תהלים, פרק קל״ז, פסוק ז׳

When the pain of national destruction burns deeply, the heart naturally cries out to God for justice. After a deeply personal pledge to never forget the ruined city of Jerusalem, an impassioned plea is made. It is asked that just as the people remember, God should also remember the actions of those who tore the city down and pay them back for their cruelty [מלבי״ם, מצודת דוד]. This appeal asks God to recall the specific day of Jerusalem's downfall and the enemies who eagerly participated in its ruin [רד״ק, המאירי].

The primary focus of this anger falls on the Edomites during the era of the First Temple's destruction by the Babylonians. Having previously lived under Israelite rule, the Edomites seized the moment of vulnerability. They not only celebrated the tragedy but actively pushed the Babylonians to obliterate the city entirely. For the Israelites, this betrayal and cruel gloating cut even deeper than the physical destruction itself [אבן עזרא]. The enemies went beyond mere conquest; they actively tormented the survivors [ביאור שטיינזלץ] and mocked them, cruelly claiming that all hope was permanently lost and that they would never experience redemption again [חומת אנך]. While this reflects the immediate historical tragedy, another perspective suggests a shift from a lament to a prophecy concerning the long, ongoing exile under the future rule of Edom [המאירי].

The sheer cruelty of the Edomites is captured in their vicious demand for absolute ruin and devastation. They called for the city to be stripped bare, uncovering and exposing its hidden depths [מלבי״ם, אבן עזרא], or violently uprooting it from the earth entirely [רש״י, מלבי״ם]. Their ultimate goal was to tear down every wall and building until the ground itself was laid bare, ensuring that the foundations were completely exposed and not a single trace of Jerusalem remained [רד״ק, המאירי, ביאור שטיינזלץ].