Spiritual leadership is meant to guide and protect a nation, but it can easily twist into a destructive force. When those entrusted with moral authority choose to flatter rather than correct, they pave the way for both physical and spiritual collapse. A group of false prophets bands together in a unified, malicious agreement [רש"י, מצודת ציון]. Their primary goal is to maintain the status quo, telling the government and the masses exactly what they want to hear. By speaking with one voice and promising a false peace, they give the public a dangerous sense of security. This unified front causes the people to rely heavily on their words, effectively preventing any chance of genuine repentance [רד"ק, מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ].
The actions of these corrupt leaders are compared to those of a vicious beast of prey. The primary approach among commentators is that just as a lion roars loudly to paralyze its victim with fear before an attack, these false prophets shout and speak forcefully to intimidate the people, forcing compliance and inciting the masses [רד"ק, מצודת דוד]. Another perspective focuses on the simultaneous nature of the destruction: just as a lion roars while actively tearing its prey apart, these prophets broadcast their false messages while actively ruining the nation [מלבי"ם].
The damage they inflict is profound and twofold. On a practical level, they accept bribes, empower criminals, and grant legitimacy to murderers [רש"י]. On a spiritual level, while a wild animal consumes physical flesh, these corrupt leaders consume the very soul of the nation by leading the people into sin [מלבי"ם]. By actively preventing the public from correcting their ways, the prophets are viewed as the direct destroyers of these souls, bearing full responsibility for the disaster that follows [רד"ק, מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ].
Beyond the loss of life and spirit, the prophets also strip the nation of its material security, taking its wealth, treasures, honor, and strength [רש"י, מצודת ציון, מלבי"ם, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. They either seize these riches directly for themselves, or they cause the loss indirectly; because their wicked actions ultimately invite a foreign enemy to loot the city, it is as if the prophets personally plundered the nation's treasures [רד"ק].
The tragic cycle concludes with a devastating human cost. Because these leaders falsely guaranteed peace, a harsh catastrophe eventually strikes. The men go out to battle and are slaughtered by the invading enemy, making the prophets ultimately responsible for the vast number of women left behind as widows [מלבי"ם, מצודת דוד, רד"ק, ביאור שטיינזלץ].