ישעיהו, פרק כ״ה, פסוק ב׳

The revelation of God's power in the world is shown through the sudden and absolute destruction of foreign centers of power, reducing them to eternal ruins. Bustling, populated settlements are transformed into desolate heaps of stone [מצודת דוד, רד״ק, שד״ל]. To emphasize the sheer intensity of this devastation, a distinction is made between two types of settlements: ordinary, unwalled towns and heavily fortified cities. God brings sudden and equal ruin to both [מלבי״ם, רד״ק, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

Commentators offer various perspectives on the specific identity of this destroyed city. Some identify it as Babylon [שד״ל]. Others view it as a future prophecy concerning the cities of the nations that will fall during the war of Gog and Magog, or historically during the time of Sennacherib [אבן עזרא]. A different approach suggests the destruction refers to Mount Seir, representing the nation of Edom [רש״י, חומת אנך].

The devastation also extends to the royal palaces of foreign nations [מצודת ציון]. These grand structures are not merely damaged; they are completely erased until they cease to exist as settlements entirely [רד״ק, מצודת דוד, שד״ל]. The exact nature of these palaces is also a subject of varying interpretations. Many identify them with Babylon, which served as the central palace for all nations, noting that it will be shattered and never restored [רד״ק, מצודת דוד, שד״ל]. Conversely, another perspective suggests these are the very structures and palaces that foreign conquerors built inside Jerusalem after destroying it, which God will now tear down permanently [רש״י]. A similar view proposes these are foreign palaces erected within other cities of Israel [מלבי״ם]. Finally, some understand this as a broader reference to the palaces of exiled nations, which will be uprooted from every single city [אבן עזרא].