ישעיהו, פרק י״ט, פסוק י״ד

The collapse of a great power does not always come from an invading army. Often, a nation falls from within, beginning with a complete breakdown of leadership and wisdom. When those at the top lose their judgment, the very advisors meant to guide the country end up steering it into a humiliating cycle of destructive mistakes.

The primary approach among commentators is that this total breakdown of Egyptian intellect and military strategy comes directly from God [מצודת דוד, רד״ק]. Just as one mixes water into wine to prepare a beverage [רש״י, רד״ק, מלבי״ם], God actively poured a new, distorted spirit into the natural minds of the Egyptians [שד״ל]. This divine intervention creates a profound deviation from logic and reason [אבן עזרא, מצודת ציון, שד״ל]. It brings about a state of complete madness, deep confusion, and dangerous illusions [רש״י, שטיינזלץ], resulting in an extreme intensity of sudden irrationality [מלבי״ם]. Consequently, Pharaoh's great ministers and advisors, whose entire purpose is to provide clear direction, become the very agents who mislead and sabotage the people in every action they take [רד״ק, שד״ל].

The humiliating condition of these leaders is compared to a heavily intoxicated person vomiting from excessive drinking [מצודת ציון, שד״ל]. Commentators offer a few ways to understand this degrading image. In one view, the drunkard is so helpless and disoriented that he simply rolls and wades in his own mess, completely unsure of what to do [מצודת דוד, רד״ק], while others mock and manipulate him without him even realizing it [שד״ל]. Another perspective paints an even more extreme picture, where the drunkard is so confused that he tries to consume his own sickness, hallucinating that it is wine. In this way, the leaders are driven to commit deeply unnatural acts that the land itself will reject and expel [מלבי״ם]. Ultimately, this vivid imagery shows how the famous wisdom that Egypt once proudly displayed has completely vanished. Left without their intellect, the leaders are doomed to stumble blindly, repeating the same repulsive mistakes over and over again [שטיינזלץ].