ישעיהו, פרק כ״ט, פסוק ו׳

A sudden and overwhelming burst of divine power changes the course of events in an instant, unleashing forces of nature that no human can resist. The exact nature of this sudden intervention is understood in two different ways. One perspective views it as a moment of salvation and positive remembrance [רש״י, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. After a period of deep humiliation for Jerusalem, God remembers the city and steps in to save it, using massive chaos to scatter its enemies. However, the primary approach among commentators is that this event represents a harsh divine judgment aimed directly at the Assyrian army besieging the city [אבן עזרא, רד״ק, מצודת דוד, מלבי״ם, שד״ל]. In this view, God delivers a fatal, miraculous blow that requires no human effort.

The sheer terror of this destruction is illustrated through the most violent elements of the natural world. The heavens shake with thunder, while the earth below trembles violently [אבן עזרא]. Some explain that these natural disasters serve as a metaphor for a sudden plague, representing an unseen angel striking down the enemy camp [רד״ק, מצודת דוד, שד״ל]. Unlike the quiet and gentle whisper through which God once revealed Himself to the prophet Elijah, this devastation arrives with a massive, deafening roar [מלבי״ם]. The destruction is carried out by fierce, sweeping winds and a powerful storm, finally culminating in a devouring flame that completely consumes the enemy forces [מצודת ציון, מצודת דוד].