THEOSISTheodoret of Cyrus
The charges commence with the leaders, as those in authority will influence their followers. When the head suffers, it is inevitable that the entire body experiences weakness. Thus, God states that they showed no mercy to their relatives, and, in disregarding familial obligations, committed grave injustices. Even your own father and mother were spoken of harshly by you. Such acts were among those expressly forbidden by the law. They also mistreated the foreigner within your midst. The law explicitly instructs, "And ye shall not malign a stranger: for ye are strangers in the land of Egypt" (Ex. 22:21); which reminds you that, from your own struggles, you ought to demonstrate compassion.
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Yet you boldly violated this command, as well as another: "The orphan and the widow shall be overwhelmed in you." In stark contrast, the good Lord commands otherwise. For it is written, "Judge the orphan, and justify the widow" (Isaiah 1:17); and the law asserts, "Thou shalt not plunder another time thy vineyard; to the stranger, and to the orphan, and to the widow, let them be" (Deuteronomy 24:21). However, rather than offering any aid to them, you not only withheld goodness but also inflicted upon them even harsher wrongs and engaged in more serious offenses.