God asks this question to frame His explanation of why judgment has come, using the interrogative form to draw attention to the visible devastation before providing the theological diagnosis in the following verses, covenant unfaithfulness.

God immediately answers His own question in verses 13-14, declaring that the land perishes because they forsook His law, followed other gods, and walked in the stubbornness of their hearts.

God’s question about the ruined land shifts from challenge to instruction. The Hebrew emphasizes total desolation, the land is ‘ruined’ (אָבְדָה, avedah, ‘perished’ or ