ישעיהו, פרק י״ז, פסוק ד׳

A devastating prophecy of ruin paints a picture of a once-great nation slowly wasting away. The Israelites are compared to a single human body that is steadily losing its strength, resources, and influence [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. This period of decline points to a specific era of wrath, marking the tragic time when the Ten Tribes are forced into exile [רד״ק, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

The fading glory of the nation is understood in different ways. The primary approach among commentators is that this decline represents severe poverty. Since wealth is what naturally brings honor and glory, the stripping away of their riches leaves the people completely destitute [רד״ק, מצודת דוד]. In contrast to this economic perspective, another view suggests a more physical wasting away, describing a state of bodily frailty and thinness [שד״ל]. This lost glory specifically represents the Ten Tribes themselves, who once stood as the pride of the entire nation [רד״ק]. Alternatively, the fading glory captures the grim reality of the fallen dead and the survivors being marched into exile [אבן עזרא].

Continuing the vivid comparison of a body losing its vitality, the transition from healthy fatness to severe thinness highlights a profound sense of loss. Most commentators view this physical wasting away as a metaphor for the total loss of material wealth and property, which will be carried off into exile until absolutely nothing remains [רש״י, רד״ק, מצודת דוד]. On the other hand, this severe weight loss is also seen as a tragic symbol of demographic collapse, where the actual population of the Israelites will shrink until only a tiny fraction survives [מלבי״ם].