Said the Foe
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Share(ט) אָמַ֥ר אוֹיֵ֛ב אֶרְדֹּ֥ף אַשִּׂ֖יג אֲחַלֵּ֣ק שָׁלָ֑ל תִּמְלָאֵ֣מוֹ נַפְשִׁ֔י אָרִ֣יק חַרְבִּ֔י תּוֹרִישֵׁ֖מוֹ יָדִֽי׃
(9) The foe said,“I will pursue, I will overtake,I will divide the spoil;My desire shall have its fill of them.I will bare my sword—My hand shall subdue them.”
"אָמַר אוֹיֵב", זֶה פַרְעֹה. וְכִי מֵאַיִן יָדְעוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל מַה חָשַׁב עֲלֵיהֶם פַּרְעֹה בְּמִצְרַיִם? אֶלָּא רוּחַ הַקֹּדֶשׁ שָׁרַת עֲלֵיהֶם, וְהָיוּ יוֹדְעִין מַה פַּרְעֹה חָשַׁב עֲלֵיהֶם בְּמִצְרַיִם. כֵּיוָן שֶׁרָאָה פַרְעֹה שֶׁיָּצְאוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל, אָמַר: לֹא דַּיֵּינוּ לִרְדֹּף אַחֲרֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶלָּא בִּשְׁבִיל כֶּסֶף וְזָהָב שֶׁלָּקְחוּ מִמֶּנּוּ, כְּדַי הוּא! כֵּיוָן שֶׁרָאוּ מִקְצָת הָעָם שֶׁאִבְּדוּ מָמוֹן מוּעָט, אָמְרוּ: הָא וַתְּרָה, לֹא נִרְדֹּף אַחֲרֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל! כֵּיוָן שֶׁרָאָה פַרְעֹה כָּךְ, אָמַר: כֻּלָּנוּ שָׁוִין בַּבִּזָּה! שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר "אֲחַלֵּק שָׁלָל!" וְלֹא עוֹד, אֶלָּא שֶׁאֲנִי פּוֹתֵחַ לָכֶם תֵיסַוְרָיוֹת שֶׁלְּכֶסֶף וְזָהָב, וּמְחַלֵּק לָכֶם אֲבָנִים טוֹבוֹת וּמַרְגָּלִיּוֹת."
"The foe said, etc.": How did Israel know what Pharaoh thought of them in Egypt? The Holy Spirit reposed upon them and they knew it. Pharaoh said: It really does not befit us to pursue Israel, but the silver and gold that they took warrants it. When some of the people saw that (only) a small part of their possessions had been taken, they said: What will we gain by pursuing them? When Pharaoh saw this, he said: We will all share equally in the spoils, as it says, "I shall divide the spoils." And, what is more, I shall open up the treasure stores — silver, gold, precious stones and jewels — and I will distribute them to you.
דָּבָר אַחֵר: "אָמַר אוֹיֵב", זֶה פַרְעֹה, וְלֹא יָדַע מָה אָמַר. (משלי טז,א) "לְאָדָם מַעַרְכֵי לֵב, וּמֵה' מַעֲנֵה לָשׁוֹן." 'נִרְדֹּף, נַשִּׂיג, נְחַלֵּק' אֵין כָּתוּב כָּן, אֶלָּא "אֶרְדֹּף, אַשִּׂיג", אֵרָדֵף, אֻסַּג: מֻרְדָּף אֲנִי לָהֶם, מֻתְפָּשׂ אֲנִי לָהֶם, 'נְחַלֵּק' אֵינוֹ אוֹמֵר כָּן, אֶלָּא "אֲחַלֵּק שָׁלָל": מְחֻלָּק הוּא שְׁלָלִי וּמָמוֹנִי לָהֶם. 'תִּמְלָאֵם' אֵינוֹ אוֹמֵר כָּן, אֶלָּא "תִּמְלָאֵמוֹ נַפְשִׁי", מְמַלְּאִין הֵן נַפְשָׁן מִמֶּנִּי. 'תּוֹרִישֵׁם יָדִי' אֵינוֹ אוֹמֵר כָּן, אֶלָּא "תּוֹרִישֵׁמוֹ יָדִי", מוֹרִישׁ אֲנִי עָשְׁרִי וּכְבוֹדִי לָהֶם.
"The foe (Pharaoh) said": And he did not know what he was saying, as it says, (Mishlei 16:1) "To a person are the musings of their heart, but to the L–rd is the meaning of the tongue." (He said:) "I shall pursue, I shall overtake, I shall divide," (but what he "meant" was) I shall be pursued by them, I shall be overtaken by them, my spoils and my wealth shall be divided by them. It is not written "My soul shall be filled with them," but "My soul shall fill them" — They shall fill themselves with it. It is not written "torishem" ("My hand shall inherit them"), but "torishemo" — I shall bequeath my wealth and glory to them.
שָׁלֹשׁ כִּתּוֹת נֶעֱשׂוּ מִצְרָיִם עַל יִשְׂרָאֵל עַל הַיָּם: אַחַת אוֹמֶרֶת 'נִטֹּל מָמוֹנָם וְלֹא נַהַרְגֵם', וְאַחַת אוֹמֶרֶת 'נַהַרְגֵם וְלֹא נִטֹּל מָמוֹנָם', וְאַחַת אוֹמֶרֶת 'נַהַרְגֵם וְנִטֹּל מָמוֹנָם'. זוֹ שֶׁאוֹמֶרֶת 'נִטֹּל מָמוֹנָם וְלֹא נַהַרְגֵם', "אֲחַלֵּק שָׁלָל"; זוֹ שֶׁאוֹמֶרֶת 'נַהַרְגֵם וְלֹא נִטֹּל מָמוֹנָם', "תִּמְלָאֵמוֹ נַפְשִׁי"; זוֹ שֶׁאוֹמֶרֶת 'נַהַרְגֵם וְנִטֹּל מָמוֹנָם', "תּוֹרִישֵׁמוֹ יָדִי."
The Egyptians comprised three factions at the sea: One said: Let us take their money and not kill them; a second: Let us kill them and not take their money; the third: Let us kill them and take their money. Regarding those who said: Let us take their money and not kill them — "I shall divide spoil." Regarding those who said: Let us kill them and not take their money — "I shall fill my soul with them." Regarding those who said: Let us kill them and take their money — "My hand shall impoverish them."
The Torah: A Women's Commentary on Exodus 15:9
I will divide the spoil. An incentive for battle is often the booty gathered by the victors. This phrase probably implies the taking of humans as well as goods, since conquering soldiers took nubile women as spil (see Judges 5:30). Young female captives were esepcially prized for the reproductive and labor potential, for the mortality rates for women due to death in chidlbirth meant a shortage of wives.
Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch on Exodus 15:9
These very floods had, at God's behest, towered back (v. 8), to clear the path of Salvation! And (v. 9), the enemy imagined that he could use this very path to bring his sinister intentions to a successful conclusion! The enemy saw in this sudden emergence of a dry path in teh midst of the sea a natural phenomenon, which could serve the needs of the pursuer as it served the pursued.
Here, too, it says "enemy" and not "the enemy," to teach us that this is the way of all such enemies of God, the likes of Pharaoh: they refuse to belive that nature obediently heeds the bidding of the Creator, Who uses nature as an instruemtn of God's freely determined justice.