וַיֹּ֥אמֶר פַּרְעֹ֖ה אֶל־עֲבָדָ֑יו הֲנִמְצָ֣א כָזֶ֔ה אִ֕ישׁ אֲשֶׁ֛ר ר֥וּחַ אֱלֹהִ֖ים בּֽוֹ׃
Lalu berkatalah Firaun kepada para pegawainya: “Mungkinkah kita menemukan orang seperti ini, seorang yang di dalamnya ada roh Allah?”
Ramban
LEST HE FALL UPON US WITH PESTILENCE. “Moses and Aaron wanted to say [to Pharaoh], ‘Lest He fall upon thee,’ but they showed respect to royalty.” Thus the language of Rashi. Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra explained: “‘Lest He fall upon us; that is, including us Israelites, also you Pharaoh and all Egypt.’ Therefore when the Egyptians saw the slaying of the firstborn, they said, ‘We are all dead men,’320Further, 12:33. for the words of Moses now became clear to them when he said, Lest he fall upon us with pestilence, and therefore they drove them to go to sacrifice [to G-d].”
This explanation of Ibn Ezra is not correct, for Moses and Aaron were not commanded to say that Israel too would share in the punishment of pestilence or sword if they would not sacrifice [to G-d],321Only the Egyptians were to suffer that punishment if they failed to permit the Israelites to go to worship the Eternal. and Moses and Aaron would by no means change anything in the mission of G-d.
By way of the Truth, [the mystic lore of the Cabala], this is the secret of the offerings,322See Ramban on Genesis 4:3 (Vol. I, p. 88, and Note 423). as they constitute a redemption from punishment, for before Him goeth the pestilence.323Habakkuk 3:5. This explains the verse here: Let us go…and sacrifice… lest He fall upon us with pestilence. Ramban then proceeds to explain the end of the verse: or with the sword.
Or with the sword, this means the harsh [attribute of justice]. Moses said this because the Holy One, blessed be He, had commanded them, saying, And you shall say unto him: ‘The Eternal, the G-d of the Hebrews hath met with us. And now let us go … that we may sacrifice to the Eternal our G-d.’324Verse 1. and they said to Pharaoh, Thus saith the Eternal, the G-d of Israel: ‘Let My people go.’324Verse 1. Now Pharaoh was indeed a very wise man. He knew [of the existence of] G-d and acknowledged Him, as he — or his predecessor325This is a reference to the difference of opinion among the Rabbis of the Talmud (Sotah 11 a) regarding the verse, Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who knew not Joseph (above, 1:8). One Rabbi said that he was really a new king; the other said that it was the same king but he decreed new edicts, and comported himself as though he did not know him. — said to Joseph: Forasmuch as G-d had shown thee all this;326Genesis 41:39. a man in whom the spirit of G-d is.327Ibid., Verse 38. But Pharaoh did not know the Proper Name of G-d, [i.e., the Tetragrammaton],328See above, Note 84. and accordingly, he answered, I know not the Eternal.329Verse 2. Therefore they replied and said to him, as they were commanded, The G-d of the Hebrews hath met with us,330In Verse 3 before us. mentioning to him only the G-d of the Hebrews, which is equivalent to E-il Sha-dai. They said, He hath met with us, relating to Pharaoh the exact language of the message they were commanded to bring him, and they explained to him that in this meeting which they would have [with G-d], it would be necessary for them to sacrifice before Him, lest the meeting be with pestilence, or with the sword. In a similar vein did Scripture set forth in connection with Balaam, as it is said, And G-d met Balaam, and he said unto Him: I have prepared the seven altars, and I have offered up a bullock and a ram on every altar.331Numbers 23:4.
This explanation of Ibn Ezra is not correct, for Moses and Aaron were not commanded to say that Israel too would share in the punishment of pestilence or sword if they would not sacrifice [to G-d],321Only the Egyptians were to suffer that punishment if they failed to permit the Israelites to go to worship the Eternal. and Moses and Aaron would by no means change anything in the mission of G-d.
By way of the Truth, [the mystic lore of the Cabala], this is the secret of the offerings,322See Ramban on Genesis 4:3 (Vol. I, p. 88, and Note 423). as they constitute a redemption from punishment, for before Him goeth the pestilence.323Habakkuk 3:5. This explains the verse here: Let us go…and sacrifice… lest He fall upon us with pestilence. Ramban then proceeds to explain the end of the verse: or with the sword.
