This mishnah deals with the kohen who was anointed to speak to the soldiers as they went out to war. The mishnah establishes that the kohen anointed for war, when he speaks to the people - that is, to the soldiers - would speak in the holy tongue, as we mentioned in the previous paragraph. The mishnah describes the process in general terms: as the people draw near to battle, the kohen's words are woven into the language of the verse, from which the role of the one anointed for war is derived.
"Vediber el ha'am" - in the holy tongue:
The mishnah quotes the verse "vediber el ha'am" - "and he shall speak to the people" - and establishes that these words are said in the holy tongue. This is derived through a gezeirah shavah: the term for speaking is used here, and the term for speaking is used in "Moshe yedaber" - "Moshe would speak." The gezeirah shavah links the two, teaching that just as Moshe would speak in the holy tongue, so too the kohen anointed for war.
"Against your enemies you are going":
The passage continues that the kohen opens and says to the soldiers: "Shema Yisrael, atem kerevim hayom lamilchamah al oyveichem" - "Hear, O Israel, you are drawing near today to battle against your enemies." Here the mishnah steps in and explains: "al oyveichem" - against your enemies, and not against your brothers. It should not enter your mind that what happened in the war between the ten tribes and the tribe of Yehudah will happen here. This is not Yehudah against Shimon or Shimon against Binyamin, where if you fall into their hands they will have mercy on you because you are Jews.
As the verse describes, there were soldiers there who were taken captive by the other side, and both sides were Jews: "And the men who were designated by name rose up and took hold of the captives, and all who were naked among them they clothed from the spoil; they clothed them and gave them shoes and fed them and gave them drink and anointed them, and led all the feeble among them on donkeys, and brought them to Yericho, the city of palm trees, to their brothers, and they returned to Shomron." They treated the captives with mercy, and afterward returned to Shomron, to the place from which they had come.
That is not what is going to happen here, the kohen makes clear: "al oyveichem atem holchim" - you are going out against your enemies, and therefore "shema tiplu beyadam - ein meracheim aleichem" - should you fall into their hands, no one will have mercy on you.
Four expressions of fear:
The kohen continues with the words of the verse: "al yerach levavchem" - do not be faint of heart; "al tira'u" - do not be afraid; "al tachpezu" - do not panic; "ve'al ta'artzu mipneihem" - do not be terrified before them. The Torah used four expressions of fear here, and the mishnah explains each one separately, with each expression referring to a different kind of dread:
"Al yerach levavchem" - because of the neighing of the horses and the flashing of the swords, for you are about to hear the horses neighing and the sound of swords being drawn.
"Al tira'u" - because of the clashing of shields, the banging of shields done in order to raise a great noise and instill terror, and because of the mass of armed men, the multitude of soldiers streaming forward: the sight looks like an enormous throng, and it is very frightening.
"Al tachpezu" - because of the sound of the horns, the sound of the shofars they are about to blow.
"Ve'al ta'artzu" - because of the sound of shouting, the sound of the fighters' cries.
"For Hashem your G-d goes with you":
And why is there no reason to be afraid? Because the verse continues: "ki Hashem Elokeichem holech imachem" - for Hashem your G-d goes with you. Here the mishnah adds and explains: they, the enemies, come with the victory of flesh and blood - relying on the potential strength of a human being; and you come with the victory of the Holy One, blessed is He.
The mishnah brings two examples from the past:
The Philistines - they came with the victory of Golias, assuming he would prevail through his might. What was his end? In the end he fell by the sword, and they fell with him.
The children of Ammon - they trusted in the victory of Shovach, their commander. What was his end? In the end he fell by the sword, and they fell with him.
"Ve'atem ei atem kein" - the mishnah says: you will not be like them. And why? "Ki Hashem Elokeichem haholech imachem lehilachem lachem" - for Hashem your G-d goes with you and fights on your behalf. "Vezeh machaneh ha'aron" - a reference to the camp of the Ark that traveled with them to war, and to the Divine Presence that went with them as they went out to battle.
In summary: in this mishnah we learned that the words of the kohen anointed for war are said in the holy tongue, as derived through a gezeirah shavah from "Moshe yedaber"; that "against your enemies" means and not against your brothers, for no mercy can be expected from them such as Israel showed to the captives of Yehudah; that each of the four expressions of fear in the verse is directed at a different dread - the neighing of the horses and the flashing of the swords, the clashing of shields and the mass of armed men, the sound of the horns and the sound of shouting; and that the nations come with the victory of flesh and blood, like Golias and Shovach who fell by the sword along with their armies, whereas Israel come with the victory of the Holy One, blessed is He, who goes with them in the camp of the Ark.