ישעיהו, פרק ה׳, פסוק י״ד

A sudden and massive wave of death sweeps over the people, pictured through a terrifying scene of destruction. The realm of the dead transforms into a living, hungry creature that breaks its natural boundaries to swallow the living. The underworld, representing the depths of the earth and the ultimate destination where all people eventually fall, is portrayed as the forces of loss and hell [שד״ל, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. In an unnatural and exaggerated display, the grave opens its mouth impossibly wide [מלבי״ם, מצודת ציון], with a powerful wind or breath rushing from its jaws [אבן עזרא].

Normally, death operates within certain limits and natural rules. However, this destruction happens without any boundary, quota, or end [שד״ל, ביאור שטיינזלץ, אבן עזרא]. The commentators agree that this boundless consumption operates on a principle of measure for measure. Because the sinners endlessly stretched their own desires, opening their mouths without limit for food, drink, and worldly pleasures, the underworld now opens its mouth without limit to swallow them in return.

Tumbling into this massive abyss is the complete splendor of Jerusalem and the Land of Israel, including its leaders, the masses of its people, and the great commotion of the city [רש״י, רד״ק, מצודת דוד]. While some commentators view the terms for the masses and their noise as a simple repetition to emphasize the vast population [רד״ק, מצודת ציון], [מלבי״ם] draws a distinction. He explains that one term refers to the ordinary sounds of daily human life, while the other points to an unusual, chaotic commotion. Furthermore, [מלבי״ם] notes that the collapse happens all at once. In a typical ruin, a city first loses its joy, then its population slowly dwindles, and finally, its leadership falls. Here, the sudden and total consumption of all these elements together shows that the entire city is swallowed in a single, catastrophic moment.

The final fate of the city's joy offers a fascinating range of interpretations. The primary approach among commentators is that the happy, carefree residents of the city are simply the ones descending into the grave. Taking a darker view, [מלבי״ם] and [שד״ל] suggest a bitter irony: the sinners fall into the earth so suddenly while drunk and celebrating that they continue their laughter in the grave, completely unaware of their own doom. Offering a physical perspective, [אבן עזרא] cites an opinion that this joy actually refers to a grimacing spasm resembling laughter that sometimes occurs at the exact moment of death. Alternatively, the joy might not belong to the victims at all. The celebration could be the cruel laughter of enemies gloating over the city's downfall [רד״ק, אבן עזרא], or it could be the underworld itself, rejoicing and taking pleasure as it consumes the glory of Jerusalem [שד״ל].