הָבָה נִתְחַכְּמָה לוֹ לֹא רָאָה פַּרְעֹה וְחַכְמֵי יוֹעֲצָיו לְהַכּוֹתָם בַּחֶרֶב, כִּי תִהְיֶה בְּגִידָה גְּדוֹלָה לְהַכּוֹת חִנָּם הָעָם אֲשֶׁר בָּאוּ בָּאָרֶץ בְּמִצְוַת הַמֶּלֶךְ הָרִאשׁוֹן. וְגַם עַם הָאָרֶץ לֹא יִתְּנוּ רְשׁוּת לַמֶּלֶךְ לַעֲשׂוֹת חָמָס כָּזֶה, כִּי עִמָּהֶם הוּא מִתְיַעֵץ, וְאַף כִּי בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל עַם רַב וְעָצוּם וְיַעֲשׂוּ עִמָּהֶם מִלְחָמָה גְּדוֹלָה. אֲבָל אָמַר שֶׁיַּעֲשׂוּ דֶּרֶךְ חָכְמָה שֶׁלֹּא יַרְגִּישׁוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל כִּי בְּאֵיבָה יַעֲשׂוּ בָּהֶם, וּלְכָךְ הֵטִיל בָּהֶם מַס, כִּי דֶּרֶךְ הַגֵּרִים בָּאָרֶץ לְהַעֲלוֹת מַס לַמֶּלֶךְ כְּמוֹ שֶׁבָּא בִּשְׁלֹמֹה (מלכים א ט':כ"א):
וְאַחֲרֵי כֵּן צִוָּה בַּסֵּתֶר לַמְיַלְּדֹת לַהֲרֹג הַזְּכָרִים עַל הָאָבְנָיִם, וַאֲפִלּוּ הַיּוֹלְדוֹת עַצְמָן לֹא יָדְעוּ בָּהֶם וְאַחֲרֵי כֵּן צִוָּה לְכָל עַמּוֹ כָּל הַבֵּן הַיִּלּוֹד הַיְאֹרָה תַּשְׁלִיכֻהוּ אַתֶּם. וְהָעִנְיָן שֶׁלֹּא רָצָה לְצַוּוֹת לְשָׂרֵי הַטַּבָּחִים אֲשֶׁר לוֹ לְהָרְגָם בְּחֶרֶב הַמֶּלֶךְ אוֹ שֶׁיַּשְׁלִיכוּ הֵם אוֹתָם לַיְאוֹר, אֲבָל אָמַר לָעָם כַּאֲשֶׁר יִמְצָא כָּל אֶחָד יֶלֶד יְהוּדִי יַשְׁלִיךְ אוֹתוֹ בַּיְאוֹר, וְאִם יִצְעַק אֲבִי הַיֶּלֶד אֶל הַמֶּלֶךְ אוֹ אֶל שַׂר הָעִיר יֹאמְרוּ שֶׁיָּבִיא עֵדִים וְיַעֲשֶׂה בּוֹ נְקָמָה. וְכַאֲשֶׁר הֻתְּרָה רְצוּעַת הַמֶּלֶךְ הָיוּ הַמִּצְרִים מְחַפְּשִׂים הַבָּתִּים וְנִכְנָסִים שָׁם בַּלֵּילוֹת וּמִתְנַכְּרִין וּמוֹצִיאִים הַיְלָדִים מִשָּׁם, כִּי עַל כֵּן נֶאֱמַר וְלֹא יָכְלָה עוֹד הַצְּפִינוֹ (שמות ב':ג'):
וְנִרְאֶה שֶׁעָמַד זֶה יָמִים מְעַטִּים, כִּי בְּלֶדֶת אַהֲרֹן לֹא הָיְתָה הַגְּזֵרָה, וּכְשֶׁנּוֹלַד מֹשֶׁה נִרְאֶה שֶׁנִּתְבַּטְּלָה, אוּלַי בַּת פַּרְעֹה בְּחָמְלָהּ עָלָיו אָמְרָה לְאָבִיהָ שֶׁלֹּא יַעֲשֶׂה כֵן, אוֹ כַּאֲשֶׁר נִשְׁמַע כִּי מֵאֵת הַמֶּלֶךְ נִהְיָה הַדָּבָר בִּטֵּל אוֹתוֹ, אוֹ שֶׁהָיָה עַל פִּי הָאִצְטַגְנִינוּת כְּדִבְרֵי רַבּוֹתֵינוּ (שמו"ר א כט), כִּי הַכֹּל הִתְחַכְּמוּת עֲלֵיהֶם שֶׁלֹּא יִוָּדַע הֶחָמָס וְזֶה טַעַם מַאֲמַר הָאוֹמְרִים לְמֹשֶׁה רַבֵּינוּ "אֲשֶׁר הִבְאַשְׁתֶּם אֶת רֵיחֵנוּ לָתֶת חֶרֶב בְּיָדָם" (שמות ה':כ"א), כִּי עַתָּה יוֹסִיפוּ בְּשִׂנְאָתָם אוֹתָנוּ, וְיִמְצְאוּ טַעֲנָה כִּי אֲנַחְנוּ מוֹרְדִים בַּמַּלְכוּת וְיַהַרְגוּ אוֹתָנוּ בַּחֶרֶב לְעֵינֵי הַכֹּל, לֹא יִצְטָרְכוּ עוֹד לַעֲשׂוֹת בְּמִרְמָה: COME, LET US DEAL WISELY WITH HIM. Pharaoh and his wise counsellors27See Isaiah 19:11. did not see fit to slay them by the sword, for it would have been a gross treachery to smite without reason a people that had come into the land by command of a former king. The people of the country also would not give the king consent to commit such perfidy since he took counsel with them,28As it says in Verse 9: And he said unto his people… and all the more so since the children of Israel were a numerous and mighty people and would wage a great war against them. Rather, Pharaoh said he would do it wisely so that the Israelites would not feel that it was done in enmity against them.
It is for this reason that he placed a levy upon them, as it was customary that strangers in a country contribute a levy to the king, as it is mentioned in the case of King Solomon.29II Chronicles 2:16-17. Afterwards he secretly commanded the midwives to kill the male children upon the birthstool30Verse 16. so that even the mothers should not know it. Following that, he charged all his people, Every son that is born, ye — yourselves — shall cast into the river.31Verse 22. Essentially, Pharaoh did not want to charge his executioners to slay them by the decree of the king or to cast them into the river. Rather, he said to the people that whoever would find a Jewish child should throw him into the river. Should the child’s father complain to the king or to the master of the city, they would tell him to bring witnesses and then they will exact vengeance [for the crime]. Now once the king’s restriction was removed,32Literally, “And when the king’s strap was untied.” In other words, when the government’s restraint against murder was removed, the Egyptians, etc. Ramban thus traces through the verses the gradual disintegration of the Israelites’ right to life in ancient Egypt. the Egyptians would search the houses, entering them at night, and indifferent [to the cries of the parents], would remove the children therefrom. It is therefore said, And when she could no longer hide him.33Further, 2:3.
It appears that this [decree to drown the Israelite children] lasted but a short time, for when Aaron was born [three years before Moses],34Ibid., 7:7. the decree was not yet in existence,35This would explain why his mother did not have to seek a way to preserve his life. and when [shortly after] Moses was born, it appears that the decree was revoked. Perhaps it was through Pharaoh’s daughter, who, in her compassion for the child Moses, said to her father that he should not act in that way. It may be that when it became known that this decree was enacted by the king, he revoked it, or again it may be that it was revoked on account of the astrologers, as is the opinion of the Rabbis,36“When Moses was thrown into the waters, the astrologers said to Pharaoh, ‘Their deliverer has already been cast into the waters.’ Immediately, they voided the decree” (Shemoth Rabbah 1:29). See also Rashi to Verse 22 here. since it was all done dexterously by them in order that the crime not be known. This is the meaning of the complaint made to Moses our teacher [by the officers of the children of Israel], Ye have made our savor to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to slay us,37Further, 5:21. meaning, “Now they will increase their hatred of us and find justification for saying that we rebel against the government, and they will then openly slay us by the sword without the necessity of doing it slyly.”
