ירמיהו, פרק כ״ה, פסוק כ״ט

A profound logical warning is presented regarding the impending disaster destined for the nations of the world. If ruin strikes Israel first, the surrounding nations have no reason to believe they will be spared. The devastation begins in Jerusalem, the very city that has earned the honor of bearing God's name [מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. God poses a rhetorical question to the foreign nations, asking if they truly believe they will emerge clean and escape this sweeping evil. The answer is absolute: they will not manage to evade their punishment [מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

There is a fundamental difference in how God watches over the world. Israel remains under His direct supervision, whereas the other nations are governed by the standard laws of nature. If the destructive decree of Nebuchadnezzar is permitted to overpower a nation under God's direct care, it will undoubtedly crush the other nations. Often, God brings ruin upon foreign nations first so that Israel might witness the devastation, take the moral lesson to heart, and repent, thereby canceling the harsh decree against themselves.

In this specific instance, however, the disaster starts directly with Israel. Because the destruction begins there, it is clear that this event is not merely a warning designed to inspire repentance and avert a future disaster. Since the ruin is absolute and already in motion, the nations of the world are left with no hope and no possible path to escape the severe punishment awaiting them [מלבי״ם].