THEOSISEphraem the Syrian
"May the Lord strike you down in the presence of your adversaries." Moses declared, "One of you shall chase a thousand" (Deuteronomy 32:30), a promise seen in the era of David, while the phrase "and two engines of darkness" references the times of Gideon: "the enemies... shall come against you one way, and flee before you in seven" from the days of Gideon. In one way they shall approach you, yet they shall scatter in seven, as witnessed during the reigns of David, Jehoshaphat, and Hezekiah (Deuteronomy 28:7). However, when God's people turned away from Him and fell into sin, the opposite took place; they "fled from their enemies," a reality evident during the times of the judges, in Saul's reign, and throughout the invasions by the Assyrians and Babylonians. The sequence of events reveals, "how can one pursue a thousand."