וַיַּמְרוּ־בִ֨י בֵֽית־יִשְׂרָאֵ֜ל בַּמִּדְבָּ֗ר בְּחֻקּוֹתַ֨י לֹא־הָלָ֜כוּ וְאֶת־מִשְׁפָּטַ֣י מָאָ֗סוּ אֲשֶׁר֩ יַעֲשֶׂ֨ה אֹתָ֤ם הָֽאָדָם֙ וָחַ֣י בָּהֶ֔ם וְאֶת־שַׁבְּתֹתַ֖י חִלְּל֣וּ מְאֹ֑ד וָאֹמַ֞ר לִשְׁפֹּ֨ךְ חֲמָתִ֧י עֲלֵיהֶ֛ם בַּמִּדְבָּ֖ר לְכַלּוֹתָֽם׃
Tetapi kaum Israel memberontak terhadap-Ku di padang gurun. Mereka tidak hidup menurut ketetapan-ketetapan-Ku dan mereka menolak peraturan-peraturan-Ku, yang apabila dilakukan oleh manusia, ia akan hidup karenanya. Sabat-sabat-Ku pun sangat mereka cemarkan. Maka Aku berfirman bahwa Aku akan mencurahkan amarah-Ku ke atas mereka di padang gurun untuk membinasakan mereka.
Ibn Ezra
the person who turns to charmers Just as I shall destroy whoever gives his children to Molekh secretly — or who does it in public, if the inhabitants of the land do not execute him — so shall I destroy whoever strays away from Me and turns to charmers and wizards . The Hebrew word nefesh appears in the masculine plural in the phrase “the people that you hunt” [Ezekiel 13:20]; it is masculine singular in “fourteen people in all” [Genesis 46:22]. Similarly, here it is the masculine antecedent of the phrase I will cut him off.
Kli Yakar
And Moses pleaded. Some say that vayechal [pleaded] comes from the language of “vatitchalchal” [trembled], meaning he was seized with fear and trembling before God. That is, it is an expression [that reflects] anger, because he saw the greatness of God’s anger and was terrified by the fear of God, and said, Why, O Lord, does Your anger burn? For if You had said You would discipline them Yourself as a man disciplines his son, I would have been silent, but why did You say You would send a cruel angel of wrath and anger against them? Why would You do this to Your servants? For I have arguments against this.
The first argument is against Your people. For You said to me, Your people have corrupted themselves, referring to the mixed multitude [erev rav], so why does Your anger burn against Your people, meaning Israel?
The second argument is, whom You brought out of the land of Egypt. A land full of idolatry, so it’s not so surprising if they were seduced by their old habits.
The third argument is, with great power. This is against the attribute of judgment, for according to the strict line of justice, it would have been proper to destroy them within the land of Egypt, as it is written in Ezekiel (20:13), And I said I would pour out My wrath on them in the midst of the land of Egypt. But I acted for the sake of My name, etc. And after You brought them out with great power against the attribute of judgment, they were already known to You as idol worshipers, so what is new now?
The fourth argument is, and with a mighty hand. For it is known that Israel did not want to leave Egypt, as it is written (Exodus 14:12), Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, “Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians”? And it is written (Exodus 13:18), And the children of Israel went up armed [chamushim] out of the land of Egypt. For only one-fifth [chamushim can also mean “one-fifth”] went up, and four-fifths died during the three days of darkness because they did not want to leave Egypt. And even those who did leave, You brought them out with a mighty hand, against their will, not according to their pleasure, as it is written (Exodus 13:9), For with a mighty hand the Lord brought you out of Egypt. And since You brought them out from there, it is fitting for You to have mercy on them, so that people will not say, “He brought them out with evil intent,” since they left at Your command.
The first argument is against Your people. For You said to me, Your people have corrupted themselves, referring to the mixed multitude [erev rav], so why does Your anger burn against Your people, meaning Israel?
The second argument is, whom You brought out of the land of Egypt. A land full of idolatry, so it’s not so surprising if they were seduced by their old habits.
The third argument is, with great power. This is against the attribute of judgment, for according to the strict line of justice, it would have been proper to destroy them within the land of Egypt, as it is written in Ezekiel (20:13), And I said I would pour out My wrath on them in the midst of the land of Egypt. But I acted for the sake of My name, etc. And after You brought them out with great power against the attribute of judgment, they were already known to You as idol worshipers, so what is new now?
The fourth argument is, and with a mighty hand. For it is known that Israel did not want to leave Egypt, as it is written (Exodus 14:12), Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, “Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians”? And it is written (Exodus 13:18), And the children of Israel went up armed [chamushim] out of the land of Egypt. For only one-fifth [chamushim can also mean “one-fifth”] went up, and four-fifths died during the three days of darkness because they did not want to leave Egypt. And even those who did leave, You brought them out with a mighty hand, against their will, not according to their pleasure, as it is written (Exodus 13:9), For with a mighty hand the Lord brought you out of Egypt. And since You brought them out from there, it is fitting for You to have mercy on them, so that people will not say, “He brought them out with evil intent,” since they left at Your command.
Haamek Davar
And they found a man. It should say they saw him. From this the Sages derived (Sifrei) that Moshe established guards for Shabbos observance, because the generation was not careful in keeping Shabbos, as we find in Yechezkel 20. Nechemiah also did this in his time because the people were lax in keeping Shabbos. We find as such in the Shulchan Aruch Orech Chaim at the end of Hilchos Yom Tov: Beis Din is obligated to establish guards on Yom Tov so that the people will not transgress.