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Splitting the Reed Sea
(כב) וַיָּבֹ֧אוּ בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל בְּת֥וֹךְ הַיָּ֖ם בַּיַּבָּשָׁ֑ה וְהַמַּ֤יִם לָהֶם֙ חֹמָ֔ה מִֽימִינָ֖ם וּמִשְּׂמֹאלָֽם׃
(22) and the Israelites went into the sea on dry ground, the waters forming a wall for them on their right and on their left.
וישקף. וַיַּבֵּט, כְּלוֹמַר פָּנָה אֲלֵיהֶם לְהַשְׁחִיתָם. וְתַרְגּוּמוֹ "וְאִסְתְּכִי" אַף הוּא לְשׁוֹן הַבָּטָה, כְּמוֹ "שְׂדֵה צוֹפִים", (במדבר כ"ג) – חֲקַל סָכוּתָא:
‎ וישקף means HE LOOKED, as much as to say, He turned towards them to destroy them (cf. Rashi on Genesis 18:16), and its rendering in the Targum, ואסתכי, is also an expression denoting looking, just as he translates (Numbers 23:14), “the field of the watchers (צפים)” by “the field of ,סכותא” which denotes “looking”.
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