The Mekhilta, the halakhic midrash on Exodus from the tannaitic period, continues its investigation of a recurring biblical formula: when Scripture says God "has spoken," where exactly did He first speak it? Here the rabbis connect two verses that seem unrelated on the surface but reveal a single Divine promise.
The verse in question comes from (Deuteronomy 11:25): "The Lord your God will put the dread and fear of you over the whole land ... as He spoke to you." Moses is addressing Israel near the end of his life, assuring them that the nations of Canaan will tremble before them. But this is not a new promise. Moses says "as He spoke" — meaning God already declared this elsewhere.
The Mekhilta identifies the original statement in (Exodus 23:27): "My fright shall I send before you, and I shall confound all the people." This verse appears in the Covenant Code, the collection of laws given at Sinai shortly after the revelation of the Ten Commandments. God promised military terror — not as a future hope, but as a binding covenant commitment.
The connection matters because it shows that Deuteronomy is not introducing new ideas. Moses is reminding Israel of what was already guaranteed at Sinai. The dread of nations, the confusion of enemies — these were locked into the original covenant. By the time Moses restates the promise in his farewell address, it carries the full weight of everything God pledged at the mountain.