신명기 32:25의 주석

מחוץ תשכל חרב WITHOUT, THE SWORD SHALL BEREAVE — This means, outside the city will the sword of the hostile troops bereave them,

ומחדרים אימה, גם בחור גם בתולה, young men and women hiding in their houses will be made orphans.

The chambers of his heart pound with terror, etc. If the verse is explained according to its plain meaning i.e., as referring to the chambers of his house, it should have said, “From his chambers there is פחד (fear).” The word פחד applies to something which is nearby, whereas אימה (terror) applies to something that is distant; As Rashi writes in parshas Beshalach (Shemos 15:16) on the verse, “Horror [and dread] fall upon them” (Maharan)

ומחדרים אימה AND WITHIN, DREAD — when one flees and escapes, the recesses (חדרים) of his heart will vehemently beat out of dread, and he will gradually die through this (Sifrei Devarim 321:11). — Another explanation of ומחדרים אימה: In the house there will be the fear of pestilence, as it says, (Jeremiah 9:20) “For the death is come up into our windows" (cf. Bava Kamma 60b). So, too, did Onkelos translate it. — Another explanation of this verse: מחוץ תשכל חרב — the sword shall destroy them on account of what they have done in the streets (חוצה; the prefix מ denotes the cause: on account of the streets), as it is said, (Jeremiah 11:13) “According to the number of the streets of Jerusalem have you set up altars to the shameful thing” (Sifrei Devarim 321:12); ומחדרים אימה — on account of what they have done in the innermost chambers of their houses, as it is said, (Ezekiel 8:12) “[Have you seen] what the elders of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in his marbled chambers?” (Sifrei Devarim 321:12)

Another interpretation of “From within the chambers, terror.” Indoors will be, etc. According to the first explanation it is difficult for where do we ever find in Scripture the chambers of the heart being referred to as simply “chambers”? Therefore Rashi gives: “Another interpretation, etc.” and the word חדרים is [interpreted] according to its plain meaning. According to this alternative explanation it is difficult, why it says “chambers of terror”? In the city there was also plague. So it should have said “indoors there is terror” as opposed to outdoors.” Therefore Rashi gives a third explanation; that it refers to the sins committed outside, i.e. in public, and to those sins that were committed in the innermost chambers, so that no person sees him. According to this third explanation it is difficult because if so, the verse is missing the verb, it does not mention the word any action. And if so, the letter mem from the word “מחדרים (from his chambers)” should have been [vocalized] with a chirik [michadarim] which means “from the sins committed inside.” Therefore Rashi needed the alternative explanations. And according to these two [latter] explanations it is difficult, why does the verse use the word “terror,” when it should have said “from the chambers a plague.” Therefore Rashi also gave the first explanation.