출애굽기 14:9의 미드라쉬

“I have likened you [dimitikh], my love,” Rabbi Eliezer said: [This is analogous] to a princess who was taken captive and her father was about to redeem her. She was motioning to her captors and saying to them: ‘I am for you, I am yours, and I will follow you.’²⁵⁰She said this out of fear of what they might do to her if her father was unable to redeem her. Her father said to her: ‘Do you believe that I do not have the wherewithal to redeem you? I am silencing you [duma dimitikh], be silent.’ So too, when the Israelites were encamped at the sea: “Egypt pursued them and overtook them encamped by the sea” (Exodus 14:9). The Israelites, in their fear, were motioning to the Egyptians and saying to them: ‘We are for you, we are yours, and we will follow you.’ The Holy One blessed be He said to them: ‘Do you believe that I do not have the wherewithal to redeem you? I am silencing you [duma dimitikh], I have silenced you.’ That is what is written: “The Lord will wage war for you and you shall be silent” (Exodus 14:14).

When you go out to war and you see horse and chariot, a people more numerous than you (Deuteronomy 20:1): This is what is stated in the verse (Proverbs 21:31), "The horse is readied for the day of battle, but the salvation comes from the Lord." What is [the meaning of] "The horse is ready?" At the time that Israel left Egypt, what is written there? "And it was told to the king of Egypt that the people had fled" (Exodus 14:5). Immediately, "And he tied his chariot, and he took his people with him. And he took six hundred of his picked chariots" (Exodus 14:6-7). Pharaoh stood and dressed all of the horses - and even the common ones - with precious stones and pearls. "And Egypt gave chase to them, etc. all the chariot horses of Pharaoh, his horsemen, and his army" (Exodus 14:9). [This] teaches that not one of them fell ill and not one of them died, and not one of them got tired. Hence it is stated, "all the chariot horses of Pharaoh, etc." "As Pharaoh drew near, the Children of Israel raised their eyes" (Exodus 14:10). At that time, the Children of Israel began to cry out to the Holy One, blessed be He, as it is stated (Exodus 14:10) "and the Children of Israel cried out to the Lord." The Holy One, blessed be He, said, "O My dove, in the cranny of the rocks, hidden by the cliff" (Song of Songs 2:14). To what was Israel comparable at that time? To a dove that fled from in front of a hawk, and came to [hide] behind a rock, but a snake was within [that space already. If] it sought to exit, behold the hawk is at the opening. So [too] was Israel. The sea was increasingly storming against them, the enemy was giving chase behind them and the [wild] animals [were closing in] from the wilderness, and [so] they were surrounded on four sides. And from where [do we know] that there were animals from the wilderness? Since it is stated (Exodus 14:3), "the wilderness enclosed (sagar) them." And "enclosed" is only an expression [indicating] wild animals, as it is stated (Daniel 6:23), "My God sent His angel, who closed (sagar) the mouths of the lions." What did they do? They lifted their eyes to their Father in the heavens and yelled out, as it is stated, "As Pharaoh drew near, the Children of Israel raised their eyes, etc. and the Children of Israel cried out to the Lord." Hence it is written, "O My dove, in the cranny of the rocks."

Another interpretation (of Exod. 15:1) THE HORSE AND HIS RIDER (RKB). [Bar Qappara said:] The Holy One bound them to one another.⁴⁴Thus they became a single unit, as implied by the singular nouns in Exod. 15:1. Why? So that Israel would benefit in the booty. Why? When Israel left Egypt, the Egyptians went after them. Pharaoh said to them: I know that they took your silver and gold, but pay no attention to booty. What did he do? He opened the treasury⁴⁵Gk.: thesauros. of Joseph. He said: Take silver and gold for yourselves. So they took <it> and adorned their horses. Thus it is stated (in the singular in Exod. 14:9): ALL THE HORSE OF PHARAOH'S CHARIOT (RKB). Therefore they were tied to one another so that Israel would benefit in the booty. In this world Israel has benefited in the plunder of her enemies, but in the world to come whatever the nations acquire will belong to Israel. It is so stated (of Tyre, which collects harlotry fees from all the kingdoms of the earth, in Is. 23:18): HER PROFITS AND HER HARLOT'S HIRE SHALL BE DEDICATED TO THE LORD.

The Egyptians saw that Pharaoh had entered the sea, and all of them entered the sea after him, as it is said, "And the Egyptians pursued after them" (Ex. 14:9). Forth-with the waters returned, and covered them, as it is said, "And the waters returned, and covered || the chariots, and the horsemen" (Ex. 14:28).