יחזקאל, פרק כ״א, פסוק ל׳

The prophet delivers a harsh and direct warning to Zedekiah, the leader of Israel, announcing the absolute end of his kingdom. The king is addressed with a sharp description that captures the depth of his failure, an image understood in two distinct ways by commentators. The first approach focuses on his inevitable physical doom. Because of his wickedness, he is destined to be killed, and his fate is so securely sealed that he is already considered a dead man [רש״י, מלבי״ם, רד״ק, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. A second approach views his condition through a spiritual lens. Rather than physical death, it points to a state of profanation. The king has completely stripped himself of holiness, choosing instead to act against sacred values and distance himself from them entirely [מצודת דוד, מצודת ציון, רד״ק].

The time has finally arrived for the king to lose his royal power and face his punishment. This downfall is explained through the imagery of a passing day. Just as the sun inevitably sets, the success and prosperity that once illuminated Zedekiah's life have now faded into absolute darkness [מצודת ציון, מצודת דוד].

This total collapse is the direct result of a final, defining sin that filled his quota of wrongdoings and brought his rule to a close. This ultimate offense was his false oath and subsequent rebellion against Nebuchadnezzar. Zedekiah had sworn a treaty in the name of God, and by breaking that sacred covenant, he brought about his own ruin. It was this severe betrayal that caused Nebuchadnezzar to attack him, blind him, drag him into exile, and completely destroy the land [רד״ק].