יחזקאל, פרק ל״ב, פסוק כ״ב

Deep in the underworld, the great empires of the past lie defeated and stripped of their former glory. The massive armies that once formed the mighty Assyrian empire in the land of the living are now gathered together in the realm of the dead, buried side by side following a total military collapse.

The exact location of this dark gathering is understood in two ways. The primary approach among commentators [רש״י, ביאור שטיינזלץ] explains that this describes Assyria's descent directly into the underworld after being conquered by the Babylonians. Alternatively, this setting can be viewed as the actual physical battlefield where the Assyrian forces fell [מצודת דוד]. Accompanying the ruined empire are the vast crowds and the entire nation of Assyria that were bound to it during their lives [רד״ק, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

The arrangement of their graves carries deep significance, though scholars offer different perspectives on how this looks. Some explain that the same multitudes who surrounded and supported Assyria in the living world now surround the empire in the land of the dead. Their graves are set permanently within the underworld itself, meaning they will never be brought out for a normal, peaceful burial [רש״י, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Other commentators connect this scene to the future downfall of Egypt, suggesting that the graves of the Assyrian masses will eventually be placed right next to, and surround, the graves of Pharaoh and his own multitudes [רד״ק, מצודת דוד].

Ultimately, the fate of all these individuals is uniform and tragic. Every person buried in this vast graveyard met a violent end by the sword during the heat of battle. Among the countless fallen, not a single one experienced a natural death [מצודת דוד].