עוּרִ֨י עוּרִ֤י לִבְשִׁי־עֹז֙ זְר֣וֹעַ יְהוָ֔ה ע֚וּרִי כִּ֣ימֵי קֶ֔דֶם דֹּר֖וֹת עוֹלָמִ֑ים הֲל֥וֹא אַתְּ־הִ֛יא הַמַּחְצֶ֥בֶת רַ֖הַב מְחוֹלֶ֥לֶת תַּנִּֽין׃
Réveille-toi, réveille-toi, revêts-toi de force, ô bras du Seigneur! Réveille-toi comme aux jours d’autrefois, dans les siècles antiques! N’est-ce pas toi qui taillas en pièces Rahab, qui frappas à mort le monstre?
Ramban
THE ETERNAL IS MY STRENGTH AND SONG. Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra explained that the word ozi (my strength) is connected with the following word [v’zimrath — and song], thus rendering its sense: “my strength and the song of my strength is the Eternal.”113“That is to say, with this Name will I vanquish my enemies, and when I will sing of the victory, my song will be the song of the Eternal, for it is He who is my salvation” (Mishneh l’Ezra in his commentary on Ibn Ezra). This is my G-d ‘v’anveihu': I will make Him a habitation, [from the root naveh (habitation)]. This is my father’s G-d, and I will exalt Him, i.e., by recounting His greatness.
Now this is surely the plain meaning of the verse. But [it should be noted that] Moses does not mention here the full Divine Name, [i.e., the Tetragrammaton, which consists of four letters], but instead mentions only the first two letters. In the entire Torah, it is the manner of Moses our teacher to mention the entire Great Name which He communicated to him, as it is said, This is My Name for ever, and this is My memorial unto all generations.114Above, 3:15. And the Rabbis have already explained the verse, The hand is upon the throne of Y-ah,115Further, 17:16. Because only the first two letters of the Tetragrammaton are mentioned there, the Rabbis explained: “The Holy One, blessed be He, swore, etc.” The explanation is found in Tanchuma, end of Seder Ki Theitzei, and is quoted by Rashi at the end of this Seder. to mean that “the Holy One, blessed be He, swore that His throne will not be perfect nor will His Name be complete until the seed of Amalek will be entirely blotted out.” [The question then arises: why is the full Divine Name not written here?]
By way of the Truth, [that is, the mystic lore of the Cabala], the whole deliverance at the sea came through the angel of G-d — the one of whom it is written, for My Name is in him116Further, 23:21. — just as it is said, and Israel saw the great hand.117Above, 14:31. The “hand” alludes to the attribute of justice, which is the great hand that executes the vengeance. It is by this attribute that the sea was divided, as the prophet explained, Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Eternal… Art thou not it that dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep?118Isaiah 51:9-10. and as I have written above.119Above, 14:31: “The great hand which is the attribute of justice… became revealed to them.” It is for this reason that Moses said that his strength and his song are this Name, [i.e., the first two letters of the Tetragrammaton, which allude to the attribute of justice], For in Y-ah the Eternal is an everlasting Rock.120Isaiah 26:4. As translated in Singer’s Daily Prayer Book. And so did [the psalmist] explain: What aileth thee, O thou sea, that thou fleest?… At the presence of the G-d of Jacob.121Psalms 114:5-7. The G-d of Jacob alludes here to the attribute of justice. And so the Rabbis have said in the Mechilta:122Mechilta here on the verse before us. “When Israel went into the sea, the Shechinah (Divine presence)123See Vol. I, p. 551. was with them, as it is said, And the angel of G-d journeyed.”124Above, 14:19. And in Eileh Shemoth Rabbah, it is said:125Shemoth Rabbah 30:1. “The word oz (strength) [or ozi, “my strength,” as is mentioned in this verse], alludes only to judgment, as it is said, ‘v’oz’ (And the strength) of a king is he who loveth justice.”126Psalms 99:4.
