סגר עליהם המדבר. A reference to the Egyptian deity Baal Tzefon whom Pharaoh credited with this accomplish- ment of halting the Israelites.

כי ברח העם, they had not marched straight into the desert as they had maintained they would. In 8,23 all they had asked for was to be allowed to march into the desert a distance of three days’ journey. They had now departed from their planned route so that this could be interpreted as an attempt to flee. The new route made no sense, showing they did not know where they were headed, just as one would expect of a fugitive.

ויהפך לבב פרעה, Pharaoh had concluded that the Baal Tzefon was an equal to G’d and could frustrate His designs.

מה זאת עשינו כי שלחנו, what (a foolish thing) have we done in dismissing the Israelites, etc.! We should have consulted Baal Tzefon who would have helped us so that we would have had no need to let the Israelites depart.

ואת עמו לקח עמו, the choicest of his cavalry and chariots.

וכל רכב מצרים, the chariots of average quality of which there were many.

ושלישים על כלו, Pharaoh appointed experienced officers even for the chariots of this second cadre. שלישים are officers who have battle experience to their credit. The aggressive ability of any army depends on its officer corps and the intelligence of the generals to devise schemes and battle plans which will lead to victory.

ובני ישראל יוצאים ביד רמה, the meaning of the word רמה here is similar to the meaning of the same word in Deuteronomy 32,27 ידינו רמה, where it means: “our own hand has prevailed.” At the time of their departure they had been confident of their ability to defeat Pharaoh and his military machine as they were much stronger in numbers. The verse teaches that they were relying on their numbers instead of considering their total lack of experience in the art of war. They would have had every reason to fear the numerically inferior Egyptians who had all this experience going for them.

וירדפו מצרים, after the ones who had departed with such high regard for their superiority.

ופרעה הקריב, he had brought the entire Egyptian army right up close to the Israelites.

לקחתנו למות במדבר, even if Pharaoh and his army will not provoke a battle the mere fact that they block our path will result in our death in the desert from thirst and starvation.

מה תצעק אלי?; G’d’s question seems at first glance redundant, seeing that Moses’ outcry could have been perceived as part of the nation’s outcry in verse 10, i.e. ויצעקו בני ישראל וגו'.However, Moses’ outcry had nothing to do with being afraid of the pursuing Egyptians. He had already predicted the downfall and death of Pharaoh and his army as being so decisive that Egypt as a world power would never again pose a serious threat to the Jews. (verse 13-14) He had also told the people that G’d would do the fighting for them and that all they had to do was to remain silent. Moses’ outcry was one of concern with the rebellious attitude of the people who not only were afraid, something that could be forgiven, but who had dared to be sarcastic in their hour of danger, ridiculing Moses’ leadership to the point where he was afraid that they would refuse to enter the sea when told to. G’d told Moses that he had no right to assume such a thing, that in fact he was suspecting innocent people of lack of faith.

דבר אל בני ישראל ויסעו, G’d is challenging Moses to issue the order to move forward, assuring him that he will see immediately that the people will respond positively.

הרם את מטך, in the direction of the east wind so that it will cause the sea bed to dry out.

ונטה את ידך על הים, so that the waters will split to the two opposite sides of the shore, similar to what the prophet Elijah would do in Kings II 2,8.

וידעו מצרים, the Egyptians who had remained at home, mostly the women and children and the aged, and they would practice penitence, seeing G’d is not interested in the sinner’s death but in his rehabilitation.

ההולך לפני מחנה, in the column of fire.

וילך מאחריהם, in order to (melt) dissolve the very chunks of water which had frozen in order to enable the Israelites to cross on a dry seabed, and to turn the seabed into a slimy mass which would spell doom for the Egyptians. At this juncture there was no need for the pillar of cloud to be at the head of the marching Israelites. The dry path in the water was their guide

ויעמד מאחריהם. behind the Israelites and behind the column of fire.

ויבא (המלאך) בין מחנה מצרים ובין ישראל; in order to guide the two pillars.

ויהי הענן והחשך, the darkness of night together with the cloud was positioned behind Israel and the column of fire.

ויאר את הלילה, and the angel illuminated the night by means of the column of fire. By removing the darkness in that spot and forward only, the pillar of cloud still shielded the Israelites from being seen by the Egyptians.

ולא קרב זה אל זה כל הלילה. This was because the Egyptians who had previously had the advantage of speed over the Israelites who traveled only on foot, now were slowed down by having to move in darkness.

וישם את הים לחרבה, the east wind had frozen the mud on the bottom of the sea.

ויבקעו המים, when Moses inclined his hand at G’d’s command.

הלכו ביבשה, seeing the deep parts under the sea had all become frozen from the east wind so that the Israelites were crossing on frozen mud.

וישקף ה' אל מחנה מצרים בעמוד אש וענן, the two pillars which were moving halfway between the Egyptians and the Israelites, He now brought much closer to the Egyptian camp.

ויהם, by means of a variety of diseases, similar to what G’d did to the Philistines who had captured the Holy Ark in Samuel I 5,9 where these afflictions, especially painful hemorrhoids are detailed. These afflictions are referred to in the Torah as מדוי מצרים הרעים, the terrible sicknesses of Egypt (Deut. 7,15). This was part of the היד הגדולה אשר עשה ה' במצרים, “the great hand which G’d employed against Egypt.” (verse 31 our chapter). In Deuteronomy 28,60 Moses recalls that the Israelites dreaded these illnesses. However, during the 10 plagues the details of which have been listed by the Torah, we find only a single such affliction infecting the bodies of the people seriously, i.e the 6th plague, שחין. The Torah refers separately to שחין מצרים and to מדוי מצרים.

ויסר את אופן, by means of the column of fire.

בכבדות, due to the heavy mud in which they were sunk.

כי ה' נלחם להם, they were hoping that once G’d saw them fleeing He would desist from fighting them.

לאיתנו, the waves returning into the trough created by the waters having been split.

ומצרים נסים לקראתו, since the morning watch of the day the hand of G’d had been actively deployed against them to confuse them. That is when they first articulated the decision to flee. (verse 28) They kept fleeing along the trough created by the splitting of the waters until morning. At that time the waters began to reverse themselves meeting the Egyptians who were now near the wrong end of this trough, head on.

וינער ה' את מצרים, G’d tossed Egypt, King and all from all the chariots to the bottom of the sea. The verb נער occurs in the same sense as here in Nechemyah 5,13 חצני נערתי, “I shook out my garment.” We also find this term used in this sense in Isaiah 52,2: התנערי מעפר, “arise and shake off the dust!”

וישובו המים in great waves to the newly created trough,

ויכסו את הרכב, after having shaken off the riders who had been driving these chariots.

ואת הפרשים, the riders of the cavalry.

לכל חיל פרעה הבאים אחריהם, the main body of chariots, foot- soldiers, etc, all who were not the elite but who had taken part in this war.

ובני ישראל הלכו ביבשה, all the while the Egyptians experienced all these problems and were drowning, the Israelites had been walking trough the sea as if it were dry land. The areas still being traversed by Israelites were not affected by the sea reverting to its originals state.

ויושע ה' ביום ההוא את ישראל, by the death of those who had cruelly abused them. Those who had previously been in bondage to the Egyptians were now free. Until the Egyptians died they had been comparable to slaves running away from their masters.

היד הגדולה אשר עשה ה' במצרים; a reference to the מדוי מצרים in Deuteronomy 7,15 which described afflictions suffered by the Egyptians while at the Sea of Reeds.

וייראו העם, describing a feeling of immediate fear as in Deuteronomy 28,60 אשר יגורת מפניהם, “of which you were very much afraid.”