בַּיּ֣וֹם הַה֡וּא יִפְקֹ֣ד יְהוָה֩ בְּחַרְב֨וֹ הַקָּשָׁ֜ה וְהַגְּדוֹלָ֣ה וְהַֽחֲזָקָ֗ה עַ֤ל לִוְיָתָן֙ נָחָ֣שׁ בָּרִ֔חַ וְעַל֙ לִוְיָתָ֔ן נָחָ֖שׁ עֲקַלָּת֑וֹן וְהָרַ֥ג אֶת־הַתַּנִּ֖ין אֲשֶׁ֥ר בַּיָּֽם׃ (ס)
Pada hari itu Yang Mahakekal, dengan pedang-Nya yang keras, besar, dan kuat, akan menghukum Lewiatan, ular yang lurus, dan Lewiatan, ular yang berliku-liku; dan Ia akan membunuh naga yang ada di laut.
Midrash Tanchuma
And Aaron forthwith cast down his rod before Pharaoh and before his servants, and it became a serpent (Exod. 7:10). Whereupon Pharaoh said: “Is this the full power of your God? Why, my magicians travel throughout the world performing such feats.” Then Pharaoh called also (ibid., v. 11) the youths, and babes of five, yea, even of four years, and each of them cast his rod. It is written: Pharaoh called also because he disdained at first to summon his magicians and sorcerers. Our sages of blessed memory said: He actually performed a great miracle with that rod. When one serpent is able to swallow other serpents, that is not unusual, but this serpent turned itself back into a rod again, as it is written: But Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods (ibid., v. 12). If a man made bundles out of the rods that were cast to the ground to become serpents, there would have been more than ten bundles, yet Aaron’s rod swallowed them all and it became no larger than it was previously. When Pharaoh beheld that, he was amazed and exclaimed: “Surely if he should command the rod to swallow Pharaoh and his throne, it could swallow them.” That was the sign that He had given to Moses at the bush when He said: This which is in thy hand, cast it to the earth (ibid. 4:2). The word this alludes to Pharaoh, who is compared to a snake, as is said: The Lord with His sore and great and strong sword will punish leviathan the slant serpent (Isa. 27:1). When Moses withdrew from Pharaoh’s presence, the wicked one said: “If this son of Amram comes near me again, I will slay him, I will hang him, I will burn him.” That is why, when Moses returned, Pharaoh became like a rod. And Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he harkened not unto them, as the Lord had spoken (Exod. 7:13). With reference to the first five plagues, the words Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, etc., are written, but after the fifth plague occurred and he still would not permit them to leave, the Holy One, blessed be He, said: Henceforth, even if he desires to send them away, I will not allow it. Hence, with reference to the last five plagues it is written: But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart (ibid. 10:20). Moses decreed what was to transpire, and the Holy One, blessed be He, executed it, as it is said:: Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee (Job 22:28).
Shemot Rabbah
“Moses answered and said: But they will not believe me, nor heed my voice; for they will say: The Lord did not appear to you” (Exodus 4:1).
“Moses answered and said: But they will not believe me.” At that moment, Moses spoke improperly. The Holy One blessed be He had said to him: “They will heed your voice” (Exodus 3:18), and he said: “But they will not believe me”? Immediately, the Holy One blessed be He responded to him in kind, providing him with signs based on his words. Look what is written afterward: “The Lord said to him: What is that [mazeh] in your hand? He said: A staff” (Exodus 4:2). In other words, from that [mizeh] which you have done, you must be punished, as you have slandered My children; they are believers, the children of believers. Believers, as it is stated: “The people believed” (Exodus 4:31); children of believers, as it is stated: “He [Abraham] believed in the Lord” (Genesis 15:6).
“He said: Cast it on the ground. He cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent. Moses fled from before it” (Exodus 4:3).
Moses adopted the way of the serpent who slandered his Creator, as it is stated: “For God knows [that on the day you eat of it, your eyes will open, and you shall be as God, knowers of good and evil]” (Genesis 3:5). Just as the serpent was punished, so, too, this one [Moses] is destined to be punished. See what is written: “He said: Cast it on the ground. He cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent.” Because he performed the action of the serpent, He therefore showed him the serpent, meaning, you performed this one’s action.
“Moses fled from before it.” A [Roman] gentlewoman said to Rabbi Yosei: ‘My god is greater than your God.’ He said to her: ‘Why?’ She said to him: ‘When your God revealed Himself to Moses at the bush, Moses concealed his face, but when he saw the serpent, which is my god, immediately: “Moses fled from before it.”’ He said to her: ‘May her bones wither.27Presumably Rabbi Yosei did not direct this curse directly at the Roman woman. This sotto voce comment made before he replied to her challenge is his response to her blasphemous contention that Moses feared the snake more than God. When our God revealed Himself at the bush, there was no place to flee. Where could he flee; to the heavens, to the sea, or to dry land? What is stated regarding our God? “Don’t I fill the heavens and the earth – the utterance of the Lord” (Jeremiah 23:24). However, the serpent, that is your god, when a person flees two or three steps from it, he can be saved; therefore, it is written: “Moses fled from before it.”’
