Absolute divine wrath is often expressed through vivid, raw imagery of fire and the blacksmith's forge. In a relentless cycle of destruction, even the very tools used to deal out punishment are ultimately consumed by the same fierce heat.
God unleashes a punishing anger upon the guilty. This extreme wrath crosses all normal boundaries, growing so intense that it threatens to consume even the innocent [מלבי"ם]. The process is likened to a blacksmith working a bellows, blowing air onto hot coals to fan the flames [רש"י, מצודת ציון, רד"ק, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. God breathes life into the fire of His fury, stoking it so that the anger flares up and intensifies with each passing moment [מצודת דוד, רד"ק].
The execution of this judgment is handed over to agents of fierce intensity. Some commentators view these individuals as masters of fire, destructive forces that consume everything in their path like a raging forest fire [מצודת דוד, מצודת ציון, רד"ק, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Others understand them to be foolish, rash people who act with sudden, unpredictable madness to kill and ruin [רש"י, רד"ק, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. These agents are aided by skilled artisans of destruction. These craftsmen are either experts in the grim art of killing [מצודת דוד, מצודת ציון, רד"ק] or dedicated makers of weapons [ביאור שטיינזלץ].
The primary approach among commentators is that this vision of total ruin is directed at a sinful nation. They will face complete destruction within their own land, wiped out without even the chance of exile, until no trace remains [מלבי"ם]. However, a unique perspective suggests that this prophecy is not directed at people at all, but rather at the sword of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon [רש"י]. Because the imagery relies so heavily on blowing fire and metalworking, it perfectly describes the fate of a weapon. Nebuchadnezzar had been used as an instrument to punish Israel and Ammon, but eventually, his own time for judgment arrives at the hands of the kings of Media. God will hand Nebuchadnezzar's sword over to foolish blacksmiths. While they might appear to be sharpening the blade, they will actually melt it down and destroy it completely in the blazing fire of divine wrath [רש"י, מלבי"ם].