יחזקאל, פרק ט״ז, פסוק נ״ה

The promise of future restoration usually brings hope, but for Jerusalem, the vision of redemption carries a deeply humbling message. The city's eventual return to glory is directly connected to the fate of its sinful sister cities, Sodom and Samaria. This shared destiny serves as a painful reminder of Jerusalem's own spiritual decline and its lowered status compared to them.

The promised return involves these cities once again being fully inhabited, restored to the thriving condition they enjoyed before their destruction [מצודת ציון, מצודת דוד]. However, the timing of this restoration is highly deliberate. Jerusalem will only be restored at the exact same time as Sodom and Samaria. It will not receive the privilege of an earlier redemption, because its moral standing is ultimately no better than theirs [מצודת דוד].

Furthermore, this shared timeline is designed to bring a profound sense of shame upon Jerusalem. Rather than leading the way to redemption, Jerusalem will find itself taking a secondary role. Sodom and Samaria will actually be the primary focus of the restoration process. Jerusalem will merely be an addition to their revival, returning to its former glory only alongside them and as a direct result of their restoration [מלבי״ם].