בַּיּ֖וֹם הַה֑וּא כֶּ֥רֶם חֶ֖מֶד עַנּוּ־לָֽהּ׃
En ce jour, entonnez à son intention le chant de la Vigne de délices:
Kli Yakar
“And they were disgusted [vayakutzu] because of the children of Israel.” Rashi explains that [the Israelites] were like thorns [kotzim] in their eyes. He means to say that Israel appeared in their eyes like a painful thorn and a grievous brier. However, the language does not imply this, because it says: because of the children of Israel, so how were the Israelites like thorns because of the children of Israel? Furthermore, “vayakutzu” [with a shuruk] is in the passive form, which suggests it refers to the Egyptians and not to Israel. And if it meant to say that it was as if thorns had entered their bodies, it should have said “vayakutzu min bnei Yisrael” [from the children of Israel].
Therefore, it seems to me that the Egyptians appeared in their own eyes as thorns, because it is the way of the world to uproot thorns from a field in order to plant in their place a superior planting. As it is written: You removed a vine from Egypt; You drove out nations and planted it. You cleared a place before it, and it took root and filled the land (Psalms 80:9-10). The Holy One, blessed be He, wanted to plant in the land of Israel a superior planting, namely Israel, which is a vineyard of red wine (Isaiah 27:2), and to uproot from there the nations who are compared to thorns. This is what the Egyptians thought after they saw God’s will that the people of Israel be fruitful and multiply exceedingly — surely it is God’s will that Israel be planted in the land of Egypt, and they [the Egyptians] would be like thorns cast yonder from the land. As it says: and he shall go up from the land — it should have said “and we shall go up,” but they attached their curse to others.
And this is the meaning of vayakutzu mipnei bnei Yisrael — that the Egyptians appeared in their own eyes like thorns cast out from the land because of the children of Israel who would be planted in their place.
Therefore, it seems to me that the Egyptians appeared in their own eyes as thorns, because it is the way of the world to uproot thorns from a field in order to plant in their place a superior planting. As it is written: You removed a vine from Egypt; You drove out nations and planted it. You cleared a place before it, and it took root and filled the land (Psalms 80:9-10). The Holy One, blessed be He, wanted to plant in the land of Israel a superior planting, namely Israel, which is a vineyard of red wine (Isaiah 27:2), and to uproot from there the nations who are compared to thorns. This is what the Egyptians thought after they saw God’s will that the people of Israel be fruitful and multiply exceedingly — surely it is God’s will that Israel be planted in the land of Egypt, and they [the Egyptians] would be like thorns cast yonder from the land. As it says: and he shall go up from the land — it should have said “and we shall go up,” but they attached their curse to others.
And this is the meaning of vayakutzu mipnei bnei Yisrael — that the Egyptians appeared in their own eyes like thorns cast out from the land because of the children of Israel who would be planted in their place.
Ibn Ezra
wine a synonym for “wine”. Compare, “a vineyard of wine” [Isaiah 27: 2].