תהלים, פרק נ״ה, פסוק י״א

An atmosphere of total siege and internal decay chokes the city, leaving no escape from constant malice. Violence and strife endlessly encircle the outer boundaries [רש״י, רד״ק, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. This threat never pauses; day and night, plots and persecution relentlessly target the victim from both the outside and within [רד״ק, מאירי].

The physical layout of the city reflects the depth of its moral collapse. Some view this spatial divide as a picture of overflowing wickedness. The city is so filled to the brim with corruption that there is simply no more room left inside, causing the evil to spill over and flood the outer walls [מצודת דוד]. Others picture this as a geometric shape, where the city acts as a circle: violence forms the outer perimeter along the walls, while iniquity and trouble sit at the very center [אבן עזרא].

Alternatively, the divide between the walls and the inner city represents a corrupt military and political system. Violence and strife act as the guards stationed on the outer defenses, while corruption and wickedness serve as the rulers governing from within [מלבי״ם, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. The residents living inside are the ones actively planning these dark schemes [רד״ק]. This creates a deeply tragic irony. The people of the city patrol their walls around the clock to protect against outside enemies who might destroy them, entirely blind to the reality that the corruption and trouble already festering inside are the true forces that will bring about their ruin [אלשיך].