of a past-tense verb.
Sforno
כי היתה הרוחה, even though the evil had not been removed totally, seeing that the stench of the dead beasts remained and putrefied the atmosphere, and these beasts remained in the river as a possible threat in the future. והכבד את לבו, He reinforced his natural courage not to be frightened of a re-emergence of the crocodiles that had remained alive. He was also willing to put up with the stench of the decaying beasts. All of this rather than to admit his impotence vis-à-vis the G’d of the Israelites.
Kli Yakar
“And Pharaoh saw that there was relief.” This expression was not used in any plague except for the plague of frogs. This is because with all other plagues, when they departed, they departed completely with no trace remaining after their removal. Therefore, it’s not so surprising that Pharaoh returned to his stubbornness, as what has passed is gone. However, with the frogs, even after the plague was removed, it was not completely gone because they didn’t go away but rather died, and the land stank. Pharaoh should have been humbled at least because of the stench that remained from the frogs. Regarding this, the verse explains as if justifying: he saw that there was relief, and he hardened his heart because a bad smell is only harmful in a confined space, but in an open, spacious area, the smell doesn’t affect as much. Therefore, when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, that the land of Egypt was spacious and wide, and the bad smell would not harm him, he hardened his heart as before.
Rashbam
HE MADE IT HARD [HACHBED]. Because this plague was great, his mind did not strengthen by itself, rather, he affirmatively acted wrongly to harden his mind.
And Hashem said to Moses: "Say to Aaron: Stretch out your rod, and smite the dust of the earth, that it may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt."
verse value 3688 — יְהֹוָה֮ = 26 (Hashem)
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 62 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֮) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "say" (אֱמֹר֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·Aaron" (אֶֽל־אַהֲרֹ֔ן, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 26: Hashem, and·it·shall·be. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Exodus. Unique to this verse in Exodus (hapax): "and·strike" (וְהַ֖ךְ), "into·lice" (לְכִנִּ֖ם). The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 396x in Exodus); "and·said" (root אמר, 297x in Exodus); "and·it·shall·be" (root היה, 235x in Exodus). First appearance of the root עפר ("the·dust·of") in Exodus. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·land', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֣אמֶר [and·said] (257) + יְהֹוָה֮ [Hashem] (26) + אֶל־מֹשֶׁה֒ [to·Moses] (376) + אֱמֹר֙ [say] (241) + אֶֽל־אַהֲרֹ֔ן [to·Aaron] (287) + נְטֵ֣ה [stretch·out] (64) + אֶֽת־מַטְּךָ֔ [your·staff] (470) + וְהַ֖ךְ [and·strike] (31) + אֶת־עֲפַ֣ר [the·dust·of] (751) + הָאָ֑רֶץ [the·land] (296) + וְהָיָ֥ה [and·it·shall·be] (26) + לְכִנִּ֖ם [into·lice] (140) + בְּכׇל־אֶ֥רֶץ [in·all·the·land·of] (343) + מִצְרָֽיִם [Egypt] (380) = 3688.
Onkelos
Hashem said to Moses: Say to Aaron, raise your staff and strike the dust of the earth, and it shall become lice throughout all the land of Egypt.
Rashi
אמר אל אהרן SAY UNTO AARON — The dust did not deserve to be smitten by Moses because it had protected him when he slew the Egyptian, for “he hid him in the sand”; and it was therefore smitten by Aaron (Tanchuma; Exodus Rabbah 10:7).
Ibn Ezra
"And he said" — know that the first three plagues were brought through Aaron's hand, and these signs occurred in the lower realms, as I explained above: for two of them were in the water and the third was in the dust of the earth. The plagues that came through Moses' hand with the staff were in the upper realms, befitting his rank, which is higher than Aaron's — such as the plague of hail and the plague of locusts that the wind brought, and the darkness which was in the air. The plague of boils also came through his hand. But three came without a staff: the wild beasts, the pestilence, and the plague of the firstborn; and one came without a staff through Moses' hand with only partial involvement of Aaron, namely the plague of boils. The meaning of "and it shall become lice" is like "and it shall become dust" (below, 9:9) — as though by striking the dust Aaron would cause it to rise and breed lice throughout all the land of Egypt.
Sforno
והך את עפר הארץ, they did not warn Pharaoh of the advent of this plague. Neither did they warn him before the onset of the שחין, the boils and blisters, nor before the darkness. The nine plagues, exclusive of the killing of the firstborn, were intended to serve as demonstrations of G’d’s power to change the laws of nature. Although the simultaneous dying of the firstborn was also a powerful such demonstration, it was intended as retribution for refusal to heed all the warnings G’d had extended to Pharaoh and his people. The first 3 plagues דצ'ך, demonstrated mastery of G’d over the two “heavy” components of the four basic elements the universe is made of, i.e. water and earth, The three plagues, abbreviated under the heading of עד'ש by Rabbi Yehudah Hanassi, demonstrates G’d’s control not only over inert parts of nature but also over living creatures. The third category בא'ח, demonstrated G’d complete control of the air, the atmosphere including the other two basic elements known as רוח and אש, air, wind, and fire. In each group the first two plagues were preceded by warnings, whereas the third was not. The matter has been alluded to in Job 33,29 הן כל אלה יפעל א-ל, פעמים שלוש עם גבר. “Truly, G’d does all these things, two or three times to a man.”
Chizkuni
והיו לכנים, “they will become vermin.” These are the kind of vermin that are products of the dust, but only rarely attack human beings. They emanated from their customary habitat, like the frogs and other plagues.
Tur HaArokh
ויאמר ה' אל משה,אמור אל אהרן, “The Lord said to Moses: “say to Aaron, etc.” This time Pharaoh was not given a warning of the upcoming plague. We do not find any warnings prior to the sixth or ninth plague either. Each of these plagues was the third in a series. We have a rule (Maimonides Sanhedrin 18,4) that if someone twice in a row ignores the penalty of physical punishment administered for sins committed and persists in his conduct, he will be confined in a prison on a starvation diet which will result in his early death. Nachmanides writes that Moses did not issue warnings to Pharaoh concerning impending plagues unless the plague in question would involve the death of Egyptians, and it would have been unfair not to forewarn them of impending death for ignoring Moses’ request. The plague of blood, for instance, could have resulted in the death of Egyptians who could not dig near the Nile to obtain subterranean water. Similarly, the plague involving the frogs wrought havoc amongst the Egyptians as we know from Psalms The three plagues vermin, boils, and darkness however, did not pose any threat to the lives of the Egyptians. Some of the warnings of the plagues were given by Moses after G’d had instructed him to deliver the warning early in the morning on the banks of the river Nile, -This does not mean an ungodly hour in the morning, but what is called “morning” for Kings, who habitually are presumed to be late risers.- The King at such times, would be accompanied by a sizable entourage so that the issuing of the warning was overheard by many people and Pharaoh could not have denied having received the warning. G’d selected this method in the hope that some of Pharaoh’s servants after hearing the warning, especially after the first plague, would try and make their ruler change his mind and release the Israelites. In the event that the servants did not try and change their ruler’s mind, they would be just as guilty as Pharaoh himself, and would have brought their misery on themselves by their own obstinacy. When we do not find G’d instructing Moses to warn Pharaoh in the morning, he received the warning while in a private audience with Moses and Aaron. Warnings in public also were the case when G’d had instructed Moses with the words: בא אל פרעה, “come to Pharaoh.” When such opportunities for Pharaoh’s servants to show themselves as less obstinate were not taken advantage of, the reason for delivering these warnings in public no longer existed. The well known abbreviations of the three groups of plagues, i.e. דצ'ך, עד'ש, באח'ב may also be explained in terms of the type of warnings preceding them, or no warning preceding them at all.. According to the Midrash, the letters in these abbreviations were engraved on Moses’ staff to indicate which plagues would be preceded by which warning or by the absence of any warning. Others claim that the division is based on which plague was orchestrated by Aaron, which by Moses, and which by Moses and Aaron jointly. Others hold that they are hints as to which plagues originated in the atmosphere and which originated on earth or in the water. Yet other opinions draw attention to the purpose of each of these groups of plagues, a purpose spelled out clearly by the Torah before each group of plague, each time the operative clause begins with למען תדע, ”so that you will realize that, etc.” Ibn Ezra writes that the first three plagues used the least sophisticated phenomena in our universe, i.e. water and dust. These plagues were initiated by Aaron. The plagues that were brought about by phenomena in the upper regions of our universe were orchestrated by Moses, seeing that Moses represented the highest level attained by any of G’d’s creatures. These were: hail, and locusts, which is brought on by the wind, an almost non-physical phenomenon. Similarly, darkness was also a plague that was brought on by the air, the atmosphere, something intangible. The third group such a wild beasts, pestilence, and the slaying of the firstborn was brought on directly by G’d Himself. The remaining plague, the boils, was brought on jointly by both Moses and Aaron without the staff having been used at all. The three plagues brought on by Aaron alone were orchestrated by means of the staff, as were the three brought on by Moses alone. None of the other 4 plagues involved use of the staff. Rabbi Saadyah Gaon writes that between them the plagues made use of the 4 basic raw materials our physical universe is made of. Three plagues utilized the basic material עפר, dust, i.e. earth; they were: “boils,” which originated in the dust remaining after the furnace has burnt its course. The vermin and the wild beasts, the other two, also made use of that raw material as all bodies are made of earth and return to becoming earth when the life they supported terminates. Three further plagues were based on the second raw material our universe consists of, i.e. on water. They were: blood, frogs, and hail. Still another three plagues made use of the third of the four basic elements, i.e. air. They were 1) דבר, the pestilence which struck especially the livestock. We have a verse in Psalms 91,6 מדבר באפל יהלך, which is interpreted by Bamidbar Rabbah 12 as describing disorders in the domain of air. [birds would not fall from the air, their habitat, unless someone had interfered with that habitat. Ed.] 2) the plague of locust, which had been brought on by unusual changes in the air, i.e. a wind blowing constantly from the same direction. 3) The darkness. The atmosphere was made opaque instead of transparent, so that people felt as if they were in a narrow prison and could not move at all. Finally, there was one plague, which employed the fourth basic element, fire; this was used in orchestrating the simultaneous killing of all the firstborn in Egypt. Separation of body and soul is the result of a subcategory of fire, i.e. heat, which disturbs the equilibrium needed for body and soul to live side by side in harmony. The plagues utilizing the staff as the instrument that resulted in the onset of each plague also show variations in the way the staff was employed on each occasion. Sometimes Moses is commanded: “take your staff and incline it, etc.” other times he is commanded: “take your staff and raise your hand in which you hold the staff, etc.” Sometimes he is commanded to first employ his hand followed by the staff, other times the sequence is reversed. Some commentators feel that the basic example is the plague of blood, and that the same procedure i.e. extending the hand which was holding the staff, was followed invariably in bringing on all these plagues, but that the Torah did not bother to repeat this each time. The Torah merely employs part of the procedure on different occasions, particularly when describing the execution of the command. These commentators are concerned to have us realize that Moses and Aaron carried out their instructions without deviating from them in the slightest.
