תהלים, פרק נ״ב, פסוק ז׳

The punishment of the wicked is absolute and multi-dimensional, striking at his physical body, his honor, his family, and his very soul. This devastation operates on the principle of measure for measure. Because this wicked individual—identified as Doeg the Edomite—caused the destruction of the priestly city of Nob and the eradication of Ahimelech's family, God will similarly destroy and uproot him [רד״ק, אבן עזרא, מצודת דוד, מאירי]. The severity of his actions is so profound that even the divine attribute of loving-kindness agrees with his total destruction [אלשיך].

The magnitude of this downfall is conveyed through a series of absolute actions. God will break down and destroy the physical body of the wicked [רש״י, מצודת ציון, מלבי״ם], a ruin that is permanent and irreversible [מצודת דוד, מצודת ציון]. This punishment is often understood as a violent shattering [רש״י, מצודת ציון], though it can also be seen as a sweeping away from the world, or even a scorching, much like the raking of hot coals [מאירי, מלבי״ם]. Ultimately, God will completely tear him away and uproot him [רש״י, רד״ק].

This uprooting begins in his own home. On a basic level, he will be expelled from his physical dwelling, leaving absolutely no trace behind [רד״ק, מצודת דוד]. However, many commentators view this dwelling as a spiritual symbol, representing the study hall or the seat of the Sanhedrin. In this light, his punishment includes a profound loss of honor, expulsion from the centers of learning, and the forgetting of the Torah he once studied, leaving him completely humbled and degraded [אלשיך, מלבי״ם, תורה תמימה].

The eradication extends far beyond his own lifetime, reaching into future generations and the afterlife. Every root and descendant will be entirely wiped out, ensuring he has no continuation in this world [רש״י, רד״ק]. Furthermore, his removal from the land of the living signifies more than just physical death; it represents the loss of his soul. He is entirely uprooted from the World to Come—the ultimate land of the living—and will have no share in it [רד״ק, מלבי״ם, תורה תמימה]. This total destruction is sealed with an absolute finality, serving as a prayer or a divinely inspired declaration that this fate will truly come to pass [אבן עזרא, מלבי״ם].