ישעיהו, פרק נ״א, פסוק י״ג

A nation paralyzed by deep fear for its survival often loses sight of the ultimate source of its security. Instead of relying on the infinite strength of the Creator, the people fixate on the immediate, passing threats of mortal enemies, draining their energy on unnecessary worry [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. This forgetfulness of God is not a matter of intellectual memory loss, but rather a profound lack of trust and reliance on Him [רש״י, מצודת דוד, צאינה וראינה]. When a person loses awareness that God rules over heaven and earth, they inevitably fall into the trap of fearing human beings, even though God possesses the power to save them [רד״ק]. This loss of perspective is especially tragic because God is not merely the physical creator of the nation, but the one who actively nurtures, raises, and elevates His people [מצודת ציון, מצודת דוד].

As a direct result of losing this spiritual anchor, the people live in constant, daily terror of their oppressors. These oppressors are the foreign rulers who enslave, strike, and bring deep distress to the nation, filled with intense anger and rage [רש״י, מצודת ציון, אבן עזרא]. The enemy is seen as constantly plotting, gathering weapons, and preparing his mind to kill and destroy [רש״י, מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ, אבן עזרא]. However, the terror is often magnified by the imagination. The fear they experience is sometimes directed at a hidden anger still harbored in the enemy's heart, a rage that has not yet been acted upon. The tragedy is that the people live in continuous panic over unfulfilled threats, reacting to potential destruction as if the ruin has already occurred [מלבי״ם].

Ultimately, this mindset is challenged by questioning the true staying power of the oppressor's rage. The primary approach among commentators is that mortal threats are inherently temporary. A human enemy may be powerful today, but tomorrow he is dead and gone, his anger passing away like a fleeting cloud. Therefore, it makes no logical sense to live in terror of men while forgetting the eternal Creator [רש״י, מצודת דוד, רד״ק, צאינה וראינה]. History repeatedly demonstrates the sudden collapse of seemingly invincible powers. The Babylonian empire, which harshly oppressed Israel, fell unexpectedly to Persia and Media, and all its terrifying wrath completely vanished [שד״ל]. Similarly, King Sennacherib amassed a massive army fully prepared to destroy, yet his grand plots collapsed entirely before he could even carry out his plans [רד״ק].