ישעיהו, פרק כ״ב, פסוק ב׳

A great metropolis rarely collapses overnight, but when it does, the contrast between its former glory and its tragic end is jarring. A bustling, fortified capital that once projected immense power and wealth can sometimes fall not through heroic battles, but by collapsing inward.

In its prime, the city was defined by the constant noise and vibrant activity of a massive population. It was a walled stronghold overflowing with joy, prosperity, and authority. Logically, such a loud, populous, and heavily defended place should have been filled with strong individuals ready to defend it in combat [מלבי״ם].

Yet, the reality of their defeat stands in sharp contrast to their former strength. Instead of marching out to face their enemies, the residents retreated. The primary approach among commentators is that the people locked themselves behind their walls and ultimately starved to death during a prolonged siege. This slow starvation is recognized as a far more agonizing and severe fate than a quick death in battle [רש״י, מצודת דוד]. The tragedy is highlighted by the fact that they experienced neither the death of soldiers fighting on the battlefield nor the sudden strike of an invading army breaching the city. Instead, they simply withered away without ever putting up a fight [מלבי״ם].

While starvation is the central explanation for their passive end, other perspectives suggest different reasons for their failure to engage the enemy. The residents may have been paralyzed by panic, allowing themselves to be taken captive without resisting [אבן עזרא], or they may have succumbed entirely to overwhelming fear and anxiety [שד״ל]. Taking a completely different approach, another perspective suggests that the destruction was not the result of an external war at all. Instead, the casualties within the walls stemmed from the residents' own reckless behavior. In this view, the city's downfall was a product of its wild lifestyle, drunkenness, and unchecked partying, causing the people to destroy themselves from within [ביאור שטיינזלץ].