Rashbam
לכנם, different kinds of insects that cause man discomfort.
And they did so; and Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod, and smote the dust of the earth, and there were lice upon man, and upon beast; all the dust of the earth became lice throughout all the land of Egypt.
verse value 4511 — וַיַּךְ֙ = 36 (double-Chai)
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 81 letters. Notable word values: "and·struck" (וַיַּךְ֙) = 36, double chai. Verse gematria: 4511 = 13 × 347. The shortest word is "and·held·out" (וַיֵּט֩, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·did·so" (וַיַּֽעֲשׂוּ־כֵ֗ן, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 421: his·hand, and·was. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Exodus. Unique to this verse in Exodus (hapax): "with·his·rod" (בְמַטֵּ֙הוּ֙), "all·the·dust·of" (כׇּל־עֲפַ֥ר), "lice" (כִנִּ֖ים). The root ארץ appears 3 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·did·so" (root עשה, 322x in Exodus); "and·was" (root היה, 235x in Exodus); "Egypt" (root מצרי, 145x in Exodus). First appearance of the root בהמה ("and·on·the·cattle") in Exodus. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·on·the·cattle', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 6 words.
Onkelos
They did so, and Aaron raised his hand with his staff and struck the dust of the earth, and there were lice upon man and upon beast; all the dust of the earth became lice throughout all the land of Egypt.
Rashi
ותהי הכנם means the swarming was. In old French pedulier.
Ibn Ezra
"And they did" — the meaning of "and they did" [refers to] Moses, because he commanded Aaron to strike with the staff in the usual manner — "your staff with which you struck the Nile" (below, 17:5). "And there were lice" — this is a collective noun, and the mem is an addition, or it stands in place of a he and is not part of the root; at times it is a marker for the feminine, like "frogs" — for the singular is "and the frog came up" (above, 8:2). The evidence is that the singular of "lice" would make the word "hakanim" unusual on account of the added mem, like "reikam" and "chinam." Yefet said that the mem is an indicator of the Egyptian language, for the singular of "kanim" is "ken," as "pat" from "pitim"; and this word follows the pattern of "in the midst of the tent" (Josh. 7:21). Do not be puzzled that Scripture says "all the dust of the earth became lice" when he struck with the staff only in one place; for it was the same with the plague of water and the plague of boils — the meaning is that that is where the plague began.
Or HaChaim
ותהי הכנם באדם, the insects remained on man, etc. We would have expected the Torah to say: כל עפר הארץ היה כנים, ותהי הכנים באדם "the whole dust of the earth turned into insects, and the insects remained on man, etc." Why did the Torah reverse this sequence by telling us first that the insects remained on man? We may understand this with the help of an argument between Rabbi Yoseph from Orleans and Rabbenu Tam cited on Shabbat 12 concerning the meaning of the word כנה. Some rabbis hold that what is meant is a black flea, an insect which originated in the dust and which is able to jump very high. Other rabbis hold that these "insects" were white parasites which originated on the clothes people wore. These rabbis prove their point by basing themselves on a statement in Berachot 51 according to which vermin is generated from rags. In order to prevent the reader from making the error that the כנה described here is the so-called כנה לבנה, the parasite, the Torah makes the point that it originated from the dust of the earth. Had the Torah used the version commencing with the words: כל עפר הארץ היה כנים, there could have been no question about the insects originating in the earth. The Torah therefore displayed wisdom by writing ותהי הכנם באדם, to tell us that the insects which were normally generated in dirty clothes now became a plague of intolerable dimensions so that both man and animal suffered from an excessive amount of fleas, etc., each of the variety they were familiar with. It is also possible that the Torah speaks about both variants of insects. The first category is alluded to in the words: ותהי הכנם באדם ובבהמה, meaning the varieties of parasites man and beast experience on their skin from time to time. This was in addition to the insects which originate in the earth and which are called כנים as distinct from the first variety which is called כנם. If this is correct, our verse does not serve as support for the opinion of Rabbi Yoseph from Orleans, and we would have to accept the view of Rabbenu Tam who proved in the Talmud that the insect known as the white one is a parasite, whereas the other one known as the black one, which is distinguished by its great jumps, is incorrectly referred to as כנה but is in reality a פרעוש. (This is also the ruling of the halachah compare Tur Shulchan Aruch, Or Hachayim ruling 315).
Tur HaArokh
ויעשו כן, “they did so.” Even though the command was executed only by Aaron, the Torah includes the issuance of the command by Moses, and that is why it uses the plural mode when describing its execution.
Rashbam
הכנם. The final letter ם is similar to the final letter ם in the word ריקם in Genesis 31,42 where it is not really required, [the exegesis is needed as the author considered the same final latter in the word לכנם in the previous verse as a plural ending. Ed.]
And the magicians did so with their secret arts to bring forth lice, but they could not; and there were lice upon man, and upon beast.
verse value 2284
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 58 letters. The shortest word is "and·not" (וְלֹ֣א, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·did·so" (וַיַּעֲשׂוּ־כֵ֨ן, 7 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Exodus. Unique to this verse in Exodus (hapax): "the·lice" (אֶת־הַכִּנִּ֖ים). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·did·so" (root עשה, 322x in Exodus); "and·was" (root היה, 235x in Exodus); "and·not" (root לא, 139x in Exodus). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'were·able', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיַּעֲשׂוּ־כֵ֨ן [and·did·so] (462) + הַחַרְטֻמִּ֧ים [the·magicians] (312) + בְּלָטֵיהֶ֛ם [with·their·spells] (96) + לְהוֹצִ֥יא [to·produce] (142) + אֶת־הַכִּנִּ֖ים [the·lice] (526) + וְלֹ֣א [and·not] (37) + יָכֹ֑לוּ [were·able] (66) + וַתְּהִי֙ [and·was] (421) + הַכִּנָּ֔ם [the·lice] (115) + בָּאָדָ֖ם [on·human] (47) + וּבַבְּהֵמָֽה [and·on·the·cattle] (60) = 2284.
Onkelos
The sorcerers did likewise with their incantations to bring forth the lice, but they could not; and the lice were upon man and upon beast.
Rashi
להוציא את הכנים TO BRING FORTH GNATS — to create them and to bring them forth from some other place (not from dust but to turn some other material into gnats). ולא יכלו BUT THEY COULD NOT — for the demon (through whose agency this was to be done) is powerless in the case of a creature smaller than a barley corn) (Sanhedrin 67b). Therefore they had to admit.
Ramban
AND THE MAGICIANS DID SO WITH THEIR SECRET ARTS TO BRING FORTH GNATS. The purport of the expression, and the magicians did so, [when it immediately says afterwards, but they could not], is that they hit the dust of the earth and incanted the demons and performed their secret arts, as they used to do at other times, in order to bring forth the gnats, but they could not. It is possible that the expression, and the magicians did so, teaches that they did indeed do the correct things which do bring forth the gnats, but they were not successful this time, [for G-d thwarted their plans]. The learned magicians knew what they could do and they had tried to do so at other times [and succeeded. Hence they tried to do it now, but they failed “because it was now the will of the Holy One, blessed be He, to remove that power from them henceforth],”.
Ibn Ezra
"And they did so" — that is, they struck the dust of the earth. "To bring out the lice" — meaning to generate them from the earth as Aaron had done, but they could not. And the reason Scripture states "and there were lice" a second time is that this plague also [was] among the magicians.
Sforno
ולא יכולו. They were unable to produce anything which could truly move on its own.
Chizkuni
ולא יכלו, “but they were unable.” Seeing that all the dust had turned into vermin from where would they produce similar kinds of vermin?A different explanation: seeing that the sorcerers could not duplicate the plague, they tried to get rid of it. But they failed. There would not have been any point in adding to the disaster, anyways. If they had succeeded in getting rid of the vermin, their fellow Egyptians would have been grateful to them and they would have risen in their esteem. Still another exegesis of the words: ולא יכלו; the sorcerers were unable to remain in the proximity of Pharaoh as they had been smitten with vermin also, and they were ashamed of their impotence and withdrew. The same thing happened again when they were struck by the 6th plague, infectious boils on the skin. [It is interesting that both the third and the sixth plague occurred without Moses having forewarned Pharaoh, so that the Egyptians could have denied that it was a plague sent by the G-d of the Israelites. Ed.] According to some opinions, when the sorcerers’ feet were not planted directly on the earth, their power disappeared. If so, this would explain why the Torah wrote “they were powerless,” as the entire surface of the earth was covered with vermin preventing them from standing on the ground. When the sorcerers perceived their inability to get rid of the vermin, they admitted that this must indeed be plague orchestrated by heavenly forces and they said: אצבע אלוהים היא that “this was a finger of G-d.” The reason of their inability could not have been that that their power was limited to creatures larger than a grain of barley as claimed by some, for if it were so, why were they not able to get rid of the fourth plague, the wild beasts roaming and destroying in urban areas at will?
Rabbeinu Bahya
ויעשו כן החרטמם בלטיהם להוציא את הכנים, “the sorcerers did so with their secret art in order to remove the lice.” Seeing the Torah testifies that they did not succeed, why did the Torah first write ויעשו כן, “they did likewise?” The words refer to the manner in which they wanted to reproduce the plague, i.e. they too struck the dust of the earth with their staffs, similar to what Moses had done (verse 12). Now that we know that ויעשו כן, “they did likewise,” does not necessarily mean that the sorcerers succeeded in duplicating Moses’ and Aaron’s miracles, we may presume that in the previous instance when the Torah wrote this expression (concerning the snake and the blood) the sorcerers also did nothing more than create an allusion. The words ולא יכולו, “they were unable,” applies to all their efforts. Whereas prior to this the Egyptian sorcerers had been accorded the title חרטומי מצרים, here the word מצרים is missing. It is possible that up until now these sorcerers had been held in high esteem by all the Egyptians. Now, however, they had already lost some of their image in the eyes of the people. By the time the third plague occurred and the sorcerers had to make a public admission that a higher power than they had caused this plague, i.e. אצבע אלו-הים היא, their esteem amongst the people declined further and is reflected In the missing letter י when we encounter the word חרטומם again in 8,16. When someone’s name is spelled defectively this is an allusion to that person’s lack of ability, of power. We find these sorcerers at the nadir of their erstwhile reputation in 9,11 during the plague of “infectious boils” when they are reported as “unable” to make an appearance in the presence of Pharaoh. They were simply ashamed of their impotence. Not only were they unable to protect their fellow citizens but they could not even protect themselves.