This is My G-d ‘v’anveihu.’ “I will elevate [the Great Name, i.e., the Tetragrammaton],127So clearly interpreted in Abusaula’s commentary on Ramban. See Vol. I, p. XII, Note 21. to the G-d of the most high naveh (abode), this being the G-d of my fathers, to whom He had appeared as E-il Sha-dai.128See Ramban above, 6:2, and also Vol. I, pp. 214-216. And now I shall exalt Him by the complete Name, for henceforth the Name will be ish milchamah, [literally, “man of war,” but here alluding to the attribute of justice]. And His Name will be the Eternal, [meaning that the Name comprises justice with mercy],129Ramban is thus interpreting Verse 3, The Eternal is a man of war, the Eternal is His Name, to mean that Israel will henceforth exalt Him both in His aspect of justice and of mercy. I have followed Abusaula’s interpretation of Ramban’s text. similar in meaning to the verse, Now will I be exalted; now will I lift Myself up.130Isaiah 33:10. It is possible that the word ‘zeh’ (this) alludes to the seven emanations in wisdom, this being associated with the verse, ‘zeh’ (this) is My Name for ever, ‘v’zeh’ (and this) is My memorial.131Above, 3:15. And in the Mechilta we read:132Mechilta here on Verse 2. “My G-d. He dealt with me according to the attribute of mercy, while with my fathers he dealt according to the attribute of justice. And whence do we know that my G-d signifies the attribute of mercy? Because it is said, My G-d, my G-d, why hast Thou forsaken me?133Psalms 22:2. “And surely one would not say to the attribute of justice, ‘Why hast thou forsaken me?’” (Rashi further, 34:6). Heal her now, O G-d, I beseech thee?134Numbers 12:13. A supplication of this kind is naturally addressed to G-d in His aspect of mercy. The Eternal is ‘E-il’ (G-d), and He hath given us light.”135Psalms 118:27. If so, Scripture here says ‘zeh E-ili’ (this is my G-d), meaning that “with me He is E-il [G-d in His aspect of mercy] in this matter, since He was exalted with mercy to be compassionate in His justice.”
Now this is surely the plain meaning of the verse. But [it should be noted that] Moses does not mention here the full Divine Name, [i.e., the Tetragrammaton, which consists of four letters], but instead mentions only the first two letters. In the entire Torah, it is the manner of Moses our teacher to mention the entire Great Name which He communicated to him, as it is said, This is My Name for ever, and this is My memorial unto all generations.114Above, 3:15. And the Rabbis have already explained the verse, The hand is upon the throne of Y-ah,115Further, 17:16. Because only the first two letters of the Tetragrammaton are mentioned there, the Rabbis explained: “The Holy One, blessed be He, swore, etc.” The explanation is found in Tanchuma, end of Seder Ki Theitzei, and is quoted by Rashi at the end of this Seder. to mean that “the Holy One, blessed be He, swore that His throne will not be perfect nor will His Name be complete until the seed of Amalek will be entirely blotted out.” [The question then arises: why is the full Divine Name not written here?]
By way of the Truth, [that is, the mystic lore of the Cabala], the whole deliverance at the sea came through the angel of G-d — the one of whom it is written, for My Name is in him116Further, 23:21. — just as it is said, and Israel saw the great hand.117Above, 14:31. The “hand” alludes to the attribute of justice, which is the great hand that executes the vengeance. It is by this attribute that the sea was divided, as the prophet explained, Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Eternal… Art thou not it that dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep?118Isaiah 51:9-10. and as I have written above.119Above, 14:31: “The great hand which is the attribute of justice… became revealed to them.” It is for this reason that Moses said that his strength and his song are this Name, [i.e., the first two letters of the Tetragrammaton, which allude to the attribute of justice], For in Y-ah the Eternal is an everlasting Rock.120Isaiah 26:4. As translated in Singer’s Daily Prayer Book. And so did [the psalmist] explain: What aileth thee, O thou sea, that thou fleest?… At the presence of the G-d of Jacob.121Psalms 114:5-7. The G-d of Jacob alludes here to the attribute of justice. And so the Rabbis have said in the Mechilta:122Mechilta here on the verse before us. “When Israel went into the sea, the Shechinah (Divine presence)123See Vol. I, p. 551. was with them, as it is said, And the angel of G-d journeyed.”124Above, 14:19. And in Eileh Shemoth Rabbah, it is said:125Shemoth Rabbah 30:1. “The word oz (strength) [or ozi, “my strength,” as is mentioned in this verse], alludes only to judgment, as it is said, ‘v’oz’ (And the strength) of a king is he who loveth justice.”126Psalms 99:4.
