יחזקאל, פרק כ״א, פסוק ל״ב

The absolute collapse of the royal dynasty in Judah represents a profound moment of ongoing destruction, carrying with it both a severe warning and a vision for the future. A rare threefold repetition of ruin and distortion highlights the severity of this downfall [מנחת שי]. Commentators offer different perspectives on what this triple collapse represents. Some connect it to the three kings exiled and deposed by the Babylonian empire, namely Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah. Because all three corrupted their ways, their punishment was compounded [מלבי״ם, אברבנאל]. A similar historical approach suggests the monarchy was shaken and destroyed in three distinct stages: first transitioning from Jeconiah to Zedekiah, and finally falling from Zedekiah to Gedaliah [רש״י]. Another perspective views the repetition as a hint to the three generations of the Babylonian exile during which the royal crown was entirely absent, before returning partially in the days of Zerubbabel [רד״ק]. Alternatively, the repetition serves as an absolute, eternal decree: the kingdom will be entirely ruined, and Zedekiah's descendants will never rule again [מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

This state of affairs is described as an unprecedented low. The removal of the crown and the complete cancellation of the monarchy had never occurred prior to Zedekiah's time. While previous kings were also wicked and sinful, it was only in this generation that the measure of sin overflowed, prompting God to finalize the loss of the kingdom [רד״ק, אברבנאל].

The ultimate fate of the monarchy rests on the arrival of a specific figure to whom judgment belongs, a concept that sparks a sharp debate among commentators. One approach reads this as a direct continuation of the disaster. In this view, the judgment is handed over to the one sent to execute God's vengeance and punish Zedekiah. This agent of destruction is either the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar [רד״ק, ביאור שטיינזלץ], or Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, who finalizes the ruin by assassinating Gedaliah [רש״י]. Conversely, other commentators see this as a powerful promise of future redemption. They explain that the royal crown will remain hidden and degraded only until the end of days, when the Messiah arrives. Because the true kingdom and judgment belong to him, God will eventually restore the crown and place that greatness upon his head [מלבי״ם, מצודת דוד, אברבנאל].