יחזקאל, פרק כ״ג, פסוק מ״ה

The ultimate judgment of Judah and Samaria takes the form of a harsh parable. They are depicted as corrupt women standing trial, where a heavy and fully justified punishment is finally decreed against them. The court overseeing this trial is composed of the officers of the kings of Babylon and Assyria, who act as the presiding judges [רש"י, מצודת דוד]. These foreign officers are surprisingly referred to as righteous men, a title that prompts different explanations. One approach suggests this is a matter of relative justice. When compared to the extreme actions of Judah and Samaria, even these idol-worshipping nations appear innocent and righteous by contrast [רש"י, מצודת דוד]. Another perspective argues that the title does not imply moral purity. Instead, it indicates that these officers are sharp, capable jurists who will issue a ruling of absolute, unyielding justice [רד"ק, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

The guilty verdict is not hidden; rather, the nations bear a visible mark of disease and leprosy. This public affliction serves as undeniable proof to the world of their identity as adulteresses and murderers [מלבי"ם]. The trial centers on two distinct and severe charges, with the guilty parties receiving a separate, fitting punishment for each crime [מצודת דוד, רד"ק]. The first charge of adultery serves as a metaphor for the rampant idolatry that had infected the land [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. The second charge, the shedding of blood, refers to the killing of the innocent [רד"ק, מצודת דוד]. This includes the horrific practice of slaughtering children as sacrifices to foreign gods [מצודת דוד], as well as murders driven by greed and deep internal social corruption [ביאור שטיינזלץ].

A unique view connects these two crimes by portraying the nation as a woman infected with a deadly, contagious plague. In this light, she is condemned as a murderer because anyone who engages in her idolatrous betrayal catches her fatal disease and dies. Consequently, the judges issue a dual sentence to punish both the act of betrayal and the resulting deaths of those infected by her venom, ultimately aiming to wipe this deadly plague from the world [מלבי"ם].