יחזקאל, פרק כ״ג, פסוק י״ג

A careful divine gaze uncovers the deep spiritual and political decline taking hold of the Kingdom of Judah. They are walking down the exact same destructive road that previously led to the ruin of their sister, the Kingdom of Israel. God looks closely and sees the truth. He notices that the people's internal desire to connect with foreign empires did not just stay in their minds, but grew into actual sins that made them impure [מצודת דוד]. God looks past the surface and sees the hidden reality. Even though the people of Judah might not have sinned as openly and publicly as the Ten Tribes of Israel did, deep down they turned away from Him in the exact same way [מלבי״ם].

This divine observation is not just a single moment in time. It marks the beginning of an ongoing process that will eventually lead to a terrible outcome, where God pulls Himself away and distances His presence from the nation [רד״ק].

The two kingdoms ended up sharing identical paths in every way. On a religious level, the people of both kingdoms were blinded by the massive success of the Assyrian empire. They wanted that same success, which led them to desire Assyrian idols and eventually worship them [מצודת דוד]. On a political level, the choices made to get closer to these foreign powers were exactly the same, and they brought about the same ruin and impurity. Judah tried hard to form alliances and get close to Assyria, but the plan completely backfired. Instead of finding safety, Assyria invaded Judah and pushed the kingdom to the very edge of total destruction [ביאור שטיינזלץ].