ישעיהו, פרק י׳, פסוק ג׳

People who act with cruelty often live under the illusion that they will never face justice. The prophet shatters this false security, challenging those who abuse their power to consider how they will answer for their actions. A day of judgment is inevitable, a time when God will remember their sins and hold them fully accountable.

This future disaster is understood as total destruction [רש"י], arriving as sudden darkness and trouble that will leave them with no time to prepare or seek safety [מצודת ציון, מלבי"ם]. The primary approach among commentators is that this ruin will be brought by the king of Assyria, who will march from a distant land to destroy them [רד"ק, מצודת דוד]. Beyond the physical distance, this threat carries a deeper meaning: the disaster will come from a place so foreign and remote that the corrupt leaders will not even be able to understand the nature of the tragedy falling upon them [מלבי"ם].

When this sudden blow strikes, the prophet asks who they will run to for help. In this moment of intense crisis, they will find no rescue anywhere [שד"ל], as God Himself will refuse to stand by their side [רש"י].

Finally, the prophet questions where they will leave their glory. The primary approach among commentators identifies this glory as the vast wealth and property they hoarded through theft and corruption [רש"י, מצודת ציון]. As they are dragged into exile, they will be unable to pass this fortune on to their heirs, because even their children will not survive the devastation [מצודת דוד]. Other perspectives suggest this glory represents the pride and social status they will lose in exile [רד"ק], the large crowds that once followed them [אבן עזרא], or even their very souls and lives [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Ultimately, the prophet poses this question with deep mockery: when forced to run away in sheer panic, where exactly do they plan to leave all the stolen wealth and arrogant pride they spent their lives building? [שד"ל].