יחזקאל, פרק י״ח, פסוק י״ב

A wicked individual's descent into sin often manifests through a combination of social, financial, and spiritual corruption. The prophet details a series of severe offenses committed by such a person, revealing a tragic pattern of exploiting the vulnerable, abandoning faith, and engaging in deep moral decay.

The first major area of failure involves financial fraud and extortion. This includes unjustly taking money from others during business dealings, whether the victims are aware of the deception or not [מצודת ציון, מצודת דוד, רד״ק]. The poor and needy are the primary targets because they are weak, easy to exploit, and lack the power to strike fear into the oppressor. A corrupt person likely defrauds anyone they can, but the impoverished are the focus because exploiting them is such a common occurrence [רד״ק]. This financial cruelty extends to the handling of loans and collateral. The sinner takes a pledge from a borrower but fails to return it at sunset, directly violating the Commandment to restore a poor person's pledged item when they need it [מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

Beyond harming others, the individual's spiritual life is thoroughly corrupted by idolatry. They intentionally gaze upon idols, actively directing their heart and devotion away from God and toward these false figures [מצודת דוד].

Finally, the individual engages in deeply offensive acts. Some commentators understand this broadly, referring to any actions that are abominable in the eyes of God [מצודת דוד]. Others see this as a specific reference to severe sexual offenses. Within this view, some identify the sin as homosexual relations [רש״י], while others believe it refers to having relations with a menstruating woman [רד״ק].