Before a single Israelite sword is drawn in the Land, God goes ahead.
Targum Pseudo-Jonathan on Exodus (Exodus 23:27) says: My terror will I send before thee, and will perturb all the peoples to whom thou comest, that thou mayest wage battle against them; and I will make all thy enemies turn back before thee.
The Invisible Weapon That Arrives Before the Army
This is a remarkable reversal of ancient warfare. Normally, armies arrive first and fear arrives second — terror is a byproduct of the invasion. Here, the Torah says terror arrives first, sent as a divine vanguard. The peoples of the Land are already shaken before they see a single Israelite face.
Rachav the innkeeper confirms this exact dynamic decades later. When the spies enter Jericho, she tells them (Joshua 2:9): I know that the Lord hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us. The promise of Exodus 23 has traveled ahead of Israel and landed in the hearts of those who will face them.
Why Enemies Turn Back
The Targum says God will make all thy enemies turn back before thee. Turn back — not fall in battle. The emphasis is on retreat, on collapse of will, on armies breaking before the swords cross. The victory is not primarily military. It is psychological, and the psychology comes from Heaven.
The Takeaway
Israel does not conquer by numbers. The Torah assumes the invisible terrain — fear, foreboding, divine weight pressing on enemies — is the decisive battlefield. The weapons come later, if at all.