יחזקאל, פרק כ״ט, פסוק י״ח

Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, served as God's messenger in a prolonged and exhausting military campaign against the city of Tyre. He drove his army through a grueling siege that lasted for many years [מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. The sheer physical effort of this massive undertaking left a severe mark on the soldiers' bodies. The primary approach among commentators is that the troops spent countless days carrying heavy loads of stone, wood, and dirt to construct siege mounds and walls. The constant friction from carrying these massive burdens rubbed the hair clean off their heads, leaving them bald [רד״ק, מצודת ציון]. Similarly, the intense weight and prolonged labor tore and peeled the skin right off their shoulders [רד״ק, מצודת ציון].

Normally, a conquering king and his army expect to be rewarded with the city's spoils and the glory of victory [מלבי״ם]. Yet, despite their immense suffering and effort, the Babylonian forces walked away with nothing. Commentators offer a few explanations for how this massive army was left empty-handed. The primary approach among commentators is that Nebuchadnezzar did successfully conquer the wealthy city, but immediately afterward, the sea levels rose. The waters flooded Tyre and washed all its treasures into the ocean depths, fulfilling a prior decree against the city [רש״י, רד״ק, מלבי״ם, צאינה וראינה]. Others suggest that whatever meager loot remained simply did not justify the enormous trouble it took to capture the city [מצודת דוד]. Another perspective proposes that the army only managed to destroy the mainland portion of Tyre but failed to conquer the island itself, leaving the exhausted soldiers without the fruits of their labor [ביאור שטיינזלץ].

This lack of material gain raises a question about fairness, as the army was ultimately carrying out God's will. Because Nebuchadnezzar acted on a Divine command to destroy Tyre, it was only proper that he and his men receive compensation for their grueling labor [מלבי״ם, צאינה וראינה]. To make up for the lost spoils of Tyre and the severe physical toll taken on the soldiers, God paid their wages by handing over Egypt and all its vast treasures to the Babylonian empire [רד״ק, צאינה וראינה].