Another interpretation: Why did he flee? It is because he sinned with his words, as had he not sinned, he would not have fled, because it is not the serpent that kills, but rather the sin that kills, as it is written in the incident involving Rabbi Ḥanina ben Dosa.28See Berakhot 33a.
“The Lord said to Moses: 'Extend your hand, and grasp its tail.’ He extended his hand, and grasped it, and it became a staff in his hand. So that they will believe that the Lord, God of their fathers, God of Abraham, God of Isaac, and God of Jacob, has appeared to you” (Exodus 4:4-5).
“The Lord said to Moses: ‘Extend your hand, and grasp its tail.’” We already said how the serpent corresponded to Moses, but what sign was there for Israel in this? Rabbi Eliezer said: That is why the staff was transformed into a serpent, corresponding to Pharaoh, who was called a serpent, as it is stated: “The great serpent” (Ezekiel 29:3), and it says: “Against Leviathan the bar-serpent” (Isaiah 27:1), because he would bite Israel. The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘Have you seen Pharaoh, who is like a serpent? You are destined to strike him with a staff and in the end he will become like wood. Just as a staff does not bite, so, too he will not bite.’ That is what is written: “Extend your hand, and grasp its tail…. So that they will believe that the Lord…has appeared to you.” ‘Go perform this sign for them, so that they will believe that I have appeared to you.’
“Moses answered and said: But they will not believe me.” At that moment, Moses spoke improperly. The Holy One blessed be He had said to him: “They will heed your voice” (Exodus 3:18), and he said: “But they will not believe me”? Immediately, the Holy One blessed be He responded to him in kind, providing him with signs based on his words. Look what is written afterward: “The Lord said to him: What is that [mazeh] in your hand? He said: A staff” (Exodus 4:2). In other words, from that [mizeh] which you have done, you must be punished, as you have slandered My children; they are believers, the children of believers. Believers, as it is stated: “The people believed” (Exodus 4:31); children of believers, as it is stated: “He [Abraham] believed in the Lord” (Genesis 15:6).
“He said: Cast it on the ground. He cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent. Moses fled from before it” (Exodus 4:3).
Moses adopted the way of the serpent who slandered his Creator, as it is stated: “For God knows [that on the day you eat of it, your eyes will open, and you shall be as God, knowers of good and evil]” (Genesis 3:5). Just as the serpent was punished, so, too, this one [Moses] is destined to be punished. See what is written: “He said: Cast it on the ground. He cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent.” Because he performed the action of the serpent, He therefore showed him the serpent, meaning, you performed this one’s action.
“Moses fled from before it.” A [Roman] gentlewoman said to Rabbi Yosei: ‘My god is greater than your God.’ He said to her: ‘Why?’ She said to him: ‘When your God revealed Himself to Moses at the bush, Moses concealed his face, but when he saw the serpent, which is my god, immediately: “Moses fled from before it.”’ He said to her: ‘May her bones wither.27Presumably Rabbi Yosei did not direct this curse directly at the Roman woman. This sotto voce comment made before he replied to her challenge is his response to her blasphemous contention that Moses feared the snake more than God. When our God revealed Himself at the bush, there was no place to flee. Where could he flee; to the heavens, to the sea, or to dry land? What is stated regarding our God? “Don’t I fill the heavens and the earth – the utterance of the Lord” (Jeremiah 23:24). However, the serpent, that is your god, when a person flees two or three steps from it, he can be saved; therefore, it is written: “Moses fled from before it.”’
Another interpretation: Why did he flee? It is because he sinned with his words, as had he not sinned, he would not have fled, because it is not the serpent that kills, but rather the sin that kills, as it is written in the incident involving Rabbi Ḥanina ben Dosa.28See Berakhot 33a.
“The Lord said to Moses: 'Extend your hand, and grasp its tail.’ He extended his hand, and grasped it, and it became a staff in his hand. So that they will believe that the Lord, God of their fathers, God of Abraham, God of Isaac, and God of Jacob, has appeared to you” (Exodus 4:4-5).
“The Lord said to Moses: ‘Extend your hand, and grasp its tail.’” We already said how the serpent corresponded to Moses, but what sign was there for Israel in this? Rabbi Eliezer said: That is why the staff was transformed into a serpent, corresponding to Pharaoh, who was called a serpent, as it is stated: “The great serpent” (Ezekiel 29:3), and it says: “Against Leviathan the bar-serpent” (Isaiah 27:1), because he would bite Israel. The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘Have you seen Pharaoh, who is like a serpent? You are destined to strike him with a staff and in the end he will become like wood. Just as a staff does not bite, so, too he will not bite.’ That is what is written: “Extend your hand, and grasp its tail…. So that they will believe that the Lord…has appeared to you.” ‘Go perform this sign for them, so that they will believe that I have appeared to you.’
Ein Yaakov (Glick Edition)
(Gen. 1, 21) And God created the great sea monsters. Here in Babylon they translate this "sea gazelles." R. Jochanan, however, said: "It means leviathan— leviathan male and female, as it is written (Is. 27, 1) On that day will the Lord punish with His heavy and great and strong sword leviathan the flying serpent, and leviathan the crooked serpent, and He will slay the crocodile that is in the sea."