The absolute power of God becomes undeniable the moment His justice is set into motion. When divine judgment is unleashed, no earthly force possesses the strength to withstand it. God is uniquely singled out to emphasize that He alone commands true reverence [אבן עזרא]. His eternal consistency is also highlighted; He inspired awe in the ancient past and remains equally awe-inspiring in the present, entirely unchanging [אלשיך]. Ultimately, this profound reverence means that all nations of the world will come to fear Him [רד״ק, מאירי].
Faced with such overwhelming power, a natural question arises regarding who could possibly survive or endure such a force [מצודת דוד]. From the exact moment His anger is revealed and His decree is issued, standing before Him becomes impossible [רש״י, רד״ק, ביאור שטיינזלץ, אבן עזרא]. Furthermore, human anger naturally fades as time passes, but God’s wrath is fundamentally different; once ignited, its intensity never weakens [מצודת דוד].
Commentators offer different perspectives on the specific target of this divine anger. One approach understands it as God's ultimate vengeance against the nations that oppress Israel [מאירי]. Within this framework, the Assyrian empire served as the very instrument of God's anger. After God sent Assyria to strike down other nations, no kingdom could resist them. This continued until God Himself stood in judgment in Zion to rescue the humble and oppressed from Assyria's grip [מלבי״ם].
Alternatively, this fierce anger is understood within the context of the Temple's destruction. This perspective addresses a difficult question: why did God allow enemies to destroy the holy site rather than punishing the people directly? The answer reveals a profound mercy hidden within the judgment. Had God acted immediately to punish Israel for their sins, the entire nation would have been wiped out. Instead, He chose to pour out His wrath upon the wood and stones of the Temple in Zion, sacrificing the physical structure to save Israel from total annihilation [אלשיך].