Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Sforno · Torah

Sforno on Exodus 8:6/ספורנו על שמות ח׳:ו׳

אכִּדְבָרְךָ. שֶׁאָמַרְתָּ וְיָסַר הַצְפַרְדְּעִים מִמֶּנִּי וּמֵעַמִּי, וְלֹא בִקַּשְׁתָּ לְהַכְרִיתָם מִן הָעוֹלָם.
1כדברך, in accordance with your wish. You had stipulated that the crocodiles should be removed from yourself, and from your people,” (verse 4) you did not ask for them to be eliminated from nature as a species.
בלְמַעַן תֵּדַע כִּי אֵין כַּה' אֱלֹהֵינוּ. שֶׁאֵין שׁוּם כֹּחַ מְחַדֵּשׁ שִׁנּוּי בַּטֶּבַע כִּי אִם לְאֵיזֶה זְמַן קָצוּב, וְהִנֵּה הַצְפַרְדְּעִים בַּיְאוֹר הָיָה אָז שִׁנּוּי מְחֻדָּשׁ בְּטֶבַע הַיְאוֹר, כָּל שֶׁכֵּן בִּהְיוֹת אוֹתָם הַצְפַרְדְּעִים מְשֻׁנִּים מִכָּל בַּעַל חַי זוּלָתָם בְּמָה שֶׁמְּנִיעִים לֶחִי הָעֶלְיוֹן, וּמַכְנִיסִים וְאֵינָם מוֹצִיאִים, וְהִנֵּה הָאֵל יִתְבָּרַךְ יַכְרִיתֵם מִמְּךָ וּמִבָּתֶּיךָ בִּלְבָד.
2למען תדע כי אין כה' אלוקנו, that there is no power in the universe other than the G’d of the Israelites who possesses the power to fundamentally effect changes in natural law. At that time, consigning crocodiles exclusively to the river Nile was a fundamental change in the habitat of this species. This species is different from all other known species in that instead of moving its lower jaw when eating, it moves its upper jaw. It also ingests food without excreting waste products. G’d will banish the species only from you and your houses, as this is all you asked for.