זכריה, פרק י״ב, פסוק ד׳

A massive war erupts around Jerusalem, but God miraculously intervenes, turning the battlefield into utter chaos for the attackers while providing precise protection for His people. The collapse of the enemy forces happens in distinct stages, beginning with a complete breakdown of military order and strategy. The horses are struck with overwhelming panic, losing all courage and falling into deep despair [מצודת דוד, אברבנאל, רד״ק]. At the same time, their riders are hit with madness. Instead of fighting with reason and logic, they are driven by confusion, fear, and wild imagination, making organized warfare impossible [מלבי״ם, אברבנאל, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

Beyond this internal psychological breakdown, the attacking armies suffer a severe physical blow. The horses of the nations are struck with complete blindness [רד״ק]. Unable to see their surroundings or identify their opponents, the enemy forces stumble blindly through the battlefield. This lack of vision causes them to trample their own soldiers and turn their weapons on one another, destroying themselves from within [מצודת דוד, מלבי״ם, אברבנאל].

In stark contrast to the chaos tearing apart the enemy camp, God opens His eyes to carefully watch over and protect the people of Judah [מצודת ציון, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. The primary approach among commentators is that these people of Judah are forced conscripts within the enemy armies besieging the city. God's precise protection ensures that while the enemy horses around them are struck blind and stumble, the Jewish riders and their horses remain completely unharmed despite being in the very center of the enemy camp. Alternatively, some view the people of Judah as the Jews trapped inside Jerusalem, with God actively watching over them to deliver them from the besieging armies outside [אברבנאל]. Taking a broader view of the conflict, the different plagues might target distinct groups: the panic and madness strike the nations arriving to conquer Jerusalem, while the blindness afflicts those already holding the city. As these two enemy factions fight and destroy one another, the people of Judah are safely delivered from the danger [מלבי״ם].