Komentarz do Wyjścia 14:28

ויכסו את הרכב ... לכל חיל פרעה AND COVERED THE CHARIOTS … AND ALL THE FORCES OF PHARAOH — in regard to the ל of לכל, this is the way of Scripture verses (of Biblical Hebrew) to write a redundant ל, as in (Exodus 27:3) “all (לכל) its vessels shalt thou make of copper”.. So, too, (Exodus 27:19) ‘‘all (לכל) the vessels of the dwelling in all the service thereof”; (Numbers 4:32) “and their pins and their cords and all (לכל) their vessels”. It is only an elegancy of style.

AND THE WATERS RETURNED, AND COVERED THE CHARIOTS, AND THE HORSEMEN, ‘L’CHOL’ (TO ALL) THE HOST OF PHARAOH. “[The word l’chol should really have been kol without the letter lamed. However], it is the normal manner of expression of many verses to write a redundant lamed, as for example: ‘l’chol the instruments of the Tabernacle;⁷⁶Ibid., 27:19. Literally: ‘to all’ the instruments of the Tabernacle, but the meaning is “‘all’ the instruments.” ‘l’chol’ the vessels thereof thou shalt make of brass;⁷⁷Ibid., Verse 4. Literally: ‘to all’ the vessels, but the meaning is “‘all’ the vessels thereof.” It is only an elegance in Scriptural style.” Thus the language of Rashi.
But it is not so in this place.⁷⁸Ramban understood Rashi as explaining the chariots and horsemen as being in apposition to all the host. Therefore Rashi had written that the lamed of l’chol is redundant, since the expression all the host is added by way of explanation. But Ramban interprets all the host to mean the people Pharaoh took with him besides the chariots and the horsemen. Therefore the lamed is not an idiomatic form here and is a necessary part of the verse, as is explained further in the text. Instead its meaning is as follows: “And the waters covered the chariots and the horsemen and all the⁷⁹The letter lamed in the word l’chol thus indicates the object, and is as if it were written “v’eth (and the) host of Pharaoh.” See my Hebrew commentary, p. 352. host of Pharaoh that went in after them into the sea.” The host is not identical with the chariots and the horsemen, [as is suggested by Rashi’s explanation], but rather they are his people that Pharaoh took with him,⁸⁰Above, Verse 6. just as it is said above: all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, and his horsemen, and his host.⁸¹Ibid., Verse 9. Here it is clear that the host is separate from the chariots and horsemen, since it says “and the host.” A similar usage of the letter lamed in connection with the term “covering” is found in these verses: As the waters cover ‘la’yam;’⁸²Isaiah 11:9. Literally: ‘to’ the sea, but the meaning is “the sea.” And thou shalt make a covering ‘la’ohel.’⁸³Further, 26:14. Literally: ‘to’ the tent, but it means “and thou shalt make ‘the tent’ a covering of….” The term “covering” also appears [in conjunction] with the word al, e.g., The fat that covereth ‘al’ the inwards.⁸⁴Leviticus 4:8. Literally, that covereth ‘upon’ the inwards, but the word al is understood as eth, a word which indicates the direct object. There are many cases like this.

וישובו המים in great waves to the newly created trough,