Midrash su Salmi 136:10

(Deut. 2:31:) MOREOVER, THE LORD SAID {UNTO MOSES} [UNTO ME]: SEE I HAVE BEGUN TO GIVE SIHON AND HIS LAND OVER TO YOU. [It is also written] (in Amos 2:9): YET I DESTROYED THE AMORITE¹²Although THE AMORITE implies the Amorite people in the biblical context, in the context of the midrash the singular AMORITE refers to Sihon. [BEFORE THEM, WHOSE STATURE WAS LIKE THE CEDARS IN HEIGHT]. By virtue of what? By virtue of the Torah, which the sages had taught. Our masters have said: Sihon was strong.¹³Below, Deut. 1a:8; M. Pss. 136:11. His height was like a wall tower, and he was stronger than all creatures. He was taller than any tower on earth, but his feet reached to the earth. So no creature was able to stand before him, just as it says (ibid., cont.): YET I DESTROYED HIS FRUIT ABOVE <AND HIS ROOTS BELOW>. What did the Holy One do? He bound the <angelic> prince that belonged to him and to his land. Then he cast him {in} [from] his place and handed him over to Israel. Our masters have said: Sihon and Og were stronger than Pharaoh and his armies; for just as they uttered a song over the fall of Pharaoh, so were they worthy to utter a song at their fall. It is simply that David came and uttered a song over them, as stated (in Ps. 136:10): TO THE ONE WHO SMOTE EGYPT THROUGH THEIR FIRST-BORN…. (vss. 17, 19) TO THE ONE WHO SMOTE GREAT KINGS …; SIHON, KING OF THE AMORITES….

"and I shall smite": I might think, through an angel or through a messenger; it is, therefore, written (Ibid. 29) "and the L rd (Himself) smote every first-born" — not through an angel or a messenger. "and I smote every first born": even from different places. Whence do I derive (the same) even for the first-born of Egypt who were in other places? (From Psalms 136:10) "He smote Egypt through their first-born" (connoting, even if they were not in Egypt). Whence do I derive (the same for) the first-born of Cham and Cush? (viz. Genesis 10:6) From (Psalms 78:51) "And He struck every first-born in Egypt, the first fruit of their strength in the tents of Cham." "from man until beast": The initiator of the transgression was struck first. Similarly, (Genesis 7:23) "And all that existed on the face of the earth was blotted out — from man to beast, etc." Similarly, (Exodus 14:4) "And I will be honored through (the downfall of) Pharaoh and his entire host." Similarly, (Devarim 13:16) "Smite the inhabitants of that city … and its cattle." Similarly, (Numbers 5:27) "and her belly ('first in the transgression') will swell, and her thigh will fall." Here, too, "And I shall smite every first-born in the land of Egypt from man until beast." The initiator of the transgression was struck first. Now does this not follow a fortiori, viz.: If in His measure of punishment — the lesser (measure) — the initiator of the transgression is smitten first, how much more so in His measure of beneficence — the greater (measure) — (is the initiator of the mitzvah rewarded first)!

(Exod. 11:5:) AND EVERY FIRST-BORN <IN THE LAND OF EGYPT> SHALL DIE. All the first-born came together with their fathers.⁷³PRK 7:6/9; PR 17:5. <The first-born> said to < their fathers >: Whatever Moses has said he has brought upon us. Do you not wish us to live? Rather come and let us have these {slaves} [Hebrews] go away from among us; for if we do not, we are dead. They answered them and said to them: Even if all the Egyptians die, they will not go away from here. What did they do? All the first-born came together and went to Pharaoh. They cried out unto Pharaoh and said to him: Please have this people go away, for because of them evil will come {over them and over him} [over us and over you]. He said to his servants: Get going and beat those <people> on the legs. What did the first-born do? Immediately, when they had gone out, each and every one of them took his sword and killed his father. It is so stated (in Ps. 136:10): TO THE ONE WHO SMOTE EGYPT THROUGH THEIR FIRST-BORN. "To the one who smote the first-born of Egypt" is not written here, but TO THE ONE WHO SMOTE EGYPT THROUGH THEIR FIRST-BORN. After they had killed their fathers, the Holy One appeared [over them] and killed them, as stated (in Exod. 12:29): <AND IT CAME TO PASS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT > THAT THE LORD SMOTE ALL THE FIRST-BORN, <FROM THE FIRST-BORN OF PHARAOH, WHO WAS SITTING UPON HIS THRONE, TO THE FIRST-BORN OF THE CAPTIVE WHO WAS IN THE DUNGEON, AND ALL THE FIRST-BORN OF THE CATTLE.> If the first-born of the Egyptians had sinned, how had the captives sinned?⁷⁴Mekhilta de Rabbi Ishmael, Pisha 2; Tanh., Exod. 3:7. It is simply that they had {said and rejoiced} [rejoiced and said]: We may remain in slavery, but do not let Israel get away from here. For that reason he killed them (according to Exod. 12:29): TO THE FIRST-BORN OF THE CAPTIVE. <The same applies> all the more to first-born of the bondmaid, since they were oppressors. But why were THE FIRST-BORN OF THE CATTLE killed? Because the Egyptians were bowing down to the lambs. <It was> so they would not say: Our idolatry is too strong for him to have dominion over it with divine retribution. [Therefore (in Exod. 12:29): AND ALL THE FIRST-BORN OF THE CATTLE.]