וְעָלָה מִן הָאָרֶץ עַל כָּרְחֵנוּ. וְרַבּוֹתֵינוּ דָּרְשׁוּ (סוטה יג שמו"ר א' ט') כְּאָדָם שֶׁמְּקַלֵּל עַצְמוֹ וְתוֹלֶה קִלְלָתוֹ בַּאֲחֵרִים, כְּאִלּוּ כָּתַב וְעָלִינוּ מִן הָאָרֶץ וְהֵם יִירָשׁוּהָ. לְשׁוֹן רַבֵּינוּ שְׁלֹמֹה. וְאִם כְּפֵרוּשׁ הָרַב הָיָה אוֹמֵר "וְעָלָה עַל הָאָרֶץ", כִּי כֵן הַלָּשׁוֹן בַּלּוֹחֲמִים: "עָלָה נְבוּכַדְנֶצַּר מֶלֶךְ בָּבֶל" (מלכים ב' כ"ד א'), "עַל כָּל עָרֵי יְהוּדָה הַבְּצֻרוֹת וַיִּלְכְּדֵם", "וַיִּתְפְּשֵׂם" (מלכים ב י"ח:י"ג), "עָלָה רְצִין מֶלֶךְ אֲרָם יְרוּשָׁלִַם לַמִּלְחָמָה" (ישעיה ז א). וְאוּלַי יֹאמַר וְעָלָה עָלֵינוּ מִן הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר הוּא יֹשֵׁב בָּהּ, יִרְמֹז לְאֶרֶץ גֹּשֶׁן:
וְיִתָּכֵן לְפָרֵשׁ שֶׁיֹּאמַר כִּי תִּקְרֶאנָה מִלְחָמוֹת יִהְיֶה נוֹסָף עַל שׂוֹנְאֵינוּ לִשְׁלֹל שָׁלָל וְלָבֹז בַּז, וְיַעֲלֶה לוֹ מִן הָאָרֶץ הַזֹּאת אֶל אֶרֶץ כְּנַעַן עִם כָּל אֲשֶׁר לָנוּ, וְלֹא נוּכַל אֲנַחְנוּ לִנְקֹם נִקְמָתֵנוּ מִמֶּנּוּ וּלְהִלָּחֵם בּוֹ וְהוּא כִּלְשׁוֹן "אֲשֶׁר הֶעֱלָנוּ מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם" (שמות ל"ב:א'), "אֲשֶׁר הֶעֱלָה וַאֲשֶׁר הֵבִיא אֶת זֶרַע בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל מֵאֶרֶץ צָפוֹנָה וּמִכֹּל הָאֲרָצוֹת" (ירמיה כג ח). וְכֵן "וְשָׂמוּ לָהֶם רֹאשׁ אֶחָד וְעָלוּ מִן הָאָרֶץ" (הושע ב ב), שֶׁיָּשִׂימוּ עֲלֵיהֶם רֹאשׁ וְעָלוּ לְאַרְצָם מִן הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר גָּלוּ בָּהּ: AND HE WILL GO UP ‘MIN’ (OUT OF) THE LAND. “I.e., ‘against our will.’ Our Rabbis explained that they spoke like a person who is pronouncing a curse against himself but assigns the curse to others. Thus it is as if Scripture wrote, ‘And we shall have to go up out of the land, and they will possess it.’” These are the words of Rashi. But if the explanation is as the Rabbi has it, [i.e., that the Israelites will go up to wage war against the Egyptians], Scripture would have said, “And he will go up al (against) the land,” [instead of saying min ha’aretz (out of the land)]. Such is the correct expression concerning warriors: Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up ‘al’ (against) all the fortified cities of Judah, and took them38Ramban here combined two verses: II Kings 24:1 and 18:13.; Rezin the king of Aram… went up to Jerusalem to war ‘aleha’ (against it).39Isaiah 7:1. Perhaps [Rashi will explain it by] saying that the meaning is that “he will come up against us from the land wherein he dwells,” meaning the land of Goshen.
It is possible to explain that Pharaoh is saying that “if wars will occur, the Israelites may join forces with our enemies to take the spoil, and to take the prey.40Ibid., 10:6. They will get themselves up out of this land to the land of Canaan with all our belongings, and we will not be able to wreak our vengeance on them nor to war against them.” This is similar to the verses: that brought us up out of the land of Egypt;41Further, 32:1. that brought up and that led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all the countries whither I had driven them.42Jeremiah 23:8. Similarly, the verse, And they shall appoint themselves one head, and shall go up out of the land,43Hosea 2:2. means they shall appoint over themselves a captain and they shall go up to their land out of the country in which they had been exiled.