שופטים, פרק ב׳, פסוק י״ד

God's anger over the sins of the Israelites triggers a severe chain reaction, where the loss of His spiritual protection translates immediately into physical, security, and national vulnerability. This decline during the era of the Judges did not happen overnight. Instead, it unfolded in stages, growing worse as the severity of their sins increased [מלבי״ם].

The initial blow was economic. God handed the people over to robbers [ביאור שטיינזלץ] who came specifically to loot their wealth and property [מלבי״ם]. This invasion involved crushing and trampling both the Israelites and their belongings [מצודת ציון].

Over time, the punishment escalated from property damage to a genuine existential threat. God surrendered the people, acting as though He had sold them to their foes [מצודת ציון, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. This surrender meant that God actively withdrew His divine supervision. He removed His protective shadow, leaving the Israelites entirely exposed to the mercy of nature and random chance [מלבי״ם].

They were handed over to the enemies surrounding them, which refers to their hostile neighbors. A constant threat from nearby neighbors is far more oppressive and difficult to endure than a sudden raid by a distant enemy who simply plunders and retreats [מצודת דוד, מלבי״ם].

Stripped of God's protection and forced to confront armies that were naturally stronger than them, the Israelites reached a breaking point where they could no longer defend themselves [מלבי״ם]. Looking at the period of the Judges as a whole, even if the people initially possessed some ability to resist and recover, their strength ultimately collapsed. In the end, they could not survive or hold their ground against their enemies [מצודת דוד].