וּבְאֹתוֹת. זֶה הַמַּטֶּה, “Signs” (Deut. 26:8) - this is the staff. (Hag.) When the Egyptians saw the staff they began to tremble like a young child who sees (his father’s) strap, and he thinks about the punishment that it will inflict. For this reason, Israel had these thoughts, as Rashi explains regarding the verse, “Take the rod with which you struck the Nile…” (Ex. 17:5)¹⁴²

footnotes: ¹⁴² See Rashi on Exodus 17:5: What is the force of the words “wherewith thou smotest the river” — they are apparently superfluous? But these are added because the Israelites had said of the staff that it was intended only for punishment.