יחזקאל, פרק כ״ו, פסוק ו׳

The approaching destruction will not be confined to the main city alone. Instead, the ruin will first strike the dependent areas surrounding it. The primary approach among commentators is that the nearby villages, suburbs, and rural settlements that serve the main city are described metaphorically, rather than as actual family members. The violence directed at these locations means that the people living in them will be put to death by the sword [רד״ק, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. This severe attack on the open fields will happen as a preliminary stage of the conflict, taking place before the actual siege on the main city even begins [מלבי״ם, ביאור שטיינזלץ].