“And shall say unto them, Hear, O Israel, ye approach this day unto battle against your enemies: let not your hearts faint, fear not, and do not tremble, neither be ye terrified because of them;”
He shall say to them: Hear, O Israel! Today you are drawing near to do battle against your enemies; do not lose heart, or be afraid, or panic, or be in dread of them — the priestly address uses fourfold negatives (do not lose heart/fear/panic/dread) to fortify emotional resolve; the priest is psychologically re-orienting the troops from fear toward faith.
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