I will send my terror before you and will throw into confusion all the people against whom you shall come, and I will make all your enemies turn their backs to you.
English Standard Version (ESV)
God promises not just victory, but that He will strike terror into the hearts of Israel's enemies before they even arrive, causing them to panic and flee. This "fear" isn't just a natural reaction to seeing an army, but a divine panic sent by God, softening the ground for conquest and often making the enemy's defeat swift and absolute.
I will send my terror before you and will throw into confusion all the people against whom you shall come, and I will make all your enemies turn their backs to you.
English Standard Version (ESV)
As God's people prepare to enter the Promised Land, He assures them that He will go before them, striking terror into their enemies and causing them to flee. This divine intervention will facilitate their conquest, as He promises to discomfit and rout all who stand against them, ensuring their total victory and submission.
Ever wonder how a nation on the run, weary from desert wandering, could conquer fortified cities? God promised more than just military might.
This verse reveals a powerful, supernatural strategy. God promises to send 'my terror' before the Israelites. This isn't just about instilling normal fear; it's about a divine panic – a profound dread that incapacitates the enemy before the battle even begins. It's the kind of fear that makes people flee without seeing a direct threat, a palpable sense of dread that paralyzes.
Think of it as a psychological warfare initiated by God. This divine dread would make the Canaanites lose their courage, their will to fight, and ultimately their ability to stand against Israel. It’s God working behind the scenes, making the conquest possible not just through physical force, but through a supernatural demoralization of the enemy.
What does it truly mean for enemies to 'turn their backs'?
The promise concludes with God making enemies 'turn their backs.' This isn't just about a tactical retreat; it signifies utter defeat and rout. It means they lose their nerve, their fighting spirit evaporates, and they flee in disarray. It's a complete loss of initiative and courage.
This imagery paints a picture of overwhelming victory. Instead of a drawn-out, bloody war of attrition, God promises a decisive collapse of enemy resistance. Their backs are turned because they can no longer face Israel, nor can they face the power of God accompanying them. It speaks to God's ultimate sovereignty over human conflict and his ability to orchestrate outcomes.
Understand the original words
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emah · Hebrew Noun
A profound sense of fear or dread, often divinely induced to overwhelm God's enemies and clear a path for His people.
hamam · Hebrew Verb
A state of disorder or panic, frequently used to describe the psychological and military defeat God brings upon the enemies of Israel.
This passage shows Rahab explaining how the news of God's mighty acts had already struck fear into the hearts of the Canaanites, causing them to 'melt away' and lose their courage, directly fulfilling the promise in Exodus 23:27.
Joshua 24:12Joshua recounts how God sent hornets ahead of the Israelites, terrifying the enemy and driving out the Amorites, illustrating the supernatural terror God promised to send before His people.
Numbers 22:3Here, the Moabites express their fear of the Israelites because of their overwhelming numbers, demonstrating the panic and dread that God instilled in the peoples before whom Israel was sent.
Psalm 18:39David praises God for giving him strength to overcome his enemies, stating 'You have girded me with strength for battle; you have put all my adversaries under me,' which echoes the idea of complete victory and subjugation promised in Exodus 23:27.
Zechariah 14:13This prophecy describes a great panic that God will send among enemy armies, causing them to turn on each other and flee, paralleling the divine confusion and terror promised to the enemies of Israel.
bensonExodus 23:27: "I will send my fear before thee, and will destroy all the people to whom thou shalt come, and I will make all thine enemies turn their backs unto thee."
Exodus 23:27-28 . I will send my fear before thee — And they that fear will soon flee: I will strike a terror into the inhabitants of Canaan, which shall facilitate the conquest of them, Joel 2:9-10 . I will send hornets before thee — Thus Joshua observes, ( Joshua 24:12 ,) that the Amorites were driven out, not by the sword and…
pooleExodus 23:27: "I will send my fear before thee, and will destroy all the people to whom thou shalt come, and I will make all thine enemies turn their backs unto thee."
My fear, i.e. a great terror, or a terror wrought by me. See Exodus 33:2 Joshua 24:12
God promises not just victory, but that He will strike terror into the hearts of Israel's enemies before they even arrive, causing them to panic and flee. This "fear" isn't just a natural reaction to seeing an army, but a divine panic sent by God, softening the ground for conquest and often making the enemy's defeat swift and absolute.
As God's people prepare to enter the Promised Land, He assures them that He will go before them, striking terror into their enemies and causing them to flee. This divine intervention will facilitate their conquest, as He promises to discomfit and rout all who stand against them, ensuring their total victory and submission.
As God's people prepare to enter the Promised Land, He assures them that He will go before them, striking terror into their enemies and causing them to flee. This divine intervention will facilitate their conquest, as He promises to discomfit and rout all who stand against them, ensuring their total victory and submission.
"I will send my terror before you and will throw into confusion all the people against whom you shall come, and I will make all your enemies turn their backs to you." — God promises not just victory, but that He will strike terror into the hearts of Israel's enemies before they even arrive, causing them to panic and flee. This "fear" isn't just a natural reaction…
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Last reviewed October 2026