Commento su Esodo 4:4

ויחזק בו AND HE LAID HOLD OF IT —The phrase signifies “grasping” (אחז). There are many examples of it in the Scriptures: (Genesis 19:16) “The men laid hold of (ויחזיקו בְּ..) his hand”; (Deuteronomy 25:11) “And she layeth hold of (והחזיקה בְּ..) his secret parts”; (I Samuel 17:35) “And I caught him by (והחזקתי בְּ..) his beard”. [Wherever the root חזק in the Hiphil is followed by the preposition ב it denotes “taking hold of a thing”].

שלח ידך ואחוז בזנבו, “extend your arm and take hold of it by its tail!” This means simply to establish physical contact, not that Moses would thereby control the snake’s movement, as the snake will attempt to wriggle free. This is why the Torah reports Moses as ויחזק בו, “he took firm hold of it.” This demonstrates that Moses had thought that as soon as he would get to Egypt Pharaoh would release the Israelites immediately, that there would be no attempt on his part to wriggle out of the demands made upon him. The redemption would not occur until strong-armed measures, such as Moses employed to control the movements of the snake would be employed. The second miracle would be performed in the presence of the assembled people who were mired in spiritual pollution absorbed through their being part of the Egyptian culture. G’d demonstrated by means of that miracle [the healing of an affliction considered incurable, Ed.] that the Israelites would become penitents and thus fit for redemption. Some commentators understand the meaning of that miracle to be that just as the Israelites who were free men when they came to Egypt had been afflicted by G’d so that they had become slaves, they would once more be able to regain their former freedom thanks to the same G’d Who had caused them to become afflicted in the first place.