A profound moral and spiritual collapse seals the fate of a society destined for destruction. The corruption sweeping through the people is not merely a collection of bad deeds, but the bitter result of a deep denial of God's care and guidance. This widespread failure involves those who remained in the land after the exile of the ten tribes and attached themselves to the kingdom of Judah [מצודת דוד].
The severity of their actions unfolds on two main fronts. First, the land is overrun by murderers whose violent acts demand vengeance [מלבי״ם, מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. However, an ancient tradition suggests that the primary sin is actually widespread robbery and violence [מנחת שי]. According to this perspective, the harsh punishment and impending ruin are the direct result of this rampant theft, because no human society can survive under such lawless conditions, much like the generation of the Flood [רד״ק].
The second front of this moral decay centers specifically on the capital city, which has become completely saturated with crooked legal rulings [רש״י, מצודת ציון]. Jerusalem is singled out because it serves as the center of justice, the place where the judges sit and where all the people travel to seek a fair trial. Tragically, the very place meant to stand as the ultimate symbol of true justice has instead filled up with lies, bribery, and twisted verdicts [רד״ק, מלבי״ם, ביאור שטיינזלץ].
The primary approach among commentators is that this severe moral deterioration is not an accident, but the direct consequence of a deeply flawed worldview. The people actively deny God's personal involvement in the world, claiming that He has entirely abandoned the land, leaving it to the blind forces of nature and the stars [מלבי״ם, מצודת דוד]. Because they convince themselves that God is no longer watching, they assume He will neither punish the wicked nor reward the righteous [רד״ק]. Stripped of any spiritual or moral restraint, the people feel completely free to plot evil and do whatever they please [ביאור שטיינזלץ].