Deuteronomy 32:25
The sword without, and terror within, shall destroy both the young man and the virgin, the suckling also with the man of gray hairs. The sword without, and terror within, shall destroy both the young man and the virgin, the suckling also with the man of gray hairs.
The verse belongs to the song Moses was commanded to form from events in Israel's history, as a record meant to preserve God's dealings with ancient Israel and keep them before later generations. That song recounts God's dealings with Israel and also foretells future events, including the final victory of the faithful when Christ returns in power and glory.
It pictures judgment in which destruction comes by the sword of enemies outside while terror afflicts within, striking people of every age from infants to the elderly, both the young man and the virgin and the suckling with the man of gray hairs. This destruction and terror comes as the consequence of turning from God, forsaking Him and rebelling against His law in apostasy. The judgment is part of the declared scattering and loss of the nation's security, fulfilling the warning that disobedience would bring suffering and captivity. It belongs to the prophecy of calamities that Josiah read as a warning of swift judgment on those who persisted in rebellion and apostasy, which made him tremble for Judah's future because of the nation's apostasy.