Kommentar zu Schemot 11:3

AND THE ETERNAL GAVE THE PEOPLE FAVOR IN THE SIGHT OF THE EGYPTIANS. The purport thereof is that the Egyptians did not hate them because of the plagues. Instead, they conceived affection for them, and the Israelites found favor in their eyes, the Egyptians acknowledging, “we are the wicked ones. There is violence in our hands, and you merit that G-d be gracious to you.”

גם האיש משה גדול, in his honour the Egyptians gave the Israelites generously.

ויתן ה' את חן העם בעיני מצרים, “G’d granted the people favour in the eyes of the Egyptians.” In spite of the fact that the Egyptians experienced all these plagues orchestrated by the messenger of this Jewish G’d, they no longer related to the Israelites with hostility; on the contrary, they had belatedly realized that not the Israelites but they themselves had been the sinners all along by using brute force in their relations with them. It was therefore no more than fair that G’d recompensed them by endowing them. We must not translate the words ויתן ה' את חן העם בעיני במצרים, as a reference to the “borrowing” the Israelites were about to do, as, at the time when the Israelites had not yet received these items the expression ויתן would be premature when all they had as yet was a promise by G’d. Here G’d could only have said “I will give the people favour, etc.” In chapter 12,36 G’d is reported (in the past tense) of having given the people favour in the eyes of the Egyptians as the reason why they handed over all these valuables.

גם האיש משה גדול מאד, “also the person called Moses was a very greatly esteemed man.” The Torah writes this in order for us to understand the reason why the Torah reports that the Israelites “emptied out” Egypt. Many Egyptians gave gifts to the Israelites as a sign of their high esteem for their leader Moses.

גם האיש משה, “moreover, the man Moses,” he enjoyed such an image because he had orchestrated the plagues.

MOREOVER, THE MAN MOSES, who brought the plagues upon them, WAS VERY GREAT IN THE ENTIRE LAND OF EGYPT, IN THE SIGHT OF PHARAOH’S SERVANTS — his opponents — AND IN THE SIGHT OF THE PEOPLE, Israel.⁸³Unlike Ibn Ezra, who explains in the sight of the people as referring to the Egyptians. Ramban will refer to this explanation further on. After [the officers of the children of Israel] had said to Moses and Aaron, The Eternal look upon you, and judge,⁸⁴Above, 5:21. after they hearkened not unto Moses for impatience of spirit,⁸⁵Ibid., 6:9. he now became very great in their sight when they saw that he was established to be a prophet of the Eternal.⁸⁶I Samuel 3:20. And some scholars⁸⁷Ibn Ezra. say that the expression, in the sight of the people, means the Egyptians.
The reason Scripture does not state [that Moses was very great] “in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants,” [but instead mentions only Pharaoh’s servants], is that G-d made Pharaoh’s heart obstinate towards Moses because he [Pharaoh] had twice spoken to him improperly,⁸⁸Above, 10:10 (So be the Eternal with you, as I will let you go), and ibid., Verse 28 (Get thee from me). and He desired that Pharaoh come to Moses and bow down to him as one comes before his enemy, all this being a sign of the power and achievement of Moses.
Now it is impossible to explain the expression, And the Eternal gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, as referring to the favor they found in the eyes of the Egyptians at the time of the borrowing, [mentioned further, 12:36]. In that case, the verse there relates that G-d later fulfilled the promise He made here.⁸⁹The explanation refuted now by Ramban is that of Ibn Ezra [in Verse 3 before us]. If the verse here were establishing the Divine promise, [i.e., that the people will find favor in the sight of the Egyptians and that they will let them have what they asked], the verse here should not have said, And the Eternal gave; it should have said, “And I will give the people favor.” [Hence we must conclude that the intent of the verse here is to be explained as above, i.e., that the Egyptians bore no grudge against the Israelites because of the plagues.] It is further on at the time of the actual event that Scripture says, And the Eternal gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have what they asked.⁹⁰Further, 12:36.

ובעיני העם, “as well as in the eyes of the people.” (the Egyptian people, not only in the eyes of Pharaoh’s officials.)

גדול מאד בעיני עבדי פרעה, “enjoyed great stature in the eyes of Pharaoh’s servants.” This is a reference to the servants who had challenged Pharaoh’s policy.

ובעיני העם, “and in the eyes of the people.” This refers to the Jewish people. Seeing that the people, after Moses’ failed intervention on their behalf, had challenged him to a דין תורה with G’d, protesting his mixing in their affairs (Exodus 5,21). The Torah now reports that the minds of the people had undergone a change of heart vis a vis Moses, even though they were still enslaved in Egypt. Other commentators understand the words ובעיני העם as referring to the Egyptian people. The reason that the Torah did not report Pharaoh and his pliant ministers as sharing this high regard for Moses, was because G’d had toughened his heart so that he spoke to Moses in a disparaging manner [something he had not done previously. Ed.]. G’d had created this scenario in order to eventually force Pharaoh to come to Moses and plead that the Israelites leave, the sooner the better. In this manner, Moses’ stature would be enhanced still further if the “mighty” Pharaoh came begging to him in the middle of the night. Ibn Ezra writes that the words ויתן ה' את חן העם בעיני מצרים are to be understood both as relating to the Egyptians lending their valuables to the Israelites, and to the esteem that they held Moses in by that time.