תהלים, פרק פ״ג, פסוק י׳

A prayer is raised to God, asking Him to overcome the current enemies of the Israelites by recreating the great, miraculous victories of the past. The primary approach among commentators is that the focus rests on two major military campaigns from the era of the Judges, both marked by extraordinary salvation.

The first plea asks God to strike the present enemies just as He scattered and defeated the Midianites during the days of Gideon. The defining feature of this historical victory was a divine panic that caused the enemy forces to turn on one another. God threw their camp into chaos, making the enemies fight and kill their own allies by turning their swords against each other [אלשיך, מלבי״ם].

The prayer then recalls the downfall of Jabin, the king of Canaan, and his army commander, Sisera, who were defeated by Barak, the son of Abinoam. Similar to the victory over Midian, God struck the enemy camp with utter confusion [מלבי״ם]. Even though the Israelites marched into battle lacking proper weapons, such as shields and spears, they achieved an absolute victory, leaving no survivors among the opposing forces [אלשיך].

This total defeat culminated at the Kishon River, the very site of the battle. As Sisera's soldiers attempted to flee, the raging waters of the river swept them away, washing the retreating army to its doom [אבן עזרא, מצודת דוד, המאירי].