יחזקאל, פרק כ״ג, פסוק כ״ב

Political alliances built on spiritual compromise often end in tragic irony, as former allies transform into instruments of destruction. For Jerusalem, the consequences of relying on foreign nations and adopting their idolatrous practices arrive directly through the very empires she once courted. God awakens the Chaldeans and Babylonians, raising them up against the city [מצודת ציון, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. The primary approach among commentators is that these nations are viewed as former lovers because Jerusalem was deeply infatuated with them. She sought their connection and embraced their gods, eventually losing her own independent will out of a deep longing to be like them [אברבנאל, מצודת דוד]. The roots of this deep affection and political entanglement stretch all the way back to the era of King Hezekiah [רש״י].

Eventually, a severe fracture occurs in the relationship. Jerusalem turns away, losing her desire for the alliance and distancing herself from her former partners [מצודת ציון, רד״ק]. The primary approach among commentators is that this sudden withdrawal is the central cause of the impending war. It directly points to the historical moment when King Zedekiah changed his mind, grew to hate his Babylonian allies, and launched a rebellion against the King of Babylon [רש״י, רד״ק, אברבנאל]. In response to this rebellion, God brings these foreign armies against Jerusalem from every direction to surround and fight her [מצודת דוד]. They no longer approach with offers of friendship [ביאור שטיינזלץ].

However, an alternative perspective offers a different motive for the invasion. Rather than launching a premeditated campaign of total destruction, the Chaldeans initially march on Jerusalem not as hateful enemies, but as rejected partners seeking to force the relationship back to its previous state [מלבי״ם]. Nebuchadnezzar's original goal is simply to pressure Zedekiah into making peace and abandoning his rebellion. In this view, the ultimate tragedy is entirely avoidable; had Zedekiah simply surrendered and reconciled, Jerusalem and the Temple would have been spared from ruin.