Exodus 15:9

Hebrew Bible

8 By the blast of your nostrils the waters were piled up, the flowing water stood upright like a heap, and the deep waters were solidified in the heart of the sea. 9 The enemy said, ‘I will chase, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; my desire will be satisfied on them. I will draw my sword, my hand will destroy them. 10 But you blew with your breath, and the sea covered them. They sank like lead in the mighty waters.

Leviticus 26:33

Hebrew Bible

31 I will lay your cities waste and make your sanctuaries desolate, and I will refuse to smell your soothing aromas. 32 I myself will make the land desolate, and your enemies who live in it will be appalled. 33 I will scatter you among the nations and unsheathe the sword after you, so your land will become desolate and your cities will become a waste. 34 “‘Then the land will make up for its Sabbaths all the days it lies desolate while you are in the land of your enemies; then the land will rest and make up its Sabbaths.

 Notes and References

"... To appreciate the horror of the metaphor of God saying He will go after Israel unsheathing a sword, one should recall that this is exactly what the Egyptians say that they will do to Israel in the Song of the Sea (Exodus 15:9). That is, God, who is Israel's protector, threatens a curse in which God would become like Israel's enemies. It is one's worst nightmare: that one's loving, protective parents become a horrible threat ..."

Friedman, Richard Elliott Commentary on the Torah: With a New English Translation (p. 1089) Harper Collins, 2003

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