תהלים, פרק פ״ח, פסוק י״ז

When an overwhelming number of sicknesses and troubles strike a person, the experience leaves them crushed under the destructive weight of divine anger and fear [אבן עזרא]. This is experienced as the intense anger of God [ביאור שטיינזלץ], bringing about deep anxiety, sheer terror, and great dread upon the individual [רד״ק, מצודת ציון, מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

There is a profound perspective that these severe troubles and expressions of anger do not even strike the person directly, but merely pass over them. Yet, the sheer panic and dread generated by these passing threats are entirely sufficient to destroy the individual. This highlights a terrifying reality: if these troubles had actually made a direct impact, survival would have been completely impossible, as the mere anxiety of their passing is enough to bring utter defeat [אלשיך].

The ultimate impact of this terror is total devastation. The primary approach among commentators is to describe this resulting state as a complete cutting off or severing [מצודת ציון, מצודת דוד, מאירי], while another perspective views it as an absolute paralysis [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. The intensity of this destruction is absolute. The description of this ruin conveys an extreme, amplified severity, indicating that these divine fears do not merely harm the person once, but repeatedly and severely cut them down [רד״ק, מלבי״ם, מאירי].