Guardian Angels of Nations

 Devarim Rabbah (01:22)  God does not exact punishment of any nation before he first exacts punishment of its guardian angel. How? Before God drowned Pharaoh and all the Egyptians in the sea he first drowned their guardian angel. How is this to be inferred from the Scripture? The Rabbis say: It is not written, ' horses and their riders,’ but The horse and his rider hath He thrown into the sea; this refers to their guardian angel. And when the Egyptians came out in pursuit of the Israelites the Israelites lifted up their eyes and saw the guardian angel of the Egyptians hovering in the air. Whence this? R. Isaac said: Because it is written, Behold, Egypt was marching after them; that is, their guardian angel. This is the force of the words, ’ To bind their kings with chains, etc.’ The same, too, happened when Sihon and Og sought to attack Israel; God said to Moses: ‘See, I have caused their guardian angel to fall,’ as it is said, BEHOLD, I HAVE BEGUN TO DELIVER UP SIHON, etc.