Commentary for Exodus 14:21

ברוח קדים עזה BY A POWERFUL EAST WIND — i. e. by the east wind which is the most powerful of the winds. This is the wind by which the Holy One, blessed be He, exacts punishment from the wicked, as it is said, (Jeremiah 18:17) “I will scatter them as with an east wind”; (Hosea 13:15) “An east wind shall come, the wind of the Lord”; (Ezekiel 27:26) “The east wind hath broken thee in the heart of the sea”; (Isaiah 27:8) “He hath removed her with His rough blast in the day of the east wind” (cf. Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 14:21:2).

AND MOSES STRETCHED OUT HIS HAND OVER THE SEA; AND THE ETERNAL CAUSED THE SEA TO GO BACK BY A STRONG EAST WIND ALL THE NIGHT. It was His will, may He be blessed, to divide the sea by a strong drying wind, making it appear as if the wind dried the sea, something like that which is written, An east wind shall come, the wind of the Eternal coming up from the wilderness, and his spring shall become dry, and his fountain shall be dried up.⁶⁹Hosea 13:15. He thus caused the Egyptians to err and then destroyed them,⁷⁰See Job 12:23. The verse however reads, masgi (He increases) the nations, etc. Ramban interprets it in the sense of mashgi (He causes to err.) A similar usage of this verse appears in Rashi above, Verse 2. The source of this rendition of the verse is in the Mechilta, ibid. for because of this, they thought that perhaps it was the wind which made the sea into dry land, but that it was not the power of G-d that did this for the sake of Israel. Although the wind does not split the sea into sections, they paid no attention even to this and they followed after the Israelites into the sea out of their desire to harm them. This is the intent of the expressions: and I will harden Pharaoh’s heart;⁷¹Above, Verse 4. and they shall go in after them.⁷²Verse 17. He hardened their hearts [so that each one] would say: “I will pursue my enemies and I will overtake them in the sea,⁷³Psalms 18:38. See also further, 15:9. and there is none that can deliver out of my hand.”⁷⁴Deuteronomy 32:39. They did not remember now [what they themselves had said], for the Eternal fighteth for them against the Egyptians.⁷⁵Further, Verse 25.

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