ויספו השטרים. לָמָּה נֶאֱמַר כָּאן ויספו? מוֹסִיפִין זֶה עַל דִּבְרֵי הַכֹּהֵן, שֶׁהַכֹּהֵן מְדַבֵּר וּמַשְׁמִיעַ מִן שמע ישראל עַד להושיע אתכם, וּמִי הָאִישׁ וְשֵׁנִי וּשְׁלִישִׁי כֹּהֵן מְדַבֵּר וְשׁוֹטֵר מַשְׁמִיעַ, וְזֶה שׁוֹטֵר מְדַבֵּר וְשׁוֹטֵר מַשְׁמִיעַ (סוטה מ"ג): ויספו השטרים AND THE BAILIFFS [SHALL SPEAK] FURTHER [UNTO THE PEOPLE] — Why does it here state: they shall speak further unto the people? The meaning is that they added this to the words of the priest, for the priest spoke and proclaimed from שמע ישראל (v. 3) to להושיע אתכם (end of 5:4), whilst the paragraphs beginning with מי האיש (v. 5) and with the second מי האיש (v. 6) and with the third מי האיש (v. 7) the priest said quietly and the officers proclaimed. This paragraph, the officers spoke and proclaimed, so that Scripture rightly introduces this last part by the word ויספו השוטרים (Sotah 43a).
הירא ורך הלבב. רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא אוֹמֵר כְּמַשְׁמָעוֹ, שֶׁאֵינוֹ יָכוֹל לַעֲמֹד בְּקִשְׁרֵי הַמִּלְחָמָה וְלִרְאוֹת חֶרֶב שְׁלוּפָה; רַבִּי יוֹסֵי הַגְּלִילִי אוֹמֵר הַיָּרֵא מֵעֲבֵרוֹת שֶׁבְּיָדוֹ, וּלְכָךְ תָּלְתָה לוֹ תוֹרָה לַחֲזֹר עַל בַּיִת וְכֶרֶם וְאִשָּׁה, לְכַסּוֹת עַל הַחוֹזְרִים בִּשְׁבִיל עֲבֵרוֹת שֶׁבְּיָדָם שֶׁלֹּא יָבִינוּ שֶׁהֵם בַּעֲלֵי עֲבֵרָה, וְהָרוֹאֵהוּ חוֹזֵר אוֹמֵר שֶׁמָּא בָּנָה בַיִת אוֹ נָטַע כֶּרֶם אוֹ אֵרַשׂ אִשָּׁה (סוטה מ"ד): הירא ורך הלבב [WHAT MAN IS THERE] WHO IS FEARFUL AND FAINT-HEARTED — Rabbi Akiba said, Take these words as what they literally imply; they mean that he cannot stand in the dense ranks of battle and look on a naked sword. Rabbi Jose, the Galilean, said that it means one who is afraid of the sins he has committed, and therefore Scripture gave him the opportunity of attributing his return home to his house, his vineyard, or his wife, in order to veil the motives of those who really returned because of the sins they had committed, so that people should not know they were great sinners, and whoever saw a person returning would say, “Perhaps he has built a house, or planted a vineyard or betrothed a wife” (Sotah 44a).