Why does it say "Rafsah Damesek"?
Rashi: They were too soft to fight.
Radak: They could not stand against the enemy.
Malbim: This is what they heard (verse 23), that Damesek was soft and wanted to flee.
Did Anshei Damesek flee?
Radak (25): Yes.
Abarvenel, Malbim: They wanted to, but they were unable, for trembling seized them.
What is "Retet"?
Rashi: It is trembling. Radak - this is like Reses.
Why does it say "Achazatah" (feminine singular)? It applies also to "Chavalim" (masculine plural)!
Radak: When the subject is a male and female, the verb is conjugated like the one that is adjacent to the verb, e.g. "va'Tdaber Miryam v'Aharon" (Bamidbar 12:1), "va'Tichtov Esther
However, it says "Nitach Api va'Chamasi" (42:18), for then the verb is next to the masculine subject. (PF)
What were the "Chavalim ka'Yoledah"?
Malbim: The fortress was captured and the Am was killed. The Navi always metaphorically calls this a Yoledes, who expels the matters (fetuses) in her full womb.
