ישעיהו, פרק נ״ט, פסוק ח׳

A complete collapse of moral and social order creates a reality where corruption seeps from the broad public sphere all the way down to the daily life of the individual. The people caught in this decay are entirely unfamiliar with the concept of peace, simply because they have never lived peacefully. Wherever they go, they leave unrest in their wake [מצודת דוד, רד״ק]. The idea of a main public road represents the basic laws and social norms designed to maintain order and harmony in a functioning society. Yet, these individuals have completely abandoned this general standard of behavior [מלבי״ם].

Looking deeper into their ways of life, there is a total absence of justice, honesty, or fair judgment [רש״י, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. A unique perspective notes that the winding side roads they travel are typically used by robbers and outcasts. Normally, even criminal gangs operate with an internal code of conduct and rules for dividing stolen goods. However, these people are so thoroughly corrupt that they lack any sense of fairness even within their own closed groups, constantly cheating and robbing one another [מלבי״ם].

The corruption deepens further, reaching the personal habits of the individual. They have taken their own private trails and twisted them [מצודת ציון, מלבי״ם]. There are two explanations for why they distort their ways. One approach views this as a deliberate, malicious trap set for others, twisting the roads to trip up innocent passersby and rob them [מצודת דוד]. Another perspective sees this as a tragic process of self-destruction. By twisting their own familiar paths, they ensure that they themselves will ultimately be the ones to stumble and fall [רש״י, רד״ק, אבן עזרא].

As a result of this distorted reality, anyone who steps onto these paths, or tries to follow their example and learn from their actions, will never find peace [אבן עזרא, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. These routes are no longer safe passages, but dangerous traps where thieves and hazards wait at every turn [מצודת דוד].