Has He smitten him as He smote those who smote him? Or has he been slain according to the slaughter of his slayers, establishing that Israel's suffering under judgment is measured and proportional, not equivalent to the destruction visited upon those who had afflicted Israel. The question form suggests that the answer is no: Israel's judgment, while real, has been less severe than the judgment of the nations that had oppressed it. The distinction between Israel's judgment and that of the nations establishes that God's purposes for the two are different: judgment against Israel serves purification; judgment against the nations serves their destruction. This verse articulates the belief that God's relationship to Israel is unique and that Israel's suffering, while real, is not equivalent to the destruction it brings upon its enemies.

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