שמות, פרק ט״ו, פסוק ה׳

The final moments of Pharaoh's army unfold through vivid and powerful imagery, capturing the sheer force of the water and the sudden, absolute plunge of the warriors into the ocean abyss. The depths of the sea represent a place of utter darkness and disappearance, a profound void where anyone who falls is completely lost from sight [אבן עזרא, רלב״ג, שד״ל].

The primary approach among commentators is that the rising waters simply surged over the heads of the horses and riders. Even the most skilled swimmers lost their ability to stay afloat and were thrust downward [העמק דבר, אור החיים]. Others paint a more dramatic picture, suggesting that the towering, frozen walls of water suddenly shattered. These massive, heavy blocks of ice and water crashed down directly onto the Egyptians, driving them forcefully to the ocean floor [מלבי״ם, ביאור יש״ר]. Another perspective describes the Egyptians tumbling uncontrollably down a steep underwater slope, rolling from the shallow edges of the sea into its darkest trenches [אלשיך]. Alternatively, the gathering waters served a specific purpose: to collect all the scattered bodies into one concentrated area and cool them. This preserved their features from the harsh sun and sea life, allowing the Israelites to clearly see and identify the very people who had hunted them [שפתי כהן].

The unfolding events are described with a sense of immediate action, using a future tense to describe an event that already occurred. This poetic style paints the scene as if it is happening right now, bringing the reader directly into the moment [שד״ל, קאסוטו]. It also points to the exact sequence of events, showing that God first cast the Egyptians down, and only afterward did the waters rush back to cover them [רש״י]. Even the sound of the narrative adds to the atmosphere. A unique, deep vowel sound is used in the description, specifically designed to make the listener hear and feel the heavy darkness and the long fall into the abyss [שד״ל].

The imagery of the warriors sinking like a stone highlights a moment of miraculous divine intervention. Strong riders and swift horses lost all their natural agility, plummeting into the depths with the sudden, inescapable weight of a rock [העמק דבר]. This comparison is part of a broader pattern of justice. The Egyptians are also compared to floating straw and sinking lead, reflecting different levels of punishment from God based on their individual wickedness. The most cruel and wicked among them suffered a slow, agonizing death, tossed about on the surface of the water like straw. The least wicked received a mercifully quick death, dropping instantly to the bottom like heavy lead. Those with an average level of guilt sank at a moderate speed, plunging downward like a stone [רש״י, תולדות יצחק, צאינה וראינה].