This is My G-d ‘v’anveihu.’ “I will elevate [the Great Name, i.e., the Tetragrammaton],127So clearly interpreted in Abusaula’s commentary on Ramban. See Vol. I, p. XII, Note 21. to the G-d of the most high naveh (abode), this being the G-d of my fathers, to whom He had appeared as E-il Sha-dai.128See Ramban above, 6:2, and also Vol. I, pp. 214-216. And now I shall exalt Him by the complete Name, for henceforth the Name will be ish milchamah, [literally, “man of war,” but here alluding to the attribute of justice]. And His Name will be the Eternal, [meaning that the Name comprises justice with mercy],129Ramban is thus interpreting Verse 3, The Eternal is a man of war, the Eternal is His Name, to mean that Israel will henceforth exalt Him both in His aspect of justice and of mercy. I have followed Abusaula’s interpretation of Ramban’s text. similar in meaning to the verse, Now will I be exalted; now will I lift Myself up.130Isaiah 33:10. It is possible that the word ‘zeh’ (this) alludes to the seven emanations in wisdom, this being associated with the verse, ‘zeh’ (this) is My Name for ever, ‘v’zeh’ (and this) is My memorial.131Above, 3:15. And in the Mechilta we read:132Mechilta here on Verse 2. “My G-d. He dealt with me according to the attribute of mercy, while with my fathers he dealt according to the attribute of justice. And whence do we know that my G-d signifies the attribute of mercy? Because it is said, My G-d, my G-d, why hast Thou forsaken me?133Psalms 22:2. “And surely one would not say to the attribute of justice, ‘Why hast thou forsaken me?’” (Rashi further, 34:6). Heal her now, O G-d, I beseech thee?134Numbers 12:13. A supplication of this kind is naturally addressed to G-d in His aspect of mercy. The Eternal is ‘E-il’ (G-d), and He hath given us light.”135Psalms 118:27. If so, Scripture here says ‘zeh E-ili’ (this is my G-d), meaning that “with me He is E-il [G-d in His aspect of mercy] in this matter, since He was exalted with mercy to be compassionate in His justice.”
Ibn Ezra
ירהבו They will have power or dominion ;6A.V., Shall behave himself proudly. comp. רהב power (51:9)
Rabbeinu Bahya
לכן אמור אל בני ישראל אני י-ה-ו-ה . Therefore “say to the Children of Israel: “I AM י-ה-ו-ה-.” After the Torah had written earlier (3,15) “and say also to the Children of Israel ‘Hashem the G’d of your forefathers has sent me to you this is My name forever and My remembrance from generation to generation,’ and He had already commanded him to inform the Israelites of this attribute of G’d, He now repeated these instructions adding that the redemption would occur in four stages, i.e. ‘I will take you out, I will save you, I will redeem you and I will acquire you as My people (and I will bring you to the land, etc.).’”
The difference between these four stages of the redemption is as follows: stage one referred to termination of slave labor. Stage two meant that the Israelites would no longer be legally inferior to the Egyptians. Stage three was a hint of the crossing of the sea by the Israelites. Stage four was a hint that they would be given the Torah. The promise of freedom from slave labor is contained in the words.