Or with the sword, this means the harsh [attribute of justice]. Moses said this because the Holy One, blessed be He, had commanded them, saying, And you shall say unto him: ‘The Eternal, the G-d of the Hebrews hath met with us. And now let us go … that we may sacrifice to the Eternal our G-d.’324Verse 1. and they said to Pharaoh, Thus saith the Eternal, the G-d of Israel: ‘Let My people go.’324Verse 1. Now Pharaoh was indeed a very wise man. He knew [of the existence of] G-d and acknowledged Him, as he — or his predecessor325This is a reference to the difference of opinion among the Rabbis of the Talmud (Sotah 11 a) regarding the verse, Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who knew not Joseph (above, 1:8). One Rabbi said that he was really a new king; the other said that it was the same king but he decreed new edicts, and comported himself as though he did not know him. — said to Joseph: Forasmuch as G-d had shown thee all this;326Genesis 41:39. a man in whom the spirit of G-d is.327Ibid., Verse 38. But Pharaoh did not know the Proper Name of G-d, [i.e., the Tetragrammaton],328See above, Note 84. and accordingly, he answered, I know not the Eternal.329Verse 2. Therefore they replied and said to him, as they were commanded, The G-d of the Hebrews hath met with us,330In Verse 3 before us. mentioning to him only the G-d of the Hebrews, which is equivalent to E-il Sha-dai. They said, He hath met with us, relating to Pharaoh the exact language of the message they were commanded to bring him, and they explained to him that in this meeting which they would have [with G-d], it would be necessary for them to sacrifice before Him, lest the meeting be with pestilence, or with the sword. In a similar vein did Scripture set forth in connection with Balaam, as it is said, And G-d met Balaam, and he said unto Him: I have prepared the seven altars, and I have offered up a bullock and a ram on every altar.331Numbers 23:4.
Haamek Sheilah
One who possesses intellect in other areas of wisdom is called a bas – benos in the plural – because the main result of studying the other areas of wisdom is not to build the spiritual world but rather to enhance the structure of Torah. The other sciences are intertwined with [the application of] many Torah laws. A proof of this may be found in Midrash Rabbah, parasha 90: [When Scripture states]: “Benos saw her and acclaimed her;”17Song of Songs 6:9. it is referring to the tribes [of Israel], as it states: “[Their] fame was heard in Pharaoh’s house, saying: Joseph’s brothers have come.”18Gen. 45:16. [When the former verse continues], “Queens and concubines praised her,” it is referring to Joseph, [as it states]: “Pharaoh said to his servants: Can we find such a one as this?19Gen. 41:38. “
Rav Hirsch
מן הרוח אשר עליו. Das Erteilen des Geistes der Prophetie ist im Ausdruck scharf von jeder anderen von Gott ausgehenden Ausstattung mit Geist unterschieden. In Josef ist Gottes Geist (Bereschit 41, 38), Bezalel hat Gott mit Geist Gottes erfüllt (Schmot 31, 3 und 35, 31), Josua war voll des Geistes der Weisheit (Dewarim 34, 9), Gott pflanzte durch Mosche seinen heiligen Geist ins Volk (Jes. 63, 11). Der Geist, der Ezechiel auf seine Füße aufrichtet, kommt in ihn (Ezech. 2, 2 und 3, 24), der Geist Gottes, der Gideon mit Mut rüstete (Richter 6, 34), selbst der, der Secharja den Mut gab, dem Volke mit Vorwürfen wegen seines Abfalls entgegen zu treten (Chron. II. 24, 20), sowie der Geist, der Amasai zum Huldigungsgruss an David trieb (daselbst I. 12, 18), war ein Geist, der sich in sie hüllte (לבש). Jede solche Geistesspende war eine Vermehrung, eine Erhöhung des geistigen Innern. Was in Folge solcher besonderen geistigen Begabung und Erregung geschah, ging nicht über das normale Maß menschlicher Fähigkeit hinaus. Es blieb Menschenwort und Menschentat, getragen und gehoben von besonderer, gottgespendeter, geistiger Begabung und Erregung. Allein der Geist der Prophetie ist kein innerer Vorgang, er kommt auf den Menschen, über den Menschen, ruht auf ihm, so der Geist der Prophetie, der über Saul kam (Sam. l. 10, 6 u. 10), über seine Boten (daselbst 19, 20), über Asarja (Chron. II. 15, 1), über Ezechiel (Ezech. 11, 5), auf Jesaias (Jes. 61, 1), auf den Diener Gottes, auf Israel, auf alle Menschen (Jes.42, 1; 44, 3 und 59, 21, sowie Joel 3, 1), er ist eine Gottesmacht, eine "Hand" Gottes, יד ד, die über den Menschen kommt (Ezech. 1, 3; 3, 21 und 37, 1 daselbst), es ist Göttliches, dessen Träger, Bringer und Herold der Mensch wird, das von außen, aus der Höhe, an ihn, auf ihn kommt, das ihn über das Niveau des normalen Menschlichen hinaushebt und sein Menschliches zur Staffel des Göttlichen auf Erden macht. Was von ihm gesprochen und vollbracht wird, ist Gottes Wort und Gottes Tat, und der Mensch ist nur sein Bringer und Vollbringer. So werden auch die Krafttaten Simsons durch den über ihn kommenden Gottesgeist (Richter 14, 6 u. 19 und 15, 14) eben damit als übermenschliche gezeichnet.