ישעיהו, פרק מ״ז, פסוק ו׳

The collapse of the Babylonian empire was a direct result of its ruthless abuse of power against the Israelites. While the exile and enslavement were ultimately a punishment from God, the empire was held fully responsible for exploiting its divine mandate. Instead of acting as a measured instrument of justice, Babylon behaved with extreme wickedness, completely ignoring basic human morality.

God clarifies the dynamics of this historical event, explaining that His anger toward His people is what allowed them to fall under foreign conquest [אבן עזרא, מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. The Israelites were cherished and carefully watched over, much like a person guards a beloved private estate [שד״ל]. To subject them to enslavement, God first had to lower their dignity and strip away their honor [מצודת ציון, שד״ל]. Another perspective explains that the Israelites are inherently holy to God, but as a consequence of their sins and the resulting divine anger, God temporarily removed this sacred status. By rendering them ordinary, they could be handed over to foreign powers [שד״ל, מלבי״ם].

Even though God delivered the Israelites into Babylon's hands, He expected the conquerors to treat them with compassion. The situation is compared to a noble son who rebels against his father. To discipline him, the father temporarily places the son under the authority of a lower-class individual. That person should recognize that the humiliation of the situation is punishment enough, and that his authority over the noble son is strictly temporary [מלבי״ם]. Babylon, however, chose the path of cruelty, showing no mercy whatsoever [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. They failed to extend the unique compassion fitting for God's people, and they even withheld basic human decency [מלבי״ם].

This cruelty reached its peak in their treatment of the elderly. It is a universally accepted human instinct to respect older individuals, show them pity, and ease their burdens. The Babylonians deliberately acted against human nature by imposing harsh labor and heavy responsibilities specifically on the elderly, who lacked the physical strength to endure such treatment [רש״י, אבן עזרא, רד״ק]. Targeting the most vulnerable and defenseless members of society in this way stands as a testament to Babylon's extraordinary wickedness and cruelty [שד״ל, מלבי״ם].