Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Sforno · Torah

Sforno on Exodus 11:6/ספורנו על שמות י״א:ו׳

אאֲשֶׁר כָּמֹהוּ לֹא נִהְיָתָה. אֲשֶׁר בַּלַּיְלָה כָּמֹהוּ לֹא נִהְיְתָה צְעָקָה כָּזֹאת, וְזֶה כִּי לֹא הָיָה לֵיל מִלְחֶמֶת חֵיל אוֹיְבִים, כִּי אָמְנָם אָז תִּרְבֶּה הַצְּעָקָה בָּעִיר, כְּעִנְיַן "קוֹל צְעָקָה מִשַּׁעַר הַדָּגִים, וִילָלָה מִן הַמִּשְׁנֶה, וְשֶׁבֶר גָּדוֹל מֵהַגְּבָעוֹת" (צפניה א:י), אֲבָל בְּלַיְלָה כָּזֶה שֶׁהָיָה לֵיל שָׁלוֹם בְּמִצְרַיִם, לֹא נִהְיְתָה וְלֹא תֹסִיף צְעָקָה כָּזֹאת.
1אשר כמוהו לא נהיתה, never had there been such an outcry in any of the nights the Egyptians had known. The reason was that this was not a night during which a battle was being waged against the enemies of the Egyptians, an occasion when there are many outcries in the city, as we know from Tzefaniah 1,10 “a loud outcry from the fish gate and howling from the Mishneh, and a great sound of anguish from the hills. The dwellers of the Machtesh howl.” This was a night during which Egypt was at peace. Never again would there be such an outcry in the midst of peace.