ישעיהו, פרק ל״א, פסוק ג׳

When facing a military threat, the temptation to rely on powerful political alliances is strong. Yet, placing trust in earthly armies rather than divine protection is a fatal miscalculation. The prophet draws a sharp contrast between the limited abilities of mortals and the absolute power of God, criticizing the nation's choice to depend on false promises and foreign military support. When a battle is orchestrated by God, any attempt to lean on conventional military strength is doomed to fail.

The Egyptian forces are merely flesh and blood, completely lacking any divine capability. Because their power is strictly earthly, they are fundamentally unable to bring salvation [שטיינזלץ, מלבי״ם]. Human promises are inherently unreliable, and mortals simply do not possess the true power to control outcomes, unlike God, who always fulfills His word [רד״ק]. Furthermore, the Egyptian military might is purely physical. The primary approach among commentators is that God fights using an army of spiritual beings and angels. Against such a divine force, physical weapons and earthly armies are entirely useless [מלבי״ם, אבן עזרא, רד״ק, מצודת ציון]. Alternatively, the contrast is drawn between vulnerable flesh and the intangible air; unlike the wind, which cannot be grasped or harmed, the mighty Egyptian horses are nothing more than fragile bodies that can easily be killed [שד״ל].

Overcoming this earthly force requires no significant effort from God. The primary approach among commentators is that He simply needs to direct a swift strike and punishment down upon them [מצודת דוד, אבן עזרא, מלבי״ם]. Another perspective paints a more vivid picture of this divine action: God constantly holds and supports all of reality in His hand. If He merely tilts or lowers His palm, everything resting upon it naturally tumbles down, as the Egyptians are far too weak to even sustain themselves [רש״י, שטיינזלץ].

Once God acts, the entire alliance collapses. The Egyptians, who positioned themselves as the helpers, and the Israelites, who fled to them for support, fall together. It is a simple reality that when a support structure breaks, whoever leans heavily upon it crashes down as well. Ultimately, both parties face complete destruction. Historically, this unfolded when the king of Assyria, acting as the instrument of God's anger, struck Egypt on his march toward Jerusalem. In that single devastating blow, the Egyptian forces attempting to help and the Israelites seeking their protection were captured, plundered, and wiped out together [רד״ק, אבן עזרא, מצודת דוד].