מלכים ב, פרק כ״א, פסוק י״ד

A harsh decree of abandonment hangs over the people, leaving them entirely at the mercy of foreign nations. Once God withdraws His divine protection, the surviving population is destined to fall into enemy hands, facing absolute ruin and violent theft.

The Kingdom of Judah, made up of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, is all that remains of the nation. They are the final surviving piece of God's inheritance left in the land, as the King of Assyria has already exiled the other Israelite tribes [מצודת דוד, רלב״ג, אברבנאל]. God declares a complete forsaking of this remaining group [מצודת ציון, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. According to one perspective, this tragedy will occur in stages. First, God will remove the people from their homeland and uproot them to a foreign country. Only after this displacement will they be fully handed over to their enemies. This severe punishment eventually reached even the poorest remaining farmers and workers who stayed in the land after the initial destruction. They ultimately fled to Egypt and met their end there [מלבי״ם].

In contrast, another perspective views this painful surrender to captivity and ruin not as an act of total annihilation, but as a severe cleansing process designed to wash away their many sins [אלשיך]. Regardless of the ultimate purpose, the immediate result of God withdrawing His presence is devastating. The people will be left completely exposed to looting, suffering a violent reality where they are trampled, crushed, and robbed by their enemies [מצודת ציון, ביאור שטיינזלץ].