Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Exodus 15:12/רמב"ן על שמות ט״ו:י״ב

אנָטִיתָ יְמִינְךָ תִּבְלָעֵמוֹ אָרֶץ הַטַּעַם, כִּי אַחַר שֶׁנָּשַׁפְתָּ בְּרוּחֲךָ וְכִסָּמוֹ הַיָּם נָטִיתָ עֲלֵיהֶם יְמִינְךָ וּזְרוֹעֲךָ וַתִּבְלָעֵמוֹ אָרֶץ. וְהָעִנְיָן, כִּי אַחַר שֶׁטָּבְעוּ הִשְׁלִיכָם הַיָּם כְּמִנְהַג הַיַּמִּים, וְכֵן אָמַר (שמות י"ד:ל') "וַיַּרְא יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת מִצְרַיִם מֵת עַל שְׂפַת הַיָּם", וְשָׁם יִכְלוּ וְיָשֹׁב הֶעָפָר עַל הָאָרֶץ כְּשֶׁהָיָה. וְהִנֵּה הֵם נִבְלָעִים וְנִשְׁחָתִים, כְּמוֹ "יַחַד סָבִיב וַתְּבַלְּעֵנִי" (איוב י ח), "בִּלַּע ה' וְלֹא חָמַל" (איכה ב ב), וְדֶרֶךְ אוֹרְחוֹתֶיךָ בִּלֵּעוּ (ישעיה ג יב), הִשְׁחִיתוּ. וְרַבּוֹתֵינוּ אָמְרוּ (מכילתא כאן) שֶׁפָּתְחָה הָאָרֶץ אֶת פִּיהָ וּבָלְעָה אוֹתָם, שֶׁזָּכוּ לִקְבוּרָה בִּשְׂכַר שֶׁאָמְרוּ "ה' הַצַּדִּיק" (שמות ט':כ"ז), וְאֵין לְשׁוֹן "יָמִין" וְ"יָד נְטוּיָה" רַק לִנְקָמָה וּלְהַשְׁחָתָה, וְאוּלַי יְפָרְשׁוּ נָטִיתָ יְמִינְךָ לַהֲמִיתָם בַּיָּם, וְתִבְלָעֵמוֹ אָרֶץ אַחַר כָּךְ, וְהִיא הַקְּבוּרָה שֶׁזָּכוּ אֵלֶיהָ:

1THOU STRETCHEDST OUT THY RIGHT HAND — THE EARTH ‘TIVLA’EIMO’ (SWALLOWED THEM). The meaning is that “after you blew with Your wind and the sea covered them, You stretched out Your right hand and Your arm,²⁰³ and the earth swallowed them.” The purport thereof is that after they drowned, the sea cast them out as is the custom of the seas, and so Scripture says, And Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea-shore.²⁰⁴ There, [on the sea-shore], their bodies decomposed and they returned to the dust upon the earth as they were,²⁰⁵ and thus they were swallowed up and destroyed [by the earth]. The usage of the word tivla’eimo is similar to the expressions: Together round about, ‘vativla’eini’ (Thou dost destroy me);²⁰⁶ The Eternal ‘bila’ (hath swallowed up) unsparingly;²⁰⁷ And the way of thy paths ‘bileiu,’²⁰⁸ which means “they destroyed.” Our Rabbis have said²⁰⁹ that the earth opened her mouth and swallowed them, for they were privileged to be buried by virtue of having said, The Eternal is righteous.²¹⁰ [Thus, according to this Midrash of the Rabbis, the bodies of the Egyptians were not totally destroyed, for they even merited a place for burial.] But the expression of G-d’s “outstretched right hand or arm,” [as stated here, Thou stretchedst out Thy right hand], is used in Scripture only as indicating vengeance and destruction! Perhaps the Rabbis [of the above-mentioned interpretation] will explain the verse as follows: “Thou stretchedst out Thy right hand to slay them in the sea, and the earth swallowed them up after that,” this being the burial which they merited.