English: Rav and Shmuel disagree. One said [it was] a new [king] in the literal sense; the other said that his decrees were renewed.
On the daf / in context: See the cited source for the full section.
Type of Learning
Custom — dispute over the plain sense of “new” versus a midrashic reading of renewed decrees.
What Is Learned
Chazal leave open whether a literally new Pharaoh arose or whether the existing ruler adopted a new, hostile policy. Either reading explains the sudden oppression.