והוצאתי אתכם מתחת סבלות מצרים. This implied that whereas the slave labor would be canceled, the Israelites would still be under the authority of the Egyptians. In fact, according to our tradition this state of affairs continued for six months. According to Rosh Hashana 11 the slave labor terminated on the first of Tishrei, whereas the Exodus followed 61/2 months later on the 15th of Nissan. Concerning this event the Torah wrote here והצלתי אתכם מעבודתם, “I will save you from being slaves to them.” It meant freedom from paying taxes to the Egyptian government. The advent of total independence was promised in the words וגאלתי אתכם בזרוע נטויה ובמשפטים גדולים, “and I will liberate you with an outstretched arm and great judgments.” This was an allusion to what would occur at the Sea of Reeds. This experience would remove the Israelites’ fear, (i.e. their slave mentality) from their erstwhile masters. Seeing how the Egyptians drowned would once and for all free the people not only physically but also mentally. The words “great judgments” in the plural referred to a number of phenomena witnessed by the Jewish people; they were first referred to in Exodus 14,31 and they have been elaborated on by Isaiah 51,9 when he specifically referred to G’d employing His ‘arm’ as He had done once before. Rashi, quoting Mechilta on the Shirat Hayam, already points to the fact that when the Egyptians drowned horse and rider remained inseparably attached to one another; he based himself on Exodus 15,1. Moses enumerated several additional phenomena in that song, all of which account for the expression “great judgments.” This stage was going to be followed by והייתי לכם לאלו-הים, “I will become your G’d”- seeing that you accept Me as such.
The difference between these four stages of the redemption is as follows: stage one referred to termination of slave labor. Stage two meant that the Israelites would no longer be legally inferior to the Egyptians. Stage three was a hint of the crossing of the sea by the Israelites. Stage four was a hint that they would be given the Torah. The promise of freedom from slave labor is contained in the words.
והוצאתי אתכם מתחת סבלות מצרים. This implied that whereas the slave labor would be canceled, the Israelites would still be under the authority of the Egyptians. In fact, according to our tradition this state of affairs continued for six months. According to Rosh Hashana 11 the slave labor terminated on the first of Tishrei, whereas the Exodus followed 61/2 months later on the 15th of Nissan. Concerning this event the Torah wrote here והצלתי אתכם מעבודתם, “I will save you from being slaves to them.” It meant freedom from paying taxes to the Egyptian government. The advent of total independence was promised in the words וגאלתי אתכם בזרוע נטויה ובמשפטים גדולים, “and I will liberate you with an outstretched arm and great judgments.” This was an allusion to what would occur at the Sea of Reeds. This experience would remove the Israelites’ fear, (i.e. their slave mentality) from their erstwhile masters. Seeing how the Egyptians drowned would once and for all free the people not only physically but also mentally. The words “great judgments” in the plural referred to a number of phenomena witnessed by the Jewish people; they were first referred to in Exodus 14,31 and they have been elaborated on by Isaiah 51,9 when he specifically referred to G’d employing His ‘arm’ as He had done once before. Rashi, quoting Mechilta on the Shirat Hayam, already points to the fact that when the Egyptians drowned horse and rider remained inseparably attached to one another; he based himself on Exodus 15,1. Moses enumerated several additional phenomena in that song, all of which account for the expression “great judgments.” This stage was going to be followed by והייתי לכם לאלו-הים, “I will become your G’d”- seeing that you accept Me as such.
Rashi
His hand caused pain to Pharaoh, who was called the barlike serpent (Isa. 26:1). חללה is an expression of pain and trouble. Likewise, elsewhere (ibid. 51:9): “are you not the one that hewed Rahab and slew (מחוללת), the sea monster?” Another explanation: His hand founded the leviathan, as in (Prov. 8: 25), “before the hills I was created (חוללתי).”