Tur HaArokh
ויעשו כן חרטומי מצרים, “the Egyptian sorcerers did likewise.” This does not refer to what they accomplished, but to their copying the manner in which Moses had produced the vermin. They struck the dust and chanted their incantations. Another way of understanding the words ויעשו כן, would be that they do not refer to the sorcerers trying to imitate Moses and Aaron, but to their using their own techniques, hoping to achieve a similar result. After all, on the previous two occasions they had succeeded at least in convincing Pharaoh that they too could produce the phenomena Moses and Aaron had produced. A third possibility of understanding our verse would be that far from wanting to increase the number of vermin, they endeavoured to get rid of them by using their standard methods. When they failed, they had to admit that Moses and Aaron were not mere sorcerers of a more advanced school, but that their art was inspired by Divine assistance. ולא יכולו, “but they were unable.” Our sages find in this confirmation that the power of demons does not extend to creatures smaller than a grain of barley. Some commentators believe that the failure of the sorcerers lies in the fact that they are anchored in the habitat ”air, atmosphere,” are not part of the creatures who walk the surface of the earth, whereas the vermin are an integral part of earth itself, being generated inside the crust of the earth. Creatures that cannot walk the earth do not have dominion over creatures that originate within the earth. ותהי הכנם באדם ובבהמה, ”and the vermin kept afflicting man and beast.´ The sorcerers themselves were also afflicted by this plague.
Daat Zkenim
להוציא את הכננים, “to remove the lice and vermin;” seeing that the lice had lodged between the feet of the sorcerers and the ground, an area over which sorcery has no control. We have learned about this from something that happened at the time of Shimon ben Shetach (early part of the second Temple period) and the young men lifted these female sorcerers from the ground (Before executing them. Compare Jerusalem Talmud, tractate Chagigah second chapter, halachah 2) The three first plagues were, blood, frogs, and lice, were initiated by Aaron as they affected the earth. The three plagues of hail, locust, and darkness were initiated by Moses, as they originated in the celestial spheres, something over which Moses exercised a degree of control. The three plagues, of roaming beasts invading urban areas, the boils and the plague, were initiated by both G–d, Moses and Aaron jointly. (Tanchuma on this portion, section 14)
Then the magicians said to Pharaoh: "This is the finger of God"; and Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he did not heed them; as Hashem had spoken.
verse value 3006 — אֱלֹהִ֖ים = 86 (Elohim)
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 62 letters. Notable word values: "God" (אֱלֹהִ֖ים) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "this·is" (הִ֑וא, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·they·said" (וַיֹּאמְר֤וּ, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Exodus. Unique to this verse in Exodus (hapax): "the·magicians" (הַֽחַרְטֻמִּם֙), "finger·of" (אֶצְבַּ֥ע). The root פרעה appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 396x in Exodus); "and·they·said" (root אמר, 297x in Exodus); "as" (root אשר, 245x in Exodus). First appearance of the root אצבע ("finger·of") in Exodus. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'this·is', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 7 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּאמְר֤וּ [and·they·said] (263) + הַֽחַרְטֻמִּם֙ [the·magicians] (302) + אֶל־פַּרְעֹ֔ה [to·Pharaoh] (386) + אֶצְבַּ֥ע [finger·of] (163) + אֱלֹהִ֖ים [God] (86) + הִ֑וא [this·is] (12) + וַיֶּחֱזַ֤ק [and·stiffened] (131) + לֵב־פַּרְעֹה֙ [heart·of·Pharaoh] (387) + וְלֹֽא־שָׁמַ֣ע [and·he·did·not·heed] (447) + אֲלֵהֶ֔ם [to·them] (76) + כַּאֲשֶׁ֖ר [as] (521) + דִּבֶּ֥ר [had·spoken] (206) + יְהֹוָֽה [Hashem] (26) = 3006.
Onkelos
The sorcerers said to Pharaoh: This is a plague from before Hashem. But Pharaoh's heart was hardened and he did not heed them, as Hashem had spoken.
Rashi
אצבע אלהים הוא THIS IS THE FINGER OF GOD — This plague is not caused by sorcery: it is of the Omnipresent God! כאשר דבר ה׳ AS THE LORD HAD SPOKEN — when He said, (Exodus 7:4) “Pharaoh will not hearken unto you”.
Ramban
AND THE MAGICIANS SAID UNTO PHARAOH: THIS IS THE FINGER OF G-D. Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra commented that because the magicians had done as Aaron did with the serpent and also with the plagues of blood and the frogs and now they could not do so, they therefore said to Pharaoh: “This plague of gnats has not come through Aaron for the sake of Israel. Rather it is a plague of G-d due to the particular [evil] stars under which the land of Egypt found itself at the time.” Pharaoh did not deny the existence of the Creator but only the Divine Name which Moses mentioned to him. This is similar in sense to the verse, It was not His hand that smote us; it was a chance that happened to us. Therefore Pharaoh’s heart was hardened. And Ibn Ezra brought proof for his explanation from the fact that Scripture does not state that the magicians said, “This is the finger of the Eternal,” which would have been a reference to the G-d of Israel, just as Pharaoh said to Moses and Aaron, Entreat the Eternal. Another proof [which Ibn Ezra brought for his explanation] is that in the case of the smiting of the river, Moses had forewarned Pharaoh, but he mentioned nothing to him about the plague of gnats. [Therefore the magicians felt justified in saying that it was not a plague for the sake of Israel but merely due to the evil stars.]Ibn Ezra’s interpretation does not appear to me to be correct. “A chance” is not called “the finger of G-d.” Only a plague which comes directly from Him as a form of punishment is called the hand of the Eternal and the finger of G-d, just as it is written in the verse which [Ibn Ezra] mentioned: It was not His hand that smote us. And it is furthermore written: And Israel saw the great hand; And the hand of the Eternal shall be against you; the hand of G-d was very heavy there. Moreover, in the next plague of swarms, as well as in the following ones, Pharaoh no longer called upon the magicians to stand before Moses to do the same things, even though there had been a forewarning of their coming!But the subject, in accordance with the simple explanation of Scripture, is as follows: When the magicians saw that they could not bring forth the gnats, they admitted Aaron’s deed to be through an act of G-d, and this is why Pharaoh no longer called upon them from that time on. They [the magicians] said, This is ‘the finger’ of G-d, and not “the hand” of G-d [as is the customary way of the Scriptures to refer to plagues, as e.g., It was not His ‘hand’ that smote us] in order to minimize the plague, that is to say, it is but a small plague from Him [which we can easily endure]. They did not, however, say to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of ‘the Eternal,’” [but instead they said, “This is the finger of ‘G-d’”]. Pharaoh and his servants would not mention the Proper Divine Name except when speaking to Moses because he mentioned that Name to them. [In addressing Pharaoh, however, the magicians would not use that Name since that would be an open recognition on th...
Ibn Ezra
"And they said" — because they had seen that they duplicated Aaron's act with the serpent and also the plague of blood and the frog; but now they were unable to do what Aaron had done. They said to Pharaoh: This plague did not come because of Israel, to send them away — rather it is a plague of God, in accordance with the celestial configuration over the zodiacal sign governing the land of Egypt. For I have already explained that Pharaoh did not deny the Creator, only the particular name that Moses invoked for him. This is like "for His hand did not touch us; it was a chance occurrence that befell us" (1 Sam. 6:9) — from heaven. Therefore Pharaoh's heart was hardened. What further confirms this interpretation is that they said "the finger of God," and did not say "the finger of Hashem" — the God of Israel — as Pharaoh had in the plague of frogs, saying "Entreat Hashem" (above, 8:4); and that name was mentioned in the later plagues. Moreover, Moses had told Pharaoh of the plague of the Nile before it came, and likewise the plague of frogs — but he did not announce the plague of lice to him beforehand.
Chizkuni
אצבע אלו־הים היא, “It is a natural phenomenon. If this plague had been caused by Moses and Aaron, we could also have done the same. [i.e. this plague is orchestrated by the G-d of Joseph, who had been known to them as elohim, as opposed to Hashem whom Moses and Aaron had claimed to represent. Ed.] אצבע אלו־הים היא, “it is a (finger) feminine phenomenon”. [היא means “she”. Ed.] The sorcerers excused their inability to deal with this plague to the fact that it was something natural, and therefore not within their domain. ויחזק לב פרעה, “Pharaoh’s heart remained stubborn, strong.” The reason why Pharaoh did not ask Moses to pray for the removal of this plague was that this would have been an admission that it was a heavenly phenomenon. [Besides thus far none of the plagues had caused deaths, only inconvenience. He felt that if this is all that Hashem can do, he could live with it. Ed.] There was a good reason to feel that a plague which was common among the poor people all the time, had spread for some reason beyond its normal boundaries. Pharaoh did not realise that the absence of a warning meant that this was not of Moses’ doing; in fact the reason why he had not been warned was that he had ignored the warnings issued before the first two plagues, so that this was the punishment for having ignored those two plagues to influence his attitude toward the Israelite slaves. Moreover, every group of three plagues, as pointed out by Rabbi Yehudah who characterised (summarised) them as acronyms, i.e. דצ׳ך, עד׳ש, באח׳ב, was also introduced by Moses as having a specific objective.(Compare Exodus 8,6: למען תדע כי אין כה׳ אלוקינו “so that you will realise that there is no G-d like our G-d.” Exodus 8,18: למען תדע כי אני ה׳ בקרב הארץ, “so that you will realise that I am the Lord right here on earth also.” Exodus 9,29: למען תדע כי לה׳ הארץ, “so that you will realise that the earth belongs to the Lord.”) Some commentators explain that the reason Rabbi Yehudah summarised the plagues as he did, was to remind us that this was the correct order, as compared to Psalms 78,44-51 where they are listed in a different sequence. Also in Psalms 105, 28-36 they are listed in a different order.
