I Have Seen. Seen.

(6) and continued, “I am the God of your father’s [house]—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.(7) And God continued, “I have marked well the plight of My people in Egypt and have heeded their outcry because of their taskmasters; yes, I am mindful of their sufferings.(8) I have come down to rescue them from the Egyptians and to bring them out of that land to a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey, the region of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.(9) Now the cry of the Israelites has reached Me; moreover, I have seen how the Egyptians oppress them.(10) Come, therefore, I will send you to Pharaoh, and you shall free My people, the Israelites, from Egypt.” (NJPS)

I have surely seen (OJPS)

I've seen (Richard Elliott Friedman)

I indeed have seen (Robert Alter)

I have seen (new Koren by R. Jonathan Sacks)

I have seen, yes, (Everett Fox)

I have seen, seen (William Propp, Anchor Bible)

Why do you think the Torah here uses this emphatic construction?

ראה ראיתי את עני עמי, “I have indeed seen the plight of My people.” ... The meaning of the words ראה ראיתי is “indeed I have seen, taken notice.” Whenever a phrase is repeated (as it is here), and as we find in the expression ascend we shall ascend (Num. 13:30) or able we will be able (ibid.), or I know, my son, I know (Gen. 48:19), it is similar to (the use of the word) "indeed," indicating that it is true in spite of evidence or claims to the contrary.

How would you describe Sforno's approach, in one word?

Why might Sforno suggest that this form was used here?

[I HAVE SURELY SEEN.] Its meaning is: I have seen that which people do not see, namely, the violence that is done to them secretly.

How would you describe ibn Ezra's approach in one word?

What do you think he means by "the violence that is done to them secretly"?

What lesson(s) could you teach based on this?

I have seen... Two "seeings." One is that they killed Israel and Pharaoh bathed in their blood. The other is that they used babies in place of bricks.

What is the relationship between the two visions here?

Let us now turn our attention to Hashem’s statement to Moshe. We bring out the meaning of the statement through an analogy. If we see a person hit someone with force, we can readily recognize from what we saw the pain that the victim suffered. But if we see a person give someone just a light slap, the pain inflicted is not immediately obvious. The victim may be an eminent person and the assaulter a lowly person, in which case, the victim will be deeply hurt: As the Mishnah says (Bava Kamma 8:1), the damages for embarrassment caused by an assault vary according to the stature of the assaulter and the victim. But if we did not know the people involved, we would not know of the victim’s pain simply by seeing the scene. We would recognize the victim’s pain only by hearing his cry of indignation: “Oy! That I should be slapped by such a scoundrel!” The ear gathers additional information not gathered by the eye.

Furthermore, in some cases even the victim himself does not recognize the full gravity of the offense committed against him – others, who are more aware of the stature of the victim’s family, may well recognize it better. Thus, an assault potentially involves three levels of damage: the physical pain, the embarrassment that the victim himself feels, and the affront to the victim’s honor that others recognize.

Hashem’s statement to Moshe encompasses all three of these levels. I have indeed seen the affliction of My people who are in Egypt – this refers to the physical pain that the Jews suffered from the crushing burden of labor they bore and the beatings inflicted on them. And I have heard their screams on account of their taskmasters – this refers to the humiliation the Jews felt over being oppressed by people as lowly as the Egyptians. For I have known of their sufferings – this refers to the degree of affront to the Jews that Hashem alone recognized, beyond the humiliation that they themselves felt.

(2) “The Lord said: I have seen My people’s affliction that is in Egypt, and I have heard their outcry because of their taskmasters, as I know their pain” (Exodus 3:7).
“The Lord said: I have seen My people’s affliction” – that is what is written: “For He knows vain men [metei shav]” (Job 11:11); The Holy One blessed be He knows the people who die [metim] to perform vanity. Alternatively, The Holy One blessed be He knows the people who are destined to perform vanity and be killed, as it is stated: “Your men [metayikh] will fall by the sword” (Isaiah 3:25).
In contrast, “He sees iniquity but does not consider it” (Job 11:11). How so? You find that at the moment that Hagar left Abraham’s house, she and her son, what is written? “The water in the skin finished…she went and sat down at a distance” (Genesis 21:15–16). Rabbi Berekhya said: She began reproaching Heaven; she said: ‘Master of the universe, yesterday You said to me: “I will multiply your descendants,” and today he is dying.’ Immediately, “the angel of God called to Hagar” (Genesis 21:17). Rabbi Simon said: The ministering angels sought to denounce him [Ishmael]. They said before Him: ‘Master of the universe, a person who is destined to cause your children to die of thirst,4The reference is unclear. Possibly it refers to the story in Lamentations Rabba 2:4 in which the Ishmaelites caused refugees from Nebuchadnezzar to die of thirst. are You bringing up a well for him? It is proper to bring it up for six hundred thousand who are destined to recite before You: “This is my God and I will glorify Him”’ (Exodus 15:2). He said to them: ‘Now, is he righteous or wicked’? They said before Him: ‘He is righteous.’ He said to them: ‘I only judge a person at his time.’5Although God perceives future sins, He judges only those actions already performed. Therefore it is written: “He sees iniquity but does not consider it.”
Likewise, when Israel was in Egypt, The Holy One blessed be He saw what they were destined to do; that is what is written: “The Lord said: I have seen [ra’o ra’iti].” It does not say ra’iti, but rather, ra’o ra’iti.6That is, the verb is doubled, combining the absolute infinitive ra’o with the first person past ra’iti, meaning ‘I have seen.’This formulation is common in Biblical Hebrew and is often understood to indicate emphasis. Nevertheless, the midrash takes the opportunity to expound the double verb. The Holy One blessed be He said to Moses: ‘You see one sight but I see two sights. You see them arriving at Sinai and receiving My Torah, and I see them receiving My Torah, that is ra’o; [but I also see] ra’iti, that is the sight of the deed of the calf, as it is stated; “I have seen [ra’iti] this people” (Exodus 32:9). When I come to Sinai to give them the Torah, I descend in my tatramoli,7A quadriga, a chariot drawn by four animals abreast. The allusion is to the divine chariot depicted in Ezekiel 1. and they look at me and remove one of them8One of the creatures depicted in the divine chariot in Ezekiel is a bull. and anger me with it. Nevertheless, I am not judging them on the basis of the actions that they are destined to do but rather according to the situation now. For I have heard their cry, even though I know their pain that they are destined to cause.’ That is ra’ora’iti.
What is: “As I know their pain?” I know how much they are destined to pain Me in the wilderness,9The midrash is interpreting makhovav, “its pain,” to refer to pain inflicted by Israel, rather than pain they experienced. as it is stated: “How often did they defy Him in the wilderness, and aggrieve Him in the wasteland” (Psalms 78:40). Nevertheless, I will not refrain from delivering them. Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman said: Otniel ben Kenaz argued this matter before the Holy One blessed be He. He said: ‘Master of the universe, this is what you promised to Moses, whether they do Your will or they do not do Your will, you deliver them, as it is stated: “The spirit of the Lord was upon him, and he judged Israel”’10This is a reference to Otniel ben Kenaz. (Judges 3:10). Therefore, it is written: “As I know their pain.” Nevertheless, I will deliver them.