Comentário sobre Êxodo 7:27

ואם מאן אתה — AND IF THOU BE A REFUSER. מאן — The word has the same meaning as ממאן, refusing, (the Piel participle) only the difference is that it is a description of a person having reference to the action he always does (i. e. it is an adjective and the full phrase would be איש מאן) similar to שָׁלֵו “a man at ease” (Job 16:12); שָׁקֵט “a man at ease” (Jeremiah 48:11); וְזָעֵף [‎סר] “a man displeased” (1 Kings 20:43), whilst מְמאֵן merely describes the person as refusing at some particular moment.

נוגף, another word for makkeh, “strike, smite.”

ואם מאן אתה, "if you should refuse, etc." We learn from here that for a warning to be legally valid it must be delivered immediately preceding the sin.

את כל גבולך, “your entire territory.” The word “your territory” excludes the territory of Cham. The sons of Cham (the kushim, negroes?) and the sons of Mitzrayim had a territory גבול, between their respective territories. According to Shemot Rabbah 10,2 this area had remained disputed between them until that time. Due to the plague of the frogs they made peace amongst themselves. They came to the realisation that the area not invaded by the frogs belonged to the territory of Cham. We derive this from the words of Moses’ warning “your entire territory,” i.e. not anyone else’s territory.

It is describing a person based on an ongoing action. . . [Rashi is answering the question:] מָאֵן implies that Pharaoh constantly refuses. And that is not so, for just because Pharaoh refuses now, therefore will he constantly refuse? Thus Rashi explains: “It is describing. . .” [And to prove the point,] Rashi says it is similar to שלו ושקט , which [due to their grammatical form] imply a permanent, ongoing condition, yet [in fact they only] describe a temporary condition, [since no one is constantly serene and at ease]. Similarly with סר וזעף , which imply permanency although they are only temporary. Therefore Rashi explains, “It is describing. . .”

V. 27. נגף, verwandt mit נקב, sehr scharf und spitz treffen. גבול scheint ursprünglich nicht sowohl Grenze, als vielmehr Gebiet zu bedeuten, verwandt mit יבול: das in unser Gebiet, in unsern Besitzkreis Gekommene. צפרדע kann nicht Krokodil gewesen sein, es wären dann keine Ägypter übrig geblieben. Es ist klar, dass es ein nur lästiges, aber nicht gefährliches Tier gewesen. Traditionell waren es Frösche. Zusammengesetzt aus צפר: Morgen, und דע: kundig, chaldäisch עור דעניא: kundig der wachwerdenden Zeit. Ein Tier, das Nachts laut ist, aber vor dem ersten Strahl und Geräusch des Morgens scheu verstummt.

נגף את כל גבולך I WILL PLAGUE ALL THY BOUNDARIES — נוגף means smiting. So, too, wherever a form from the root נגף occurs, it does not necessarily denote killing but it may mean merely smiting. Similarly, (Exodus 21:22) “and if they hurt (ונגפו) a woman with child”, does not mean they kill (as the context shows); so, too, (Jeremiah 13:16) “and before your feet stumble (יתנגפו)” (i. e. hit against something); (Psalms 91:12) “lest thou dash (תגף) thy foot against a stone”; (Isaiah 8:14) ”and for a stone of stumbling (נגף)‎”.