Ramban

WILT THOU SPEAK TO KILL ME? “From here we learn that Moses had killed the Egyptian by merely pronouncing the Tetragrammaton.” or Shem Hamyuchad) is the Proper Name of G-d. It consists of four Hebrew letters, the utterance of which is now forbidden. It is translated here as the Eternal. By pronouncing this Name, Moses needed no weapon to accomplish his purpose of bringing about the deserved death of the Egyptian. Thus the language of Rashi, and it is also a Midrash of our Rabbis. But I wonder. If so, who told the wicked one [Moses] said to the wicked one, ‘Why do you smite thy fellow?’ that Moses killed him? Perhaps Moses placed his hands upon the Egyptian and cursed him in the Name of G-d, [and the Hebrew who was now quarrelling with Moses saw him doing that]. This would explain the term vayach (‘and he smote’ the Egyptian). (II Kings 19:35). Now just as in that case vayach does not signify a physical act of striking by hand but rather the inflicting of defeat by supernatural power, so also here in the case of Moses. (Bachya.) It may be that because the Egyptian had fallen dead before him [after he had pronounced the Tetragrammaton over him], Moses feared that they may report him and so he buried the Egyptian in the sand. The Hebrew who saw him doing that reckoned that Moses had caused [the Egyptian’s death somehow, even though he did not know that he had killed him by pronouncing the Tetragrammaton]. Perhaps he thought Moses had killed him by the sword, as he saw only the burial. In line with the plain meaning of Scripture, scholars say. that the expression, wilt thou ‘omer’ (speak), means “think,” since we find amirah (speaking) referring to the thought of the heart. I said in my heart; I say, that an untimely birth is better than he., 6:3. It is obvious that Ramban’s intent in selecting these two verses from the Book of Ecclesiastes is to show that the term amirah (saying) as such is equivalent to amirah b’leiv (speaking in one’s heart). Hence the Book of Ecclesiastes uses them interchangeably. But here there is no need for this, for [the intent of the Hebrew’s words to Moses] is as follows: “Who made thee a ruler and a judge over us? Is it because thou dost desire to kill me as thou didst kill the Egyptian that thou reprovest me and sayest, ‘Why smitest thou thy fellow?’” alludes to that which Moses had said in Verse 13: Why smitest thou thy fellow? The Hebrew thus said to Moses: “Is it because you desire to kill me as you killed the Egyptian that you reproved me by saying, ‘Why do you smite your fellow?’”