(Exodus 12:29) "And it was in the middle of the night": Its Creator divided it. What is the intent of this? It is written (Ibid. 11:4) "And Moses said (to Pharaoh): Thus said the L rd: When the night is divided (i.e., at midnight) I shall go out into the midst of Egypt." Now is it possible for flesh and blood to ascertain the middle of the night? It must be, then, that its Creator divided it. R. Yehudah b. Betheira says: He who knows its hours and its times — He divided it. R. Eliezer says: It is written here "And it was in the middle of the night," and elsewhere (Genesis 14:15) "And they 'divided' against them at night." Just as here the plague did not begin until the middle of the night, there, too, (their attack) occurred in the middle of the night. "and the L rd smote every first-born": I might think through an angel or through an emissary. It is, therefore, written (Ibid. 12:12) "and I shall smite every first-born, etc." — not through an angel and not through an emissary. "and the L rd smote every first-born in the land of Egypt": even (those first-born) from different places. And whence is the same derived for the first-born of Egypt (who were found) in different places? From (Psalms 136:10) "Who smote Egypt by their first-born" (wherever they were). Whence do I derive the same for the first-born of Cham, Kush, Put, and Lud? From (Ibid. 78:51) "He smote every first-born in Egypt, the first-fruit of their strength in the tents of Cham." "from the first-born of Pharaoh sitting on his throne": Scripture hereby apprises us that Pharaoh (himself) was a first-born, (the throne passing in succession to the first-born). __ But perhaps the intent is only to teach that his son was a first-born? __ "sitting on his throne" already speaks of his son. Why (the redundant) "from the first-born of Pharaoh"? To apprise us that Pharaoh himself was a first-born. He alone remained (alive) of all the first-born. Of this, Scripture states (Ibid. 9:16) :But because of this I have preserved you, in order to show you My might, etc." (Likewise,) Ba'al Tzefon remained (standing) of all the Egyptian idols in order to raise their hopes. Of such as these it is written (Iyyov 12:23) "He lifts up nations and destroys them." "until the captive first-born": Now what sin did the captives commit (that their first-born should be killed)? So that they not say (if they were spared) "Our god brought this catastrophe upon them ([the Egyptians] for incarcerating us). Awesome is our god, that stood up for itself! Awesome is our god, who shielded us from this punishment!" And we are hereby apprised that the captives rejoiced in all the decrees inflicted by Pharaoh upon Israel, (for which they were punished) in keeping with (Mishlei 17:5) "He who rejoices in (another's) misfortune will not be absolved," and (Psalms 24:17) "Do not rejoice in the downfall of your foe," and (Ezekiel 26:2-3) "Son of man, because Tyre said about (the besieged Jerusalem) 'Heach!' (an expression of joy) — thus said the L rd G d: 'Behold, Tyre, I am (coming) against you, and I will raise up many nations against you, as the sea raises its waves!'" And not only captives alone (were thus smitten), but even men-servants and maid-servants, viz. (Exodus 17:5) "… until the first-born of the maid-servant." "and every first-born of the beast": Now what sin did the beasts commit? (They were smitten) so that the Egyptians not say (if they were spared) "Our god (i.e., the beasts, whom they worshipped) brought this catastrophe upon us. Awesome is our god, against whom this catastrophe did not prevail!"

When Israel went forth, what did the Holy One, blessed be He, do? He cast down all the idols of their abominations, and they were broken, as it is said, "Upon their gods also the Lord executed judgments" (Num. 33:4).