AND HE SAID: I WILL CERTAINLY RETURN UNTO THEE WHEN THE SEASON COMETH ROUND, ETC. R. Isaac said: ‘Instead of “I will return”, we should have expected here “he will return”, since the visitation of barren women is in the hand of the Almighty Himself and not in the hand of any messenger,
according to the dictum: “Three keys there are which have not been entrusted to any messenger, namely, of child-birth, of the resurrection, and of rain.” But the truth is that the words “I will return” were spoken by the Holy One, blessed be He, who was present there.
This is corroborated by the use here of the term vayomer (and he said). For it is to be observed that wherever the verb vayomer (and he said), or vayiqra (and he called), occurs without a subject, then the implied subject is the Angel of the Covenant and no other. Examples are: “And he said, If thou wilt diligently hearken etc.” (Ex. 15, 26); also: “And he called unto Moses” (Lev. 1, 1); also: “And unto Moses he said” (Ex. 24, 1). In all these passages, as well as in our present passage, the unspecified subject of the sentence is the Angel of the Covenant.
וַיֹּאמֶר שׁוֹב אָשׁוּב אֵלֶיךָ כָּעֵת חַיָּה. אָמַר רַבִּי יִצְחָק שׁוֹב אָשׁוּב, שׁוֹב יָשׁוּב מִבָּעֵי לֵיהּ, דְּהָא מַפְתְחָא דָּא לְמִפְקַד עֲקָרוֹת בִּידָא דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא אִיהוּ וְלָא בִּידָא דִּשְׁלִיחָא אָחֳרָא.
AND HE SAID: I WILL CERTAINLY RETURN UNTO THEE WHEN THE SEASON COMETH ROUND, ETC. R. Isaac said: ‘Instead of “I will return”, we should have expected here “he will return”, since the visitation of barren women is in the hand of the Almighty Himself and not in the hand of any messenger,
כְּמָה דְּתָנִינָן תְּלַת מַפְתְּחָן אִנּוּן דְּלָא אִתְמְסָרוּ בִּידָא דִּשְׁלִיחָא. דְּחַיָּה וּתְחִיַּת הַמֵּתִים וּגְשָׁמִים. וְהוֹאִיל דְּלָא אִתְמְסָרוּ בִּידָא דִשְׁלִיחָא אַמַּאי כְּתִיב שׁוֹב אָשׁוּב. אֶלָּא וַדַּאי קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא דְּהֲוָה קָאִים עֲלַיְיהוּ אָמַר (ליה) מִלָּה, בְגִין כָּךְ כְּתִיב וַיֹּאמֶר שׁוֹב אָשׁוּב אֵלֶיךָ.
according to the dictum: “Three keys there are which have not been entrusted to any messenger, namely, of child-birth, of the resurrection, and of rain.” But the truth is that the words “I will return” were spoken by the Holy One, blessed be He, who was present there.
וְתָּא חֲזֵי, בְּכָל אֲתַר דִּכְתִיב וַיֹּאמֶר סְתָם אוֹ וַיִּקְרָא סְתָם הוּא מַלְאָכָא דִּבְרִית וְלָא אָחֳרָא. וַיֹּאמֶר דִּכְתִיב, (שמות ט״ו:כ״ו) וַיֹּאמֶר אִם שָׁמֹעַ תִּשְׁמַע וְגו' וַיֹּאמֶר וְלָא קָאֲמַר מַאן הוּא. וַיִּקְרָא דִּכְתִיב, (ויקרא א׳:א׳) וַיִּקְרָא אֶל משֶׁה וְלָא קָאֲמַר מַאן הֲוָה. אָמַר דִּכְתִיב, (שמות כ״ד:ט״ז) וְאֶל משֶׁה אָמַר וְגו' וְלָא אָמַר מַאן הֲוָה. (אוף הכי דכתיב ויאמר שוב אשוב ויאמר סתם ולא קאמר מאן הוה) אֶלָּא בְּכָל הַנֵּי מַלְאָכָא דִּבְרִית הֲוָה וְכֹלָּא בְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא אִתְּמָר. וּבְגִין כָּךְ כְּתִיב וַיֹּאמֶר שׁוֹב אָשׁוּב אֵלֶיךָ וְגו'. וְהִנֵּה בֵן וְגו':
This is corroborated by the use here of the term vayomer (and he said). For it is to be observed that wherever the verb vayomer (and he said), or vayiqra (and he called), occurs without a subject, then the implied subject is the Angel of the Covenant and no other. Examples are: “And he said, If thou wilt diligently hearken etc.” (Ex. 15, 26); also: “And he called unto Moses” (Lev. 1, 1); also: “And unto Moses he said” (Ex. 24, 1). In all these passages, as well as in our present passage, the unspecified subject of the sentence is the Angel of the Covenant.