Rabbeinu Bahya
ויאמרו החרטומם אל פרעה, “the sorcerers said to Pharaoh.” Up until this point the word חרטומים had always been spelled with the letter י. Now that they had been forced to admit their incompetence that letter was dropped. According to Kidushin 40 the absence of the letter י is an allusion to the proverb that of the ten units of magic G’d had allocated to the creatures on earth, nine had been appropriated by the Egyptians, whereas the remaining unit was dispersed all over the globe. אצבע אלו-הים היא, “it is a finger of G’d (His power).” Once the sorcerers saw that they could neither duplicate nor remove the lice they admitted that that plague was a manifestation of the power of the Lord and this is why Pharaoh did not continue to demand from them that they try and prove their abilities. They wanted to minimise the significance of that plague and that is why they attributed it to elohim instead of to Hashem. They dared not mention that name seeing Pharaoh had not yet acknowledged His existence. Pharaoh and his servants had mentioned that name only in their conversations with Moses and Aaron. This is the view of Nachmanides. However, the scholar Avraham Ibn Ezra wrote that the words “a finger of G’d” did not mean that they admitted that what Aaron had done was a miracle by G’d. They only meant to say that this plague was not supernatural, had nothing to do with the powers of either Moses or Aaron but was a natural phenomenon that could have been foreseen by the astrologers. This is the reason they referred to elohim, i.e. the attribute of G’d by means of which He allows laws of nature to operate. One of the proofs for the reasoning of the sorcerers, according to Ibn Ezra, was the fact that there had been no warning of this plague as opposed to the warnings which had been issued prior to the plague of blood and the plague of the frogs. This proved to them that even Moses had not known ahead of time that this plague would strike Egypt. Nachmanides makes an additional point that the first two plagues did not involve the creation of new creatures, seeing that the frogs had their habitat in or near the river and all that happened was that they left their habitat in great numbers. In the case of the river turning into blood, this too did not involve creation of a new species but merely a role-reversal of the life-giving content of the river-bed into a life-killing content, i.e. blood. Blood, under other circumstances is for man or the mammals what water is for the fish. In the case of the “lice” however, the Torah speaks of ויהיו, “there came into existence.” Suddenly insects were created out of the dust. The expression ויהי, and ויהיו, is found primarily during the story of creation at the beginning of Genesis. Only Hashem possesses the power to create something at the stage of בריאה. The power of water and earth to produce is restricted to the level of יצירה and onwards. In Psalms 8,4 David describes “when I behold Your heavens the work of Your fingers,” he makes the point that creation of a whole planetary systems is no more effort for G’d than the creation of the smallest insect. Rabbi Saadyah Gaon makes a similar point when he points out that the word אצבע, finger, occurs in the Bible in three contexts. It occurs here with the plague of insect, כנים; it occurs in Psalms as we just quoted in connection with the creation of the planetary systems, and it occurs in connection with the Tablets (Ten Commandments) which are attributed to having been written with the finger of elohim (Exodus 31,18). Although there seems little common ground between these three domains, i.e. the planetary system, the insects, and the Tablets which, though inferior in size to the planetary system are superior in their spiritual significance, the common denominator between all of these is G’d’s ability to create. According to Shemot Rabbah 10,7 however, all that the sorcerers admitted was that their craft did not extend to mastery over creatures smaller than a lentil. When the Torah said לא יכולו, “they were unable,” this meant only that they were unable to compete on that level. If they were unable to even collect such insects how much less able were they to produce them!
Tur HaArokh
ויאמרו החרטומים אצבע אלוקים הוא, “The sorcerers said that it was manifestation of a ‘finger’ of G’d.” Ibn Ezra wrote that far from admitting that Moses and Aaron were superior to them, seeing that thus far they had been able to match Moses and Aaron plague for plague, they now attributed this plague directly to a natural phenomenon, i.e. part of nature and its cycles, and as not related even remotely to the situation of the Israelites. [the fact that Moses had not given any warning of this plague helped convince Pharaoh that his sorcerers were right. Ed.] Pharaoh had never denied the existence of elokim the Creator, he had only refused to acknowledge the existence of the attribute Hashem, and the special relationship of that attribute to the Israelites, as “HIS” people. Ibn Ezra cites the fact that the sorcerers did not say: אצבע ה' אלוקים הוא, “it is a manifestation of the finger of Hashem elokim, although even Pharaoh had begged Moses to entreat Hashem to remove the plague of frogs, as proof of their being far from acknowledging the phenomenon Hashem. Nachmanides writes that in his opinion Ibn Ezra is not correct, seeing that the Torah would not refer to a plague as אצבע אלוקים, unless such a plague was a clear indication that it occurred as a Divine punishment, not as a random event, part of astrologically predictable “normal” phenomena. Expressions such as “G’d’s finger, G’d’s hand, G’d’s arm,” are always reserved for manifestations of G’d’s direct intervention in the affairs of man, not natural phenomena which could have occurred at any time without reference to specific events known to man. He quotes such examples as Exodus 14,31, Samuel I 12,15, Samuel I 5,11 as support for this thesis. Furthermore, the very fact that the Torah reports that the sorcerers were themselves afflicted to the extent that they had to leave Pharaoh’s presence, would make any claim that this was not a Divine manifestation related to the Israelites’ continued enslavement quite unlikely. Seeing that the sorcerers ceased playing any role, as Pharaoh did not summon them to try and get rid of the plague of wild beasts, a plague that he had been forewarned about, shows that Pharaoh by then was isolated in his obstinacy, knowing that the sorcerers would be of no help to him at all. The sorcerers had referred to “a finger of G’d,” in order to minimize the awe in which G’d would be held on account of a minor plague such as the vermin. We do not find that Pharaoh and his advisors ever referred to G’d as Hashem, except when they were in the presence of Moses and Aaron. This was mere lip service, as they did not want to aggravate their relations with Moses who had proven capable of not only orchestrating a plague but also of causing it to stop. As to Ibn Ezra’s argument that Moses and Aaron had not given warning of this plague, this is only technically so, as no doubt they had struck the earth while being in the presence of Pharaoh, and this clearly was meant to bring forth the vermin. To attribute such a plague of vermin to “natural” atmospheric phenomena would hardly be believable to anyone. If, in apparent contradiction to the above, we find that the Torah describes the sorcerers as so afflicted by the plague of boils, (#6) that “they were unable to remain in the presence of Moses,” (9,11) the Torah does not mention this because the sorcerers had come to duplicate the plague of boils, but because the Torah had stated that in spite of this very painful plague, something which should have given Pharaoh food for thought, the Torah wants to illustrate how painful this plague was by stating that even the sorcerers who had their reputation at stake, could not maintain a posture during that plague. If the sorcerers could not maintain a posture, how far less could any other Egyptian, excepting Pharaoh, of course. The Torah therefore explains that if Pharaoh remained steadfast this was only because G’d had given him the strength to do so. ויחזק ה' את לב פרעה. (9,12)
Rashbam
אצבע אלוקים הוא, this is a natural disaster [the word אל-הים equaling 86 numerically, the same as הטבע=“nature” Ed.] They denied that this plague, which had not been advertised beforehand, was the work of Moses and Aaron whom they had considered superior sorcerers, but had been orchestrated by the god of nature. They argued that if this had been a work of sorcerers they too could have duplicated the phenomenon.
And Hashem said to Moses: "Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh; behold, he comes forth to the water; and say to him: Thus says Hashem: Let My people go, that they may serve Me.
verse value 4229 — יְהֹוָ֜ה = 26 (Hashem)
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 79 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֜ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 4229 is prime. The shortest word is "thus" (כֹּ֚ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·worship·Me" (וְיַֽעַבְדֻֽנִי, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 26: Hashem, Hashem. The root אמר appears 3 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 396x in Exodus); "and·said" (root אמר, 297x in Exodus); "my·people" (root עם, 190x in Exodus). First appearance of the root שכם ("rise·early") in Exodus. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·the·water', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 8 words.
Onkelos
Hashem said to Moses: Rise early in the morning and present yourself before Pharaoh — behold, he goes out to the water — and say to him: Thus says Hashem: Send out My people so that they may serve before Me.
Ramban
In the case of certain plagues, [i.e., blood, swarms, and hail], G-d said to Moses, Rise up early in the morning … lo he cometh forth to the water. In line with the plain meaning of Scripture, this was the time when the kings were wont to go forth in the morning to enjoy themselves in the waters, and the Holy One, blessed be He, commanded Moses to go there. The reason for it is that since the plague of blood was the first one [of the plagues], He wanted Moses to do it in the sight of the king and without fear of him. This is the sense of the expression, and thou shalt place thyself towards him. Similarly, in the plague of swarms it is said, Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh; lo, he cometh forth to the water, and also in the case of hail it is said, Rise up early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh, which likewise took place when the king went forth to the water. He wanted these two plagues to be wrought [at that particular time] because since swarms and hail brought death and punishment upon the people, the Holy One, blessed be He, wanted the warning to be given in the sight of all people. When the king went forth to the water, a multitude of people followed him, and when Moses will then forewarn him in their sight, perhaps they might plead with their master to return from his evil way. In case they do not do so, they will deserve punishment. But in the case of the other plagues, the warning given to the king alone was sufficient, and therefore in connection with them it is said, Go in unto Pharaoh, meaning that Moses was to go into the palace. In the case of gnats and boils, it does not say [that Moses was to go into the palace] because Aaron had to strike the dust of the earth [to bring on the plague of the gnats], and in the king’s palace there is no dust, as it has a pavement of green and white marble. In the case of boils, Moses had to throw the soot of the furnace heavenward. Thus [we must say that] these two plagues, [i.e., gnats and boils], were done in the sight of Pharaoh when he was in the court of the garden of the king’s palace, or some similar place.
Ibn Ezra
"And He said" — it is the custom of kings to go out to the river in the morning, for the sight of water is good for the eyes.
Else, if you will not let My people go, behold, I will send swarms of insects upon you, and upon your servants, and upon your people, and into your houses; and the houses of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms of insects, and also the ground on which they are.
verse value 5264
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 88 letters. The shortest word is "because" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·on·your·servants" (וּבַעֲבָדֶ֧יךָ, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 678: the·swarms·of·insects, the·swarms·of·insects. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Exodus. Unique to this verse in Exodus (hapax): "if·you·do·not" (אִם־אֵינְךָ֮), "letting·go" (מְשַׁלֵּ֣חַ), "will·let·loose" (מַשְׁלִ֨יחַ). The root שלח appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "my·people" (root עם, 190x in Exodus); "Egypt" (root מצרי, 145x in Exodus); "because" (root כי, 118x in Exodus). First appearance of the root ערב ("the·swarms·of·insects") in Exodus. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·swarms·of·insects', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 8 words.
Onkelos
For if you do not send out My people, behold, I am sending against you and against your servants and against your people and against your houses the swarms, and the houses of Egypt shall be filled with the swarms, and also the land upon which they stand.
Rashi
משליח בך means I WILL INCITE AGAINST THEE. Another example is. (Deuteronomy 32:24) “I will incite (אשלח) the tooth of beasts against them”, where it signifies letting loose an animal against a person; old French inciter. English to incite. את הערב this means all kinds of wild beasts, serpents, and scorpions (a mixture [ערב] of noxious creatures) in a crowd (Exodus Rabbah 11:3) — these played havoc with them. There is a reason given in the Midrash in the case of each plague why this particular one and why that: God came against them with the tactics of warlike operations as carried out by kings in orderly sequence: a government (monarch) who is besieging a city first destroys its water supply, then they blow the trumpets and sound an alarm in order to terrify and dismay them — thus [their water supply was turned into blood], the frogs croaked and made a noise etc. - just as you will find it stated in the Midrash of Rabbi Tanchuma 2:3:4.
Ibn Ezra
"Sending" — an unusual form from the causative (hif'il) binyan. The word "arov" means a mixture of wild beasts — lions, wolves, bears, and leopards. And the meaning of "also the ground" is any place where there are no houses.
Sforno
וגם האדמה אשר הם עליה, a reference to the soil on which the houses stood which would become full of snakes and other creepers of the kind that inhabit the lower levels of the earth beneath its surface. The plague would result in the Egyptians feeling insecure in their homes even when they had shut every exit tightly.
Or HaChaim
ומלאו בתי מצרים את הערוב, the houses of Egypt will be filled with wild beasts, etc. The reason the Torah repeats the word הערוב, "the wild beasts," is that the houses will be filled with the wild beasts; if the Torah had merely written once: "the wild beasts will fill the houses of Egypt," we would have thought that the purpose of the plague was simply to fill the Egyptians' houses with wild beasts; this was not so, however, as the Torah had already stated: "I will send the wild beasts against you, your servants, your people as well as against your houses;" the obvious meaning is that the beasts were to cause damage and destruction. As it is, the additional message is that the houses would literally be filled with wild beasts. Another meaning of the words את הערוב the second time could be that had the Torah not repeated these words we would have assumed that the plague would have exhausted its purpose as soon as the houses of the Egyptians had become full of wild beasts; however, this was not the full extent of the plague. There were so many wild beasts that they could not be accomodated even after they had already filled all the houses of the Egyptians. This is why the Torah added: "and also the ground whereon they are."
Rabbeinu Bahya
הנני משליח בך..את הערוב, “I will unleash against you...the wild beasts.” You will not find that any of the other plagues was introduced with the letter ה as a form of definitive article except here. We would have expected the Torah to write here הנני משליח בך ערוב. We must remember that these wild beasts were not newly formed creatures. They already existed but the new element was that they invaded man’s habitat, something uncharacteristic. We find something similar when other kinds of disasters are mentioned in the Bible, for instance Leviticus 26,22. The Torah writes in that context והשלחתי בכם את-חית השדה ושכלה אתכם, “I will dispatch against you the wild beasts of the field and they will leave you bereft of your children.” In connection with the plague of frogs the Torah did write: “all your territory with frogs,” and the frogs were also not a new creation but simply emerged from their habitat the Nile. This is the reason that the vowel patach is under the letter ב in the word בצפרדעים (verse 27). It was to show that these frogs already existed but merely left their habitat, the Nile and its banks. According to Shemot Rabbah 9,9 (on 7,17) the difference between G’d striking man and man striking his fellow man is that when man attacks someone he is anxious to do so suddenly so as to preserve the advantage of surprise. Not so G’d. G’d gives fair warning to enable man to fall in with His wishes before he is taught a painful lesson. G’d warned Pharaoh in seven out of the ten plagues in order to afford him an opportunity to escape the plague by releasing the Israelites. Job 36,22 testifies to this attribute of G’d when Elihu proclaimed: “See, G’d is beyond reach in His power, who governs like Him?” The author meant that although G’d does not have any need to do so, He affords every sinner the opportunity to return to Him in penitence before punishing him. Only if the sinner fails to avail himself of such an opportunity does G’d carry out His threat as we know from Job 36,11-12: “if they serve obediently they will spend their days in happiness, their years in delight; but if they are not obedient, they shall perish by the sword.”
Tur HaArokh
וגם האדמה אשר הם עליה “including the ground they are on.” This includes the areas that did not have houses on them.
Rashbam
והערוב, I believe that the Torah describes different kinds of wolves that are known by the word,ערוב seeing that it is their habit to hunt at night as we know from Jeremiah 5,6. as well as from Tzefaniah 3,3. The fact that the wolf sets out when it gets dark, in the evening, and does not return until morning, is why this animal is referred to as ערוב, describing its habits.
And I will set apart in that day the land of Goshen, in which My people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there; to the end that you may know that I am Hashem in the midst of the earth.
verse value 5397 — יְהֹוָ֖ה = 26 (Hashem)
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 74 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֖ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "that" (כִּ֛י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·I·will·set·apart" (וְהִפְלֵיתִי֩, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Exodus. Unique to this verse in Exodus (hapax): "and·I·will·set·apart" (וְהִפְלֵיתִי֩), "to·be·there" (הֱיֽוֹת־שָׁ֖ם), "among" (בְּקֶ֥רֶב). The root ארץ appears 2 times in this verse. 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 396x in Exodus); "which" (root אשר, 245x in Exodus); "to·be·there" (root היה, 235x in Exodus). First appearance of the root פלה ("and·I·will·set·apart") in Exodus. First appearance of the root בלתי ("so·that·not") in Exodus. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'swarm', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 7 words.
Onkelos
I will set apart on that day the land of Goshen, upon which My people stand, so that no swarms shall be there — so that you may know that I am Hashem, who rules within the land.
Rashi
והפליתי means I WILL SEPARATE. Similar is, (Exodus 9:4) “And the Lord will make a separation (והפלה)”; so, also, (Deuteronomy 30:11) “It is not נפלאת from thee ״ — that is, “it is not separated and set at a far distance from thee”. למען תדע כי אני ה׳ בקרב הארץ IN ORDER THAT THOU MAYEST KNOW THAT I AM THE ETERNAL IN THE MIDST OF THE EARTH — although My Shechina is in the heavens My command is fulfilled amongst mankind (as we might say, “My writ runs on earth also”).
Ramban
AND I WILL SET APART IN THAT DAY THE LAND OF GOSHEN. Due to the fact that the first plagues were not migratory in nature, it was no wonder that they were confined to the land of Egypt and were not to be in the land of Goshen, [Israel’s habitation]. But this [plague of swarms] was a migratory plague. Thus when the wild beasts came up from the lions’ dens, from the mountains of the leopards, and brought ruin upon the whole land of Egypt, it was natural that they also come into the land of Goshen, which contained some of the best of the land of Egypt. Therefore it was necessary for Him to say, And I will set apart in that day the land of Goshen, so that it would be completely saved [from the wild beasts] because My people dwell in it, as the majority of its inhabitants were Israelites. And I will put ‘p’duth’ (a division) between My people and thy people. The intent thereof is that even in the land of Egypt, if the beasts will find a certain Jew, they will not harm him. Instead they will devour the Egyptians, as it is written: He sent among them swarms of beasts, which devoured them. This is the sense of the word ‘p’duth’ between My people and thy people, which is similar to the verse, I have given Egypt as thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee. I AM THE ETERNAL IN THE MIDST OF THE EARTH. Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra explained it as being a figure of speech, emblematic of the nature of kings to establish their seat of government in the center of the kingdom in order to be near to the remote comers thereof. This explanation makes no sense. Rather, its intent is to state that He rules and supervises in the midst of the earth, and not, as some think, that thick clouds are a covering to Him, that He seeth not; and He walketh in the circuit of heaven. It is possible that the sense of the expression is similar to the verse, For My name is in him, and the secret thereof is sublime and recondite.
Ibn Ezra
"And I will set apart" — some say it is missing an aleph, but the correct view is that it is of the he-root class, with the meaning "I will distinguish/separate." And on grounds of reason: it was now that Pharaoh began to ease the burden on Israel, for when he saw that Hashem had made a distinction between Israel and Egypt he feared to harm them further, since he needed to send them to sacrifice lest they smite him with pestilence — as you can see, for now he gave them permission to sacrifice within the land. The meaning of "for I, Hashem, am in the midst of the earth" is a metaphor in the manner of kings, who stand at the center of their realm in order to be near to all its extremities. So too did the Creator place the heart of man — which is king over the entire body — in its center; and the human spirit is in the body's center, as it is written: "who forms the spirit of man within him" (Zech. 12:1). There are many proofs for this from natural phenomena. Therefore it is written: "Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines forth" (Ps. 50:2), for it is at the center of the inhabited world, and the sovereignty of Hashem is manifest in the inhabited world.
Rabbeinu Bahya
והפלאתי ביום ההוא , “I shall set apart on that day, etc.” The fact that the first three plagues occurred in the land of Egypt without affecting the province of Goshen was not so remarkable due to the nature of the plagues. The manifestations of those plagues were more or less local in nature. Seeing that the plague of wild beasts originated far from civilized areas of Egypt, it was remarkable that the beasts should distinguish between areas inhabited by Israelites and areas inhabited by Egyptians. It was therefore an act of G’d to redirect the instinct of the beasts so that they ignored Israelites and their dwellings. אשר עמי עומד עליה, “on which My people are standing.” This means: “in order to enable My people to maintain itself on it.” למען תדע כי אני ה' בקרב הארץ, “so that you will appreciate that I am Hashem right in the midst of the earth.” G’d meant that He exercises control right on earth, punishing sinners and rewarding and saving those who put their trust in Him. The line was designed to provide a striking contrast with Pharaoh’s declared philosophy that there was no such thing as providential guidance of the earth by a divine force. Ramban writes that כי אני ה' בקרב הארץ can possibly be compared to כי שמי בקרבו "for my name is within him" (23,21) — this is a deep and sublime concept.
