יחזקאל, פרק כ״ג, פסוק מ״ז

The punishment imposed on the corrupt city unfolds through a series of harsh actions. These severe measures function as the strict execution of a legal sentence, directly reflecting the gravity of the people's sins. An assembly of nations gathers to cast stones at the city, a penalty that aligns with the traditional judgment for an adulterous woman. On a historical and practical level, this barrage of stones represents the heavy siege engines that the enemy forces build around the city walls [רד״ק]. Following the stoning, the foreign armies strike and cut the people down with swords, acting with the destructive force of workers clearing a thick forest.

Commentators draw a precise connection between these specific punishments and the nation's crimes, offering two complementary perspectives. [רש״י] links each penalty to a distinct sin. In his view, the death of the children and the burning of the homes serve as the consequence for infidelity, while the violent slaughter by the sword is the direct punishment for the sin of bloodshed. Taking a broader legal approach, [מלבי״ם] explains that the events reflect the most severe death penalties issued by a high court: stoning, death by the sword, and burning. He notes that strangulation, the standard penalty for a married woman guilty of adultery, is intentionally left out because it is the basic, understood consequence that does not need to be explicitly stated.