God directs a sharp rebuke at the neighboring nations that exploited Israel during a time of profound vulnerability. Instead of showing basic decency, these neighbors chose to join the invaders out of pure hatred to plunder the land. As a result, they now face the promise of swift justice.
The primary approach among commentators is that God challenges these nations, demanding to know what grievance they hold against Him and why they invaded His land [מצודת דוד, רד״ק]. While God deliberately orchestrated the rise of certain empires to discipline Israel, He never granted such authority to Tyre, Sidon, and Philistia. Instead, these neighbors witnessed the ruin of the land and opportunistically decided on their own to join the invasion and take the spoils [מלבי״ם, רד״ק]. Another perspective views God's challenge as a dismissal of their importance, questioning what true value or standing they could possibly have before Him [רד״ק, ביאור שטיינזלץ].
God presents them with two possibilities regarding their hostility. The first is that they are attempting to take revenge and repay Him with evil, even though He never caused them any harm [מצודת דוד, מלבי״ם, רד״ק]. Historically, this might be seen as a twisted form of payback for the twenty cities that King Solomon once gave to Hiram, the king of Tyre [רש״י]. The second possibility is that their hostility is entirely unprovoked. If they initiated this aggression on their own, they must understand that anyone who harms Israel is viewed as attacking God Himself [מלבי״ם, רד״ק]. Highlighting their deep ingratitude, [אבן עזרא] notes that the Philistines were once submissive to Israel and even brought tribute to King Jehoshaphat. Alternatively, [ביאור שטיינזלץ] suggests a rhetorical angle, where God asks if they believe they are genuinely acting on His behalf or offering Him anything of value.
Because of their unprovoked cruelty, their punishment will be incredibly swift. Unlike other hostile empires whose final judgment is delayed until the end of days, these opportunistic neighbors will face immediate consequences in the present era [מלבי״ם]. The promised judgment will happen in a very short amount of time, and the execution of the punishment itself will be remarkably fast [רש״י, מצודת ציון, מלבי״ם]. Furthermore, God ensures that their downfall will not be a generic penalty. Rather than a simple payment, which could take many forms, God promises to return their exact actions upon their own heads. The punishment will match their crime in the precise measure and manner in which they sinned [מלבי״ם]. This perfect justice guarantees their sudden and complete collapse [מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ].