Pharaoh Drew Near and Israel Took Up the Prayer of the Fathers

"And Pharaoh drew near" (Exodus 14:10). Another interpretation: he brought the punishment near to come upon himself. Another interpretation: "And Pharaoh drew near." What Israel covered in three days, the overseers covered in a day and a half; and what the overseers covered in a day and a half, Pharaoh covered in one day. Behold: the second day of the week, the third, and the fourth. At the end of the fourth day, which was the twentieth, Pharaoh brought near his gifts, and the cloud and the darkness were all the night of the twenty-first, which was the night of the fifth day and the seventh night of Passover, and in the morning watch the Egyptians were drowned, as it is said, "And it came to pass in the morning watch that the LORD looked forth upon the camp of the Egyptians" (Exodus 14:24). Another interpretation: "And Pharaoh drew near, and the children of Israel lifted up their eyes." Because they had struck the overseers, they knew that in the end they would pursue after them. "And behold, Egypt was journeying after them." It is not written here "were journeying" but "was journeying after them." Scripture tells that they became as troops upon troops as one man; and from them the kingdom learned to march as troops upon troops. "And the children of Israel cried out to the LORD." They seized the craft of their fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Of Abraham it says, "with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east, and there he built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD" (Genesis 12:8). Of Isaac it says, "And Isaac went out to meditate in the field" (Genesis 24:63), and meditation means none other than prayer, as it is said, "may my meditation be sweet to him" (Psalms 104:34), and it says, "evening and morning and noon I will meditate" (Psalms 55:18), and it says, "a prayer of the afflicted when he is faint and pours out his meditation before the LORD" (Psalms 102:1). Of Jacob it says, "And he lighted upon the place" (Genesis 28:11), and lighting upon means none other than prayer, as it is said, "and you, do not pray for this people, nor lift up cry or prayer for them, nor entreat me" (Jeremiah 7:16); and it says, "Fear not, you worm Jacob, you men of Israel" (Isaiah 41:14) — as this worm strikes the cedars only with its mouth, so Israel have nothing but prayer; and it says, "which I took from the hand of the Amorite with my sword and with my bow" (Genesis 48:22). And did he take it with his sword and his bow? Has it not already been said, "for not in my bow do I trust, nor will my sword save me" (Psalms 44:7)? What then does "with my sword and with my bow" teach? This is prayer. And so it says, "Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, and whose trust the LORD is" (Jeremiah 17:7) — this is prayer; and it says, "Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his arm, and whose heart turns from the LORD" (Jeremiah 17:5) — this is [the abandonment of] prayer. Of Judah it is said, "Hear, LORD, the voice of Judah" (Deuteronomy 33:7). Of David it says, "You come to me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied" (I Samuel 17:45); and it says, "These trust in chariots and these in horses, but we will call upon the name of the LORD our God; they are bowed down and fallen, but we are risen and stand upright" (Psalms 20:8-9). Of Asa it says, "And Asa cried to the LORD his God and said: LORD, there is none beside you to help between the mighty and the powerless; help us, O LORD our God, for on you we rely, and in your name we have come against this multitude; O LORD, you are our God, let not man prevail against you" (II Chronicles 14:10). Of Moses it says, "And Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom" (Numbers 20:14): he said to him, You take pride in what your father bequeathed you, "the voice is the voice of Jacob" (Genesis 27:22) — "and he heard our voice" (Numbers 20:16); and we take pride in what our father bequeathed us, "and the hands are the hands of Esau" and "by your sword you shall live" (Genesis 27:40); whence "And Edom said to him, You shall not pass through me, lest I come out against you with the sword" (Numbers 20:18). Here too you say, "And the children of Israel cried out to the LORD": they seized the craft of their fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.