Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Sforno · Torah

Sforno on Exodus 2:23/ספורנו על שמות ב׳:כ״ג

אבַיָּמִים הָרַבִּים הָהֵם. מִיּוֹם שֶׁבָּרַח מֹשֶׁה מִמִּצְרַיִם בְּיַלְדוּתוֹ עַד שֶׁנּוֹלַד גֵּרְשֹׁם, שֶׁהָיָה מֹשֶׁה אָז קָרוֹב לְבֶן שְׁמוֹנִים שָׁנָה, שֶׁהֲרֵי אֱלִיעֶזֶר נוֹלַד בַּדֶּרֶךְ בְּלֶכְתּוֹ בִּשְׁלִיחוּת הָאֵל יִתְבָּרַךְ לְמִצְרַיִם, וְאָז הָיָה בֶּן שְׁמוֹנִים שָׁנָה.
1בימים הרבים ההם, from the day Moses had fled from Egypt in his youth until Gershom had been born when he was close to 80 years of age. We are assuming that Eliezer was not much younger, and we know that he was only born when Moses was already on his way back to Egypt. We know that that Moses was 80 years of age t that time.
בוַיָּמׇת מֶלֶךְ מִצְרַיִם. אוֹתוֹ הַמֶּלֶךְ שֶׁהָיָה רוֹדֵף אֶת מֹשֶׁה, וּלְכֵן קָרָא שֵׁם בְּנוֹ אַחַר כָּךְ אֱלִיעֶזֶר, כִּי אָז יָדַע הֱיוֹתוֹ נִמְלָט וְנִצּוֹל מֵחֶרֶב פַּרְעֹה.
2וימת מלך מצרים, the same Pharaoh who had been pursuing Moses wanting to execute him. This is why he called his second son Eliezer, as then he realised that he had finally been saved by G’d from the sword of Pharaoh.
גוַיִּזְעָקוּ. זָעֲקוּ מִכְּאֵב לֵב עַל עֲבוֹדָתָם, כְּעִנְיַן "הֵילִילִי שַׁעַר, זַעֲקִי עִיר" (ישעיהו יד:לא).
3ויזעקו, they cried out of frustration about their miserable fate and their enslavement. A similar expression for venting such feelings of frustration occurs in Isaiah 14,31הלילי שער זעקי העיר, “Howl, o gate! Cry out, o city!”
דוַתַּעַל שַׁוְעָתָם אֶל הָאֱלֹהִים מִן הָעֲבוֹדָה. לֹא בִּשְׁבִיל תְּשׁוּבָתָם וּתְפִלָּתָם, אֲבָל כִּמְקַנֵּא עַל אַכְזָרִיּוּת הַמַּעֲבִידִים, כְּאָמְרוֹ "וְגַם רָאִיתִי אֶת הַלַּחַץ" (שמות ג:ט).
4ותעל שועתם אל האלוקים מן העובדה. G’d’s response was not due to their repenting and praying, but He simply was angry over the excessive cruelty with which the Egyptians treated the Jewish people This is why He added (when He spoke to Moses in 3,9) וגם ראיתי את הלחץ אשר מצרים לוחצים אותם, “and I have also seen the pressure that the Egyptians keep imposing on them. [perhaps the reason why our author does not consider the Jews’ repentance and prayer being a factor is the fact that the attribute with which G’d responded was still the attribute of Justice, אלוקים and not the attribute Hashem as he explained to Moses in 3,9 Ed.]