Commentators grapple with why God would "cut off the righteous and the wicked." They explain that in a national, temporal judgment, the innocent are often caught up in the same suffering as the guilty. For the righteous, this suffering is a form of discipline or chastisement (like a "rod"), while for the wicked, it is condemnation. This doesn't contradict God's ultimate justice but shows the sweeping nature of national calamities.