1
מבלתי יכולת ה'. ויאמרו לא מחמת שנאה המיתם שהרי ראינו שהיה מחבבן בהיות אשר עין בעין וגו' אלא מבלתי יכולת ה' היה: 'מבלי יכולת ה, “because of the Lord’s inability, etc.” the surrounding nations would not interpret G–d’s wiping out the Israelites as an act of punishment, because they had angered Him, but as an admission of His inability to fulfill His promise to them to bring them to the Land of Canaan. After all the gentile nations had had ample opportunity to have seen how much G–d loved His people as was described in verse 14. Therefore the only explanation of the demise of the Jewish people they could accept would be His inability to make good on His promise.