יחזקאל, פרק כ״ז, פסוק כ״ז

The collapse of a great empire is not just a military defeat; it is the sudden, total vanishing of everything that made it powerful. On the day of this city's destruction, the loss will be absolute, sweeping away the vast wealth, the complex trade networks, and every layer of its society. The extensive cataloging of these elements illustrates the sheer totality of the ruin that will befall both the city and its inhabitants.

The economic foundation of the city will be the first to fall. Its personal riches and accumulated wealth will disappear entirely [מלבי״ם, מצודת ציון]. Along with this, all trade goods will be lost, whether these are items meant for export [ביאור שטיינזלץ] or merchandise deposited by foreign merchants for safekeeping [מלבי״ם]. The destruction will also claim all bartered goods [ביאור שטיינזלץ] and items held as collateral [מלבי״ם]. The deliberate listing of these various economic assets emphasizes that absolutely no property, without exception, will survive the disaster [מצודת ציון].

Beyond the material wealth, the disaster will strike the human engine that drives the city, described through the metaphor of a great ship. The loss includes the rowers who physically propel the vessel [מצודת ציון], as well as the navigators who guide its path [מלבי״ם]. It will consume those who manage the sail ropes [מצודת ציון], who metaphorically represent the captains and government ministers [מלבי״ם]. The skilled professionals responsible for sealing the ship's cracks will also perish [מצודת ציון], serving as a symbol for the city's broader leadership [מלבי״ם]. The merchants who handle the city's trade [מצודת ציון, ביאור שטיינזלץ], representing the wealthy upper class [מלבי״ם], will share the same fate. Ultimately, the catastrophe will engulf the entire military force and the general civilian population.

All these elements—the wealth, the leaders, the military, and the citizens—will plunge into the heart of the sea on the day the enemy conquers the city, plundering it and erasing every trace of its existence [מצודת דוד]. A historical account of this event paints a picture of literal, physical erasure. After Nebuchadnezzar conquered the city of Tyre and gathered all of its captured wealth into the city center to carry away, the sea unexpectedly overflowed its banks. A massive surge washed away the gathered loot, the bodies of the fallen, and even the very soil of the city. The ocean swept everything into its depths before receding, leaving behind nothing but the bare, scraped rock upon which the great city once stood [רד״ק].