דברים, פרק ז׳, פסוק כ״ג

The promise of victory over the inhabitants of the land does not rely on the military strength of the Israelites alone, but rather on a profound divine intervention designed to break the enemy's spirit and collapse their systems. The conflict begins as the opposing nations gather and brace themselves for battle [מלבי״ם, העמק דבר]. Yet, this very gathering is what allows God to strike them in a single, devastating blow. By hitting them while they are united, God instills a deep terror that prevents them from ever banding together again [מלבי״ם]. This assurance serves to calm the Israelites; even though the actual conquest of the land will happen gradually, the initial strike will be so harsh that any surviving enemies will be left few in number and severely weakened [הטור הארוך].

The exact nature of this divine strike is understood in different ways. The primary approach among commentators is that God inflicts a state of intense confusion and disorientation directly upon the enemy ranks [רש״י, שד״ל, נתינה לגר, ביאור יש״ר, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Alternatively, rather than an internal mental confusion, the intervention takes the form of a terrifying external sound. In this view, God thunders a massive, deafening noise of war over them, causing panic through sheer terror [רשב״ם]. Whether through mental disruption or a terrifying uproar, this divine panic mirrors the way God struck the Egyptians at the Red Sea, where He confused their camp and tore the wheels from their chariots [בעל הטורים]. Ultimately, this overwhelming chaos leads to their complete downfall, specifically ensuring the absolute destruction of the enemy's warriors [העמק דבר].