The Egyptians drowned at the Red Sea — but they also received burial. The Mekhilta asks the obvious question: in what merit were the Egyptians granted burial? They had enslaved Israel for generations, murdered Hebrew children, and pursued the freed slaves with murderous intent. Why would God grant them the dignity of a grave?
The answer traces back to a single sentence spoken by Pharaoh himself. (Exodus 9:27) records the moment: "The Lord is the righteous one, and I and my people are the wicked ones." In the midst of the hailstorm — the seventh plague — Pharaoh made a confession. He acknowledged God's justice. He admitted his own wickedness. For one brief, honest moment, he told the truth.
The Holy One Blessed be He responded: "If you have vindicated the Lord's judgment of you, I shall not withhold your reward and I will give you a place of burial." One honest sentence earned the Egyptians the dignity of being swallowed by the earth rather than left to rot on the surface of the waters. The verse "You inclined Your right hand — the earth swallowed them up" is thus not a description of destruction alone, but of mercy within destruction.
This teaching from the Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael (Tractate Shirah 9:2) reveals God's exacting fairness. Even the wicked receive reward for their moments of truth. Even Pharaoh's fleeting honesty earned a return. No good deed — not even one spoken by an enemy — goes unrecognized.