Komentaryo sa Mga Bilang 33:4: Rashi, Kli Yakar, Rabbeinu Bahya & Siftei Chakhamim

ומצרים מקברים AND THIS EGYPTIANS WERE BURYING [ALL THEIR FIRSTBORN] — they were busily occupied in their mourning.

And Egypt was burying etc. This is to tell you that [the Israelites] left [Egypt] in full view of all Egyptians at the time when they were burying those whom God had struck among them, and their teeth were blunted [i.e., they were powerless to respond]. And not only that, but God also executed judgments against their gods at that same time, and even so, not one of them uttered a sound against Israel. And regarding what is said, whom God had struck among them, all the firstborn, some say that this is in accordance with the Midrash [Pesikta Rabbati, section “And it came to pass at midnight”] on the verse To Him who struck Egypt through their firstborn (Psalms 136:10), that the firstborn were killing their fathers, as this is implied by [the wording] through their firstborn — meaning that God struck Egypt with [or through] the firstborn, as the firstborn were the rod of His anger and the staff of His wrath. Therefore it says struck among them all the firstborn. And this is a precise interpretation.

ובאלוהיהם עשה ה' שפטים, “and the Lord had inflicted punishments on their deities.” G’d had kept His promise made in Exodus 12,12 “and on all the gods of Egypt I will inflict judgments.” How did these judgments or punishments become manifest? If the images were made of silver or gold they would simply melt; if they were made of wood, the wood would rot; if they were made of stone, the stone would crack in many places. The word שפטים also includes that these idols would be found by their worshippers in embarrassing positions as described in Samuel I 5,4: “Dagon was again lying prone on the ground in front of the Ark of the Lord. The head and both hands were cut off.” (The Philistines had taken the Holy Ark captive from the Israelites).