זכריה, פרק א׳, פסוק ט״ו

When divine judgment falls upon a people, surrounding empires often see an opportunity for exploitation rather than a moment for restraint. God expresses deep and fierce anger toward the nations of the world who took advantage of Israel's vulnerability and rejoiced in their downfall. These nations currently sit in peace, quiet, and complete security. While the primary approach among commentators views these nations generally, [מלבי״ם] specifically identifies them as the powerful empires of Media and Persia. God's anger toward these secure, untroubled empires is intense. According to [אבן עזרא], this fierce divine wrath serves as a warning that many wars and severe troubles will soon fall upon them.

The root of God's anger lies in how these nations distorted His original plan. His initial anger with Israel was measured and strictly limited. [רד״ק] explains that the divine intention was merely to exile the Israelites from their land, while [ביאור שטיינזלץ] notes it was simply to allow them to face military defeat. Adding another layer to this dynamic, [מלבי״ם] points out that by this point in history, God's anger toward Israel had already faded significantly, as the time for their redemption had finally arrived.

Instead of letting the limited punishment run its course, the empires actively made the situation much worse, causing far greater harm than God ever intended. They acted with extreme cruelty and a complete lack of mercy toward the exiled Israelites [רד״ק]. They displayed unjustified joy over the tragedy, eagerly attacking the ruins and looting the fallen [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. On a political level, [מלבי״ם] explains that Media and Persia actively supported the enemies of the Israelites, accepted their hostile claims, and issued decrees to halt the rebuilding of the Temple. Through these actions, they deliberately trapped the people in an ongoing state of plunder and enslavement.