Targum Pseudo-Jonathan on Exodus (Exodus 23:22) makes a promise that sounds almost like a battle cry: if thou wilt indeed hearken to His Word, and do all that I speak by Him, I will be the enemy of thy enemy, and will trouble them who trouble thee.
The Covenant Turned Sideways
Covenants usually flow top-down. God commands; Israel obeys; God blesses. But this verse turns the relationship horizontal. I will be the enemy of thy enemy. God describes Himself as taking sides in Israel's conflicts, enlisting in Israel's hostilities, opposing those who oppose His people.
The condition is real. If thou wilt indeed hearken. The divine alliance is not automatic — it is responsive. Obedience creates the channel through which God becomes Israel's ally.
The Mirror Promise
The language is careful. Enemy of thy enemy — a mirror. Trouble them who trouble thee — another mirror. God does not promise unprovoked aggression. He promises reciprocity. If someone rises against Israel, God rises against him. If someone leaves Israel in peace, Israel's God does not stir the waters.
This is the opposite of the later misreading that treats Israel's God as universally combative. The covenant is defensive, not offensive — but inside the defense it is total.
The Takeaway
A people in covenant with God gains an invisible ally. The hostility you face is no longer yours alone to bear. The Torah promises that obedience turns Israel's enemies into God's enemies — and no earthly army can match that asymmetry.