And upon them that are left [alive] of you,.... In the land of Judea, or rather scattered about among the nations, suggesting that these would be comparatively few:
I will send a faintness into their hearts in the lands of their enemies; or "a softness" y; so that they should be effeminate, pusillanimous, and cowardly, have nothing of a manly spirit and courage in them; but be mean spirited and faint hearted, as the Jews are noted to be at this day, as Bishop Patrick observes; who also adds,
"it being scarce ever heard, that a Jew listed himself for a soldier, or engaged in the defence of his country where he lives:''
and the sound of a shaken leaf shall chase them; either the sound of a leaf that falls from the tree, as the Targum of Jonathan, or which the wind beats one against another, as Jarchi, which makes some little noise; even this should terrify them, taking it to be the noise of some enemy near at hand, just ready to fall on them; such poor faint hearted creatures should they be;
and they shall flee as fleeing from the sword; as if there were an army of soldiers with their swords drawn pursuing them:
and they shall fall when none pursueth; fall upon the ground, and into a fit, and drop down as if dead, as if they had been really wounded with a sword and slain, see Proverbs 28:1.
y מרך "mollitiem", Montanus, Vatablus, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Drusius.