שמות, פרק ט״ו, פסוק י״ד

The splitting of the Red Sea was not merely a local rescue mission; it was an event that shook the political and military foundations of the entire Middle East. News of the miracles performed by God quickly spread far beyond the borders of Egypt, casting a heavy shadow of dread over the surrounding nations. The primary approach among commentators is that the neighboring populations reacted immediately to the news, losing all sense of security. The events are described as unfolding right before the observer's eyes—the very moment the reports arrived, the nations began to violently tremble [רש״י, מזרחי, גור אריה, שפתי חכמים, שד״ל]. This reaction was one of profound shock and intense anxiety [שד״ל, רלב״ג]. Their deep terror stemmed from a simple, chilling realization: if a nation of former slaves could dismantle the mighty Egyptian empire, bring ruin upon Pharaoh, and walk away with vast wealth, absolutely no one would be able to stand in their way [שפתי כהן].

The narrative zeroes in on four specific nations: Philistia, Edom, Moab, and Canaan. Commentators offer different perspectives on why these particular groups are highlighted. One approach explains that these nations were situated directly along the route from Egypt to the Promised Land. Their panic was entirely practical, driven by the fear that the Israelites would soon march along their borders or conquer their territories entirely [אבן עזרא, שד״ל, מלבי״ם, קאסוטו]. Conversely, another perspective views these four nations as a global symbol. By representing the four directions of the compass, they illustrate that the entire civilized world was profoundly shaken by the revelation of God's miracles [רבנו בחיי, תולדות יצחק].

Among these groups, the inhabitants of Philistia experienced a uniquely severe reaction [אבן עזרא, אבי עזר]. Their terror was not just a general panic, but a trembling accompanied by intense agony, likened to the sharp pangs of childbirth [שד״ל, שפתי כהן]. This was the deep, existential dread of a people realizing that a new, free nation was being born, potentially at the cost of their own survival [רש ר הירש].

Why did the Philistines suffer from a paralyzing fear so much greater than the rest? Commentators point to two main reasons. First, they were terrified of revenge. The Philistines vividly remembered how the citizens of Gath had slaughtered tens of thousands of men from the Israelite tribe of Ephraim, who had miscalculated the timeline of their exile and attempted to leave Egypt thirty years too early. Now, the Philistines were absolutely certain that the Israelites were marching toward them to avenge the spilled blood of their brothers [רש״י, רבנו בחיי, חזקוני, ברטנורא, אלשיך]. Second, their fear was driven by geography. Since the land of the Philistines lay on the shortest and most direct path from Egypt to Canaan, they were convinced that the danger was immediate and that war was already waiting at their doorstep [שפתי כהן].