Exodus 15:16

Fear and dread shall fall upon them; by the greatness of thine arm they shall be as still as a stone; till thy people pass over, O LORD, till the people pass over, which thou hast purchased.

By the greatness of thine arm they shall be as still literally, struck dumb with astonishment and terror; i:e., petrified.

Till thy people pass over, O Lord - i:e., pass through the intermediate regions on the way to Canaan.

Which thou hast purchased, х qaaniytaa (H7069)] - redeemed, recovered possession of (cf. Deuteronomy 32:6). There is a beautiful gradation observable in describing the distress of the people in the contiguous countries. First, there is a widespread panic produced. Secondly, the rulers in Edom are agitated and perplexed; the Moabites are seized with consternation, and the whole Canaanites are plunged into a state of deep despondency. Although both Edom and Moab opposed the passage of the Israelites (cf. Numbers 20:18; Numbers 22:2), yet the prevailing state of mind among the people in all the region round about was terror-a complete prostration through uncontrollable fear (Joshua 2:9; Joshua 9:9).