ציטירנדיקער פּירוש אויף ישעיהו 10:5

With regard to this, he declares that God has prepared judgments for the arrogant (Proverbs 19:29) and that He knows their deeds; there is no darkness in which they can hide from His retribution. But it is not for man to inquire why they are punished secretly and not by a revealed miracle, nor to teach God how and in what manner to punish them. For in His wisdom, He wants to punish them in secret in order that there be some doubt as to whether the punishment comes from Him, thus leaving room for choice. Furthermore, at times they [the wicked] are themselves the agents of His Providence, the rod of His anger, (Isaiah 10:5) afflicting mankind for its evil deeds. Hence, not only does He not wipe them out, He even endows them with the strength and authority to destroy and exterminate multitudes, until they have carried out His work: to afflict peoples (Psalms 94:10) and prove nations. Then will He smash the rod and the staff of evil will be cut down. And it should suffice us to know that the Holy One Blessed be He is slow to anger, but eventually He collects what is His. And whoever says that the Holy One Blessed be He is one who waives the rules...¹¹Bereshit Rabbah 67.4. The sentence concludes: 'let him waive a bout of diarrhea!'

Pasuk 6 of this Perek encapsulates this central message. Yirmiyahu cites Hashem referring to Nevuchadnetzar as “His servant.” Yirmiyahu’s terminology does not reflect Nevuchadnetzar’s piety. He was, tragically, a most impious individual. Instead, it means that this mighty emperor is merely Hashem’s pawn executing His will³⁷This idea is also expressed by Yeshayahu (10:5), that the Assyrians are merely Hashem’s tool. Shlomo HaMelech (Mishlei 21:1) expresses the same idea: “The heart of a king is in Hashem’s hand. He tilts it in the direction He desires”..

Approach Number Four - Abarbanel, Mahari Kra, and Malbim
Yet a fourth explanation is offered by Abarbanel, Mahari Kra, and Malbim to explain Yonah shockingly disobeying Hashem’s order. These commentators note that Nineveh is, of course, the capital city of Assyria and that Assyria will emerge as our major enemy a few generations after Yonah. Yonah would prefer to have Assyria destroyed rather than effectively allow it to inflict immense damage¹⁴One could question this approach by arguing that, since Hashem concluded that Am Yisrael deserved punishment, even if the Assyrians were destroyed Hashem would have chosen another nation (such as the Babylonians) to punish Am Yisrael. Indeed, Yeshayahu (10:5) presents Assyria as the “rod of Hashem” (Sheivet Api) - a substitute rod could be found. Similarly, Mitzrayim (Egypt) was not named in the Brit Bein HaBetarim (Covenant Among the Parts) as the people who would enslave and afflict our people (Bereishit 15:13) since Egypt did not necessarily have to be the nation that harmed us. , both on the northern and southern kingdoms of Israel¹⁵Sefer Melachim and Sefer Yishayahu describe this damage extensively. Viewing the Lachish relief at the British museum depicting the Assyrian conquest of the Judean city Lachish gives one an insight into the dismal horror that the Assyrians inflicted on our people. Upon visiting Lachish one sees, besides for the destroyed and corroded defenses, the palace of the city’s governor/prince completely demolished and barren, save for the base, which is how we know of its existence at all. It is a huge building, yet nothing of the structure remains since it was so brutally destroyed by the Assyrians..