Study Sotah folio 31A with parallel Hebrew-English text, traditional commentary, and modern study tools. Free access to Babylonian Talmud online.
“In full assemblies, bless God, YHWH, you that are from the source of Israel” (Psalms 68:27), indicating that even children that are in the “source,” i.e., their mother’s womb, blessed God when they gathered at the sea.
The Talmud asks: But the fetuses could not see, so how could they have honestly said: “This is my God and I will glorify him”? R' Tanḥum says: Their mother’s stomach was transformed for them like luminous crystal [aspaklarya], and they saw through it.
§ On that same day R' Yehoshua ben Hyrcanus taught that Job served God only out of love, as it is stated: “Though He will slay me, still I will trust in Him [lo]” (Job 13:15). The Mishnah continues that the word lo in the verse is ambiguous as to whether it is indicative of Job expressing his yearni
The Talmud counters: But is it true that anywhere that the word lo is written lamed alef, its meaning is: Not? If that is so, then in the verse: “In all their affliction He was [lo] afflicted” (Isaiah 63:9), where the word lo is written lamed alef, so too, does it mean: Not, i.e., God was not aff
And if you would say that indeed that is the meaning of the verse, but isn’t it written in the continuation of that same verse: “And the angel of His Presence saved them,” which clearly indicates that God was concerned with their afflictions? Evidently, the word lo in that verse means: “In all thei