דברים, פרק י״א, פסוק ד׳

The destruction of the Egyptian empire at the Red Sea was far more than a momentary loss of soldiers. It was a crushing blow with lasting military and societal consequences that echoed for decades. The miraculous way the water overcame such a powerful army left an impact that fundamentally altered the nation's future.

The floodwaters rose rapidly to the surface, striking the Egyptians with immense physical force. This sudden surge either knocked them backward onto their faces [רש״ר הירש] or entirely submerged them from above [ביאור יש״ר]. Taking a different perspective, some suggest that the water itself became the active pursuer. It was as though the sea was granted sudden wisdom and cunning, acting deliberately to fulfill the will of its Creator and drown those chasing the Israelites [חזקוני, מנחת שי].

A central question arises regarding the ongoing nature of this destruction. Since those who drown are naturally dead forever, it seems unusual to emphasize that their ruin continued into the present day [רמב״ן, טור הארוך]. The primary approach among commentators is that this ongoing defeat refers to Egypt's military and national power rather than the individual soldiers. The total loss of their horses and chariots reduced Egypt to a weak and helpless state. Even forty years after the splitting of the sea, the nation had not recovered. They remained completely subdued and were unable to rebuild an army capable of fighting the Israelites [רמב״ן, ספורנו, העמק דבר, בכור שור, רש״ר הירש, ביאור יש״ר, צפנת פענח].

Beyond the military defeat, there was a profound loss of an entire generation. God ensured that the following generation of Egyptians did not rise to replace their fathers, leaving no capable sons to fill the ranks of the fallen [אבן עזרא, ספורנו, טור הארוך]. From a broader perspective, the enduring nature of this defeat serves as a message for all future generations. Because the Torah is eternal, readers in any era can look back at this event and recognize that the dramatic consequences of God's intervention remain absolute and unbroken from that moment onward [אם למקרא].