יחזקאל, פרק ל״ו, פסוק ב׳

When a nation falls, its neighbors often watch with mixed reactions. In the aftermath of Israel's destruction, the surrounding nations did not offer pity, but rather responded with cruel joy and a desire to capitalize on the ruin. God's prophecy addresses this gloating directly.

The divine message begins with a unique structural pattern. The declaration that God is speaking repeats six times throughout the broader passage. Interestingly, the first five instances do not immediately reveal what God is actually saying. This intentional delay serves as a reminder of previous prophecies of doom directed at five specific nations who had already celebrated Jerusalem's downfall. Only on the sixth repetition does a new prophecy emerge, addressing the rest of the nations [מלבי״ם].

This message is directed squarely at the current state of desolation and ruin within Israel [מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Watching this collapse, the enemies let out cries of pure joy, cheering over the tragic defeat of the land [רש״י, מצודת דוד, רד״ק, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

Their celebration was driven by a deep desire to take what belonged to Israel. The primary approach among commentators is that the enemies were eyeing the physical landscape itself, specifically the mountains and the land, which were recognized as the highest and most beautiful in the entire world [רד״ק]. Alternatively, others view this through an economic lens. In this approach, the enemies were not just looking at the physical mountains, but at Jerusalem's elevated status as a global center of commerce, a place where people from all over the world would travel to do business [מלבי״ם].

Whether they were after the physical beauty of the land or its prime economic position, the ultimate goal of these enemies was the same. They eagerly hoped to seize the fallen nation's assets, turning Israel's tragedy into their own exclusive inheritance and permanent possession [מצודת ציון, ביאור שטיינזלץ, מלבי״ם].