Tur HaArokh
והפלאתי ביום ההוא, “I shall set apart on that day, etc.” There is no doubt that all the other plagues did not afflict the Israelites either. The reason why the Torah mentions that the land of Goshen would not be invaded by the wild beasts, is that once wild beasts are allowed to roam freely, it could have been expected that they would not know how to distinguish between areas inhabited by Egyptians and districts predominately populated by Israelites. The Torah had made a similar comment during the plague of pestilence (#5) stating that not a single Jew became afflicted with that disease. There too, we would have expected the microbes not to have known how to make a detour around the Israelites. In the case of the fourth plague, although there may have been a few Egyptians living in the province of Goshen, the fact that it was populated in the main by Israelites, appears to have protected the few Egyptians there. [this in turn might have stiffened Pharaoh’s attitude, as he was searching desperately for an excuse that these were natural disasters, not vengeance by the Jewish G’d. Ed.] כי אני ה' בקרב הארץ, “that I, the Lord, am also G’d in the midst of the land.” Ibn Ezra writes that it was customary in those days that the kings would make their residence in the centre of their land, so as to be equidistant from most of their subjects. They felt that just as man’s heart is located centrally within his body, so the place of a king has to be in the center of his realm.
Rashbam
והפלאתי ביום ההוא, seeing that these wild beasts are fleet-footed and would invade any kingdom without regard to international borders once the plague has been released, the Torah had to stress that it would be observed that these animals would respect the unfenced areas in which the Jews were living as if they were physical obstacles. The same phenomenon would be observed when the “natural” disaster which struck the herds under the heading of דבר, the fifth plague, did not infect a single animal owned by the Israelites.
And I will place redemption between My people and your people—by tomorrow shall this sign be."
verse value 2351
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 35 letters. Verse gematria: 2351 is prime. The shortest word is "redemption" (פְדֻ֔ת, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·I·will·make" (וְשַׂמְתִּ֣י, 5 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Exodus. Unique to this verse in Exodus (hapax): "redemption" (פְדֻ֔ת). The root בין appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "shall·come·to·pass" (root היה, 235x in Exodus); "my·people" (root עם, 190x in Exodus); "this" (root זה, 65x in Exodus). First appearance of the root בין ("between") in Exodus. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'your·people', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 4 words. Full calculation: וְשַׂמְתִּ֣י [and·I·will·make] (756) + פְדֻ֔ת [redemption] (484) + בֵּ֥ין [between] (62) + עַמִּ֖י [my·people] (120) + וּבֵ֣ין [and·between] (68) + עַמֶּ֑ךָ [your·people] (130) + לְמָחָ֥ר [for·tomorrow] (278) + יִהְיֶ֖ה [shall·come·to·pass] (30) + הָאֹ֥ת [the·sign] (406) + הַזֶּֽה [this] (17) = 2351.
Onkelos
I will place deliverance for My people, but upon your people I will bring a plague. Tomorrow this sign shall be.
Rashi
ושמתי פדות AND I WILL MAKE A DELIVERANCE which shall serve as a division BETWEEN MY PEOPLE AND THY PEOPLE.
Ibn Ezra
"And I will put a redemption" — with the sense of a separation; and every word of ransom is close to this meaning.
Sforno
ושמתי פדות בין עמי ובין עמך, so that even the few members of my people who might be in an area infested by the arov would not be molested by these beasts. The same beasts would harm your people on the same spot.
Or HaChaim
ושמתי פדות, "I shall set apart, etc." G'd meant that not only would the wild beasts respect the boundary of the province of Goshen and not invade that province, they would not even approach those Israelites that happened to be outside the province of Goshen at the time. The Torah made this clear by the nuance "between My people and between your people." This means that whenever members of both people were found next to one another, only the Egyptians would be bothered by the wild beasts. The beasts would not bite a Jew.
Chizkuni
למחר יהיה, “it will occur tomorrow.” Moses does not want to give Pharaoh the excuse that the disappearance of the frogs, i.e. their deaths will be accidental, unplanned. The same happened with the plague of pestilence (#7) when G-d predicted precisely when it would occur. (Compare 9,5)
Rabbeinu Bahya
ושמתי פדת בין עמי ובין עמך, “I will make a distinction between My people and between your people.” G’d (Moses) had already mentioned that He would make a distinction between Goshen and the rest of the country. The additional information in this verse meant that even within Egypt proper the wild beasts would not attack the Israelites or their belongings. We have confirmation of this in Psalms 78,48 where Assaph (a contemporary of the event) said: ”He inflicted upon them swarms of wild beasts to devour them.” The word פדות is also related to “ransom.” Isaiah 43,3 speaks about G’d giving a “ransom” to Egypt (in return for releasing the Jewish people). The word is spelled defective in our verse, i.e. without the letter ו, indicating that the redemption from Egypt was not a total redemption as it was followed by other periods of enslavement of the Jewish people. When Psalms 111,9 speaks about פדות שלח לעמו, “He has sent redemption to His people,” the word פדות is spelled plene indicating that David speaks about the redemption of the future.
Tur HaArokh
ושמתי פדות בין עמי ובין עמך, “I will place a deliberate distinction between My people and between your people.” This means that even if an Israelite will find himself in an Egyptian neighbourhood at the time when the beasts invade urban areas, they will not harm a single Israelite.
Rashbam
ושמתי פדות, a word describing “separation.” Words such as ישועה, הצלה, חלצה, פורקן are all expressions denoting different separations, isolation of one thing from another. למחר יהיה. This will occur on the morrow. Moses announced the timing so that Pharaoh would not attribute the phenomenon to mere chance.
And Hashem did so; and there came grievous swarms of flies into the house of Pharaoh, and into his servants' houses; and in all the land of Egypt the land was ruined by reason of the swarms of flies.
verse value 4671 — יְהֹוָה֙ = 26 (Hashem)
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 65 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֙) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "so" (כֵּ֔ן, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·in·all·the·land·of" (וּבְכׇל־אֶ֧רֶץ, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 26: Hashem, heavy. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Exodus. Unique to this verse in Exodus (hapax): "and·the·house·of" (וּבֵ֣ית), "and·in·all·the·land·of" (וּבְכׇל־אֶ֧רֶץ), "was·ruined" (תִּשָּׁחֵ֥ת). The root ערב appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 396x in Exodus); "and·did" (root עשה, 322x in Exodus); "Egypt" (root מצרי, 145x in Exodus). First appearance of the root שחת ("was·ruined") in Exodus. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'his·servants', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 6 words.
Onkelos
Hashem did so, and a heavy swarm came into the house of Pharaoh and into the house of his servants, and throughout all the land of Egypt; the land was ruined because of the swarms.
Rashi
תשחת הארץ means the ground was being destroyed (the imperfect tense denotes what was then going on continuously), and so the Targum has אתחבלת ארעא (the participle) the ground was being ruined.
Ibn Ezra
"And He did" — the next day, as Moses had said. And the meaning of "and the swarm came heavy" is of its own accord. This plague was harsher than the first ones.
Or HaChaim
תשחת הארץ, the land was ruined. This means that the beasts would destroy everything except the human beings.
Targum Yonatan
And the Lord did so; and sent the mixed multitude of wild beasts in strength to the house of Pharoh, and to the house of his servants and in all the land of Mizraim the inhabitants of the land were devastated from the swarm of wild beasts.
And Pharaoh called for Moses and for Aaron, and said: "Go, sacrifice to your God in the land."
verse value 2105
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 43 letters. Verse gematria: 2105 = 5 × 421. The shortest word is "go" (לְכ֛וּ, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·your·God" (לֵאלֹֽהֵיכֶ֖ם, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Exodus. Unique to this verse in Exodus (hapax): "sacrifice" (זִבְח֥וּ), "to·your·God" (לֵאלֹֽהֵיכֶ֖ם). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 297x in Exodus); "to·your·God" (root אלהים, 133x in Exodus); "in·the·land" (root ארץ, 133x in Exodus). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·to·Aaron', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַיִּקְרָ֣א [and·summoned] (317) + פַרְעֹ֔ה [Pharaoh] (355) + אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֖ה [to·Moses] (376) + וּֽלְאַהֲרֹ֑ן [and·to·Aaron] (292) + וַיֹּ֗אמֶר [and·said] (257) + לְכ֛וּ [go] (56) + זִבְח֥וּ [sacrifice] (23) + לֵאלֹֽהֵיכֶ֖ם [to·your·God] (136) + בָּאָֽרֶץ [in·the·land] (293) = 2105.
Onkelos
Pharaoh called to Moses and to Aaron and said: Go, sacrifice before your God in the land.
Rashi
זבחו לאלהיכם בארץ SACRIFICE TO YOUR GOD IN THE LAND, in the place where you are, and do not go into the wilderness.
Ibn Ezra
"And he called" — it became clear to Pharaoh that the plagues came because they had not sacrificed. And the meaning of "in the land" is in his kingdom, and not in some other place.
Chizkuni
זבחו לאלוקיכם בארץ, “offer meat offerings to your G-d inside the land of Egypt!” When Pharaoh saw that G-d made clear distinctions between where the plagues that occurred where the Israelites lived and where not, he made the first concession allowing them to offer sacrifices inside Egypt so that their G-d would not punish them.
Targum Yonatan
And Pharoh called to Mosheh and to Aharon., saying, Go, worship with festival sacrifices before the Lord your God in this land.
And Moses said: "It is not meet so to do; for we shall sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians to Hashem our God; behold, if we sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians before their eyes, will they not stone us?
verse value 5437
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 82 letters. Verse gematria: 5437 is prime. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֤א, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·abomination·of" (אֶת־תּוֹעֲבַ֥ת, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 380: Egypt, Egypt. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Exodus. Unique to this verse in Exodus (hapax): "abomination·of" (תּוֹעֲבַ֣ת), "the·abomination·of" (אֶת־תּוֹעֲבַ֥ת), "before·their·eyes" (לְעֵינֵיהֶ֖ם). The root לא appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·Hashem" (root יהוה, 396x in Exodus); "to·do" (root עשה, 322x in Exodus); "and·said" (root אמר, 297x in Exodus). First appearance of the root כון ("right") in Exodus. First appearance of the root סקל ("stone·us") in Exodus. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'our·God', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 7 words.
Onkelos
Moses said: It is not proper to do so, for we would be slaughtering before Hashem our God the livestock that the Egyptians worship. If we were to slaughter the livestock that the Egyptians worship while they are watching, would they not stone us?
Rashi
תועבת מצרים THE ABOMINATION OF THE EGYPTIANS — This means: that which the Egyptians reverence (their idol), just as, (2 Kings 23:13) “and for Milcom the abomination (תועבת) of the children of Ammon”, but in relation to the Israelites it (Scripture) calls it תועבה. We may explain these words in another sense also: תועבת מצרים — The act of sacrifice which we practise is a hateful thing to the Egyptians seing that we sacrifice their god (sheep which were reverenced as gods in Egypt). ולא יסקלנו — This must be read in the intonation of a question (although there is no interrogative prefix הֲ) AND WILL THEY NOT STONE US?
Ibn Ezra
"And he said" — R. Yeshua said that the meaning of "the abomination of Egypt" is that Moses wrote it this way to disparage idolatry; for what Moses actually said to Pharaoh was only "the God of Egypt," while R. Yeshua maintained that their god was in the form of a lamb, since they believed the zodiacal sign of Aries governed their land — and for this reason they did not eat meat. But if that were so, why would they not eat the flesh of oxen or the flesh of goats? In my own view, the people of Egypt in Moses' day held the same position as the people of India, who constitute more than half the world's population — and all of them are descendants of Ham — and they do not eat meat to this day, nor blood, milk, fish, or eggs, and in general anything that comes from a living creature. They regard anyone who eats these things as loathsome, and herding flocks is a despised occupation in their eyes — as it is written: "for every shepherd is an abomination to Egypt" (Gen. 46:34). To this day they do not permit anyone to eat meat in their land; and if one of them comes to a foreign land he flees every place where meat is eaten, and will not eat anything touched by a meat-eater, considering his vessels unclean. Thus it is written: "for the Egyptians could not eat bread with the Hebrews" (Gen. 43:32). And indeed when Joseph was in Potiphar's house he was given charge over everything except the bread that Potiphar ate, for Joseph would not touch it, being a Hebrew. There is no point asking why, then, they had livestock, for the people of India too have them: horses, donkeys, and camels for carrying and riding, oxen for plowing, and sheep for wool. I will speak further about this in connection with the Passover of Egypt. Yefet said that the word "halo yiskelunihu" is missing a he, since the meaning is: "and will they not stone us?" In my view, the word "hen nizbah" carries a he of wonder, and reads as follows: "Is it the case that we would sacrifice the abomination of Egypt before their eyes and they would not stone us?" — like "Has such a thing ever happened?" (Jer. 2:10).
Chizkuni
ולא יסקלונו, “are they not going to stone us to death?” The expression סקל means throwing stones; we know this from Samuel II 16,6: where David and his men were stoned by Shimi, a family member of King Shaul, who had been dead for while already.
Tur HaArokh
כי תועבת מצרים, “for it is an abomination in the eyes of the Egyptians;” some commentators claim that this line is a comment added to the Torah by Moses, seeing he wanted to take a swipe at idolatry. When confronting Pharaoh in person, Moses referred to their deities as אלוהי מצרים, and not as תועבה. The reason Moses was provoked to refer to the Egyptians’ deities by a derogatory term was that they worshipped the image of a lamb.
Rashbam
כי תועבת מצרים, sheep were something despicable in the eyes of the Egyptians. ולא יסקלונו?, a question. Stoning was considered as something despicable, a demeaning treatment of people, as we know from Samuel II 16,13 where Shimi ben Gerah cursed David and threw stones at him.
We will go three days' journey into the wilderness, and sacrifice to Hashem our God, as He shall command us."
verse value 2808
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 49 letters. Verse gematria: 2808 = 26 × 108; 26 is the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "way" (דֶּ֚רֶךְ, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·we·will·sacrifice" (וְזָבַ֙חְנוּ֙, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 100: days, we·will·go. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Exodus. Unique to this verse in Exodus (hapax): "and·we·will·sacrifice" (וְזָבַ֙חְנוּ֙), "to·us" (אֵלֵֽינוּ). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·Hashem" (root יהוה, 396x in Exodus); "may·say" (root אמר, 297x in Exodus); "as" (root אשר, 245x in Exodus). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·the·wilderness', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 6 words. Full calculation: דֶּ֚רֶךְ [way] (224) + שְׁלֹ֣שֶׁת [three] (1030) + יָמִ֔ים [days] (100) + נֵלֵ֖ךְ [we·will·go] (100) + בַּמִּדְבָּ֑ר [in·the·wilderness] (248) + וְזָבַ֙חְנוּ֙ [and·we·will·sacrifice] (79) + לַֽיהֹוָ֣ה [to·Hashem] (56) + אֱלֹהֵ֔ינוּ [our·God] (102) + כַּאֲשֶׁ֖ר [as] (521) + יֹאמַ֥ר [may·say] (251) + אֵלֵֽינוּ [to·us] (97) = 2808.
Onkelos
A three-days' journey let us go into the wilderness and sacrifice before Hashem our God, as He will command us.
Ibn Ezra
"A journey" — we need to go far from the Egyptians. And the meaning of "as He shall say to us" is: what livestock we shall sacrifice, and how much of it we shall sacrifice.
Chizkuni
דרך שלשת ימים נלך במדבר, we will go a distance of three days’ march into the desert;” in fact this is what they did at the Exodus when they made camp on the second day at the edge of the desert, as is described in detail in Exodus 13,20.
And Pharaoh said: "I will let you go, that you may sacrifice to Hashem your God in the wilderness; only you shall not go very far away; entreat for me."
verse value 4991 — בַּעֲדִֽי = 86 (Elohim)
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 71 letters. Notable word values: "for·me" (בַּעֲדִֽי) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "only" (רַ֛ק, 2 letters) and the longest is "you·shall·not·go·far" (לֹא־תַרְחִ֖יקוּ, 8 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Exodus. Unique to this verse in Exodus (hapax): "and·sacrifice" (וּזְבַחְתֶּ֞ם), "you·shall·not·go·far" (לֹא־תַרְחִ֖יקוּ), "for·me" (בַּעֲדִֽי). The root רחק appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·Hashem" (root יהוה, 396x in Exodus); "and·said" (root אמר, 297x in Exodus); "your·God" (root אלהים, 133x in Exodus). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·go', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 2 words.
Onkelos
Pharaoh said: I will send you out and you shall sacrifice before Hashem your God in the wilderness; only do not go very far away. Pray also for me.
Ibn Ezra
"And he said" — the phrase "entreat for me" was properly to be placed first, for the meaning is: entreat for me and this plague will be removed — then I will send you to sacrifice in the wilderness as you said, but on condition that you do not go so far as to travel more than three days.
Or HaChaim
לא תרחיקו לכת. "Do not go very far." Pharaoh meant: "not as far as the three days you have requested." His argument was that if Moses was afraid the Egyptians would stone the Israelites if they slaughtered animals the Egyptians regarded as sacred, there was no reason to travel a distance of three days to escape that particular danger. Apparently, Moses did not make an issue of this at this time; he reasoned that the Israelites' major purpose was to get out of the urban areas, no matter how far. If Pharaoh would pursue them, Moses was certain that G'd would deal with him. At that point Moses wanted only to ensure that Pharaoh would not have a reason to renege on his promise; this is why he warned Pharaoh not to deal deceitfully with him and the Jewish people. He emphasized this by use of the word רק. Moses meant that though they would travel for a distance of less than three days the important thing for them was to get out of town for a while.
Tur HaArokh
העתירו בעדי, “entreat for me!” Ibn Ezra writes that the words העתירו בעדי should by rights, have been written at the beginning of this verse. Pharaoh’s intent was that as a result of Moses and Aaron entreating G’d on behalf of Pharaoh, G’d should remove the plague. Subsequent to this, he, Pharaoh, would release the Israelites from bondage and permit them to leave the country (temporarily). He stipulated only that the Israelites would not travel far (three days’ journey as per Moses’ original request) in order to perform their ritual in the desert.
And Moses said: "Behold, I go out from you, and I will entreat Hashem that the swarms of flies may depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people, tomorrow; only let not Pharaoh deal deceitfully any more in not letting the people go to sacrifice to Hashem."
verse value 6348
Insights
Verse structure: 23 words, 98 letters. The shortest word is "only" (רַ֗ק, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·I·will·entreat" (וְהַעְתַּרְתִּ֣י, 7 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Exodus. Unique to this verse in Exodus (hapax): "from·you" (מֵֽעִמָּךְ֙), "and·I·will·entreat" (וְהַעְתַּרְתִּ֣י), "and·shall·depart" (וְסָ֣ר). The root עם appears 3 times in this verse. 19 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·Hashem" (root יהוה, 396x in Exodus); "and·said" (root אמר, 297x in Exodus); "Moses" (root משה, 277x in Exodus). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'tomorrow', dividing the verse into phrases of 14 and 9 words.
Onkelos
Moses said: Behold, I am going out from you and I will pray before Hashem, and the swarms will depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people tomorrow. Only let Pharaoh not continue to act falsely by not sending out the people to sacrifice before Hashem.
Rashi
התל is the same as להתל (i. e. the infinitive may be used with or without ל prefixed).
Ramban
AND MOSES SAID: BEHOLD, I GO OUT FROM THEE, AND I WILL ENTREAT THE ETERNAL THAT THE SWARMS WILL DEPART FROM PHARAOH, FROM HIS SERVANTS, AND FROM HIS PEOPLE, TOMORROW. Just as Pharaoh, during the plague of the frogs, had asked that it be removed tomorrow, so did Moses want to do it in this case as well; he would pray that the swarms [of beasts] shall depart tomorrow. And then G-d removed the swarms, and they vanished completely, unlike the case of the frogs, [where Scripture states that they died]. This was for the reason, as stated by our Rabbis, that the Holy One, blessed be He, desired to afflict them with plagues from which they would derive no benefit. Now Moses guarded himself when he spoke to Pharaoh, saying to destroy the frogs, which alludes merely to their death, as I have explained there, [while here in the case of swarms, he said that the swarms will depart].
Ibn Ezra
"And he said" — "mock." This root is unusual, for the tav ought to bear a dagesh since the he is the root letter — like "behold, I do not know how to speak" (Jer. 1:6); and likewise "hateil tahteilu bi" ["will you utterly mock me"]. The correct form is "and Elijah mocked them" (1 Kgs. 18:27). And Moses said this to him because Pharaoh had promised at the plague of frogs to send the people and then did not send them.
Rabbeinu Bahya
וסר הערוב מפרעה, “and the wild beasts will depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people to-morrow.” Moses told Pharaoh this in order that he should not assume that the plague was bound to stop on that day and that Moses knew this based on his astrological calculations. Just as with the plague of frogs Pharaoh had asked that it not be stopped until the following day as he had hoped to embarrass Moses, Moses now turned the tables on him using the delay in arranging relief to prove the same point. Both arrival and cessation of the plagues were announced on the day following their being announced.
Tur HaArokh
וסר הערוב מפרעה, מעבדיו, ומעמו, מחר, “the wild beasts will retreat from Pharaoh, his servants and his people tomorrow.” Seeing that during the plague of the frogs Pharaoh had requested that the removal of the frogs be arranged for the following day, Moses told him that this time too he would pray for the wild beasts to depart on the following day. However, they would not die, as had the frogs, as our sages explained; this was because their carcasses would have proved useful and welcome to the Egyptians, and they were not to benefit from the plague. According to the plain meaning of the text the difference in the disappearance of the frogs on the one hand and the wild beasts on the other, is rooted in the fact that the frogs and similar low life creatures which are always spawned in multiple births, have a tendency to increase in huge numbers constantly. To bring them all back to the river would overtax the river’s ability to sustain them. The wild beasts did not increase in numbers during the time they invaded the urban areas of the country, and making them return to their normal habitat did not strain that habitat’s ability to sustain them. G’d had not created a single extra animal (mammal) in order for it to plague the Egyptians.
Rashbam
והעתרתי, a similar construction to vehacharamti in Numbers 21,2 והחרמתי את עריהם, “I will destroy their cities.” Another similar construction occurs in Ezekiel 26,3 והעליתי, and in Jeremiah 17,2 we find והעבדתיך, in all these examples the letters אהחע determine which vowels are used in this type of future tense, introduced by the inverted letter vav, if it is in the future tense or in the past tense. If it were in the ordinary past tense however, it should have read: he-evarti, he-eliticha, instead of ha-avarti and ha-aliticha. [the author quotes a few more examples which we can dispense with. Ed.]
And Moses went out from Pharaoh, and entreated Hashem.
verse value 1700
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 25 letters. The shortest word is "Moses" (מֹשֶׁ֖ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·Hashem" (אֶל־יְהֹוָֽה, 6 letters). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·Hashem" (root יהוה, 396x in Exodus); "Moses" (root משה, 277x in Exodus); "from" (root עם, 190x in Exodus). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Pharaoh', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַיֵּצֵ֥א [and·went·out] (107) + מֹשֶׁ֖ה [Moses] (345) + מֵעִ֣ם [from] (150) + פַּרְעֹ֑ה [Pharaoh] (355) + וַיֶּעְתַּ֖ר [and·entreated] (686) + אֶל־יְהֹוָֽה [to·Hashem] (57) = 1700.
Onkelos
Moses went out from before Pharaoh and prayed before Hashem.
Rashi
ויעתר אל ה׳ AND ENTREATED THE LORD (the verb is the Kal) — he concentrated his energies on prayer. So, too, if it had wished to use the term וַיַעְתִּיר (the Hiphil) it could have used it, and that would have signified, “and he increased words in prayer”. But when it uses an expression denoting “and he did something” (the Kal) it signifies “he prayed much (devoutly)”.
Ibn Ezra
"And he went out" — there are words in the Holy Tongue that are identical in meaning yet come from two different binyanim — the light and the heavy — such as "vaye'atar el Hashem" and "veha'atarti el Hashem" (v. 25), and similarly "asher anokhi moreh" (1 Sam. 20:36) and "vehu yareh ha-chetz" (ibid.). Such words that are like this are few in number.
Sforno
ויעתר, in order for G’d to remove the wild beasts at the time which Pharaoh had requested and in the manner he had asked for. We know that this time Pharaoh did not want to have to contend with the stench of the dead animals as he had had to when the crocodiles died on his territory, but that G’d made all these beasts retreat to where they had been before they had invaded the urban areas of Egypt. (compare verse 27)
And Hashem did according to the word of Moses; and He removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people; there remained not one.
verse value 2820 — יְהֹוָה֙ = 26 (Hashem)
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 48 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֙) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֥א, 2 letters) and the longest is "from·his·servants" (מֵעֲבָדָ֣יו, 6 letters). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 396x in Exodus); "and·did" (root עשה, 322x in Exodus); "Moses" (root משה, 277x in Exodus). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·from·his·people', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיַּ֤עַשׂ [and·did] (386) + יְהֹוָה֙ [Hashem] (26) + כִּדְבַ֣ר [according·to·the·word·of] (226) + מֹשֶׁ֔ה [Moses] (345) + וַיָּ֙סַר֙ [and·removed] (276) + הֶעָרֹ֔ב [the·swarms] (277) + מִפַּרְעֹ֖ה [from·Pharaoh] (395) + מֵעֲבָדָ֣יו [from·his·servants] (132) + וּמֵעַמּ֑וֹ [and·from·his·people] (162) + לֹ֥א [not] (31) + נִשְׁאַ֖ר [remained] (551) + אֶחָֽד [one] (13) = 2820.
Onkelos
Hashem acted according to the word of Moses and removed the swarms from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people; not one remained.
Rashi
ויסר הערב AND HE REMOVED THE SWARM OF ANIMALS — He merely removed them and they did not die as the frogs had died; for had they died, they (the Egyptians) could have made some use of their skins (Exodus Rabbah 11:3).
Ibn Ezra
"And He did" — the word "vayasar" is grammatically irregular: doubled-letter verbs always have the first letter vowelled with a kamatz, like "vayashev" and "vayakam." And if the final letter is a chet, ayin, or resh — which do not take a dagesh — the first letter takes a patach gadol, as in "vayanaḥ on the seventh day" (below, 20:11) and "vayana levavo" (Isa. 7:2) and "vayasar eleha" (Judg. 4) — these being from the light binyan. From the heavy binyan the first letter takes a patach katan, unless the final letter is one of those mentioned, as in "vayashev et kol ha-rekush" (Gen. 14:16). Here, however, "vayasar" appears in place of "vayaser," like "vayasar et ofan markevotav" (below, 14:25). The correct reading is that "vayasar he-arov" is from the light binyan — like "vasar he-arov" (v. 25).
Rabbeinu Bahya
ויסר הערוב “the wild beasts departed.” The Torah pointedly did not mention that these animals died as it had done with the frogs. In this instance G’d’s intention in bringing on this plague had been to make the lives of the Egyptians miserable; they were not to derive any benefit from these animals. The frogs were killed by G’d in order to produce the stench which discomfited the people. Had the wild beasts been allowed to die the Egyptians would have used their carcasses as food. G’d did not want this to happen.
Kli Yakar
“And the mixture [of wild beasts] was removed.” Rashi explains that they did not die as the frogs died, because if they had died, the Egyptians would have benefited from their hides. One should not question why the frogs died rather than departing like the mixture [of wild beasts] and the locusts. And one cannot say it was so that the land would stink, for if so, why didn’t the locusts die as well? The answer to this matter is that the Holy One, blessed be He, wanted to teach that one who sacrifices oneself for the sanctification of God’s name will be saved. Therefore, all the frogs that did not enter the ovens died, and only those that entered the ovens remained alive, as it is written, And the frogs died from the houses, from the courtyards, and from the fields. This implies that those in the ovens did not die because they had sacrificed themselves for the sanctification of God’s name. From here, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah learned to sacrifice their lives for the sanctification of God’s name. And we learn from this that one who sacrifices oneself for the sanctification of God’s name will be saved, while one who does not sacrifice oneself — the Omnipresent, blessed be He, has many agents to bring about their death from another source, just as those frogs that did not enter the ovens died. The mixture [of wild beasts] and the locusts departed so that the Egyptians would not benefit from their hides and from those that they had salted (Exodus Rabbah 13:7).
And Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also, and he did not let the people go.
verse value 2375
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 35 letters. The shortest word is "also" (גַּ֖ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·hardened" (וַיַּכְבֵּ֤ד, 5 letters). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·people" (root עם, 190x in Exodus); "and·not" (root לא, 139x in Exodus); "Pharaoh" (root פרעה, 115x in Exodus). First appearance of the root פעם ("this·time") in Exodus. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'this', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיַּכְבֵּ֤ד [and·hardened] (42) + פַּרְעֹה֙ [Pharaoh] (355) + אֶת־לִבּ֔וֹ [his·heart] (439) + גַּ֖ם [also] (43) + בַּפַּ֣עַם [this·time] (192) + הַזֹּ֑את [this] (413) + וְלֹ֥א [and·not] (37) + שִׁלַּ֖ח [let·go] (338) + אֶת־הָעָֽם [the·people] (516) = 2375.
Onkelos
Pharaoh hardened his heart this time as well and did not send out the people.
Rashi
Again this time. [Once more,] though he said, “I will send you out,” he did not keep his promise.
Ibn Ezra
"And Pharaoh hardened" — he strengthened his heart as he had done with the frogs, concerning which it is written: "and he hardened his heart" (above, v. 11).
Sforno
גם בפעם הזאת, as he had done after the plague of the crocodiles had been removed. Seeing that the wild beasts had only retreated to their lairs and had not died, so that they still represented a potential threat, Pharaoh toughened his resolve and refused to send off the people.
Chizkuni
ויכבד פרעה את לבו גם בפעם הזאת, “and Pharaoh hardened his heart again on this occasion.” The word גם, “also,” is justified, as Pharaoh had done the same during the plague of the frogs. (verse 11).
Rabbeinu Bahya
גם בפעם הזאת, “also on this occasion.” During the first three plagues, which were summarized by Rabbi Yehudah as דצ'ך, the sorcerers appeared before Pharaoh each time. Their presence had exerted a psychological pressure on Pharaoh to remain steadfast in his refusal. This time he remained obstinate without the presence of his sorcerers exerting such pressure on him. They had already concluded that they were up against a higher power when they could not reproduce the lice. Seeing that on this occasion Pharaoh was politically isolated, the Torah wrote the words “also on this occasion,” in order to draw our attention to the fact that this occasion was different from previous ones.
Rashbam
גם בפעם הזאת, just as G’d had stiffened Pharaoh’s heart after the relief experienced when the frogs had died, so that he had reneged on his promise.
Onkelos
Ibn Ezra
Chizkuni
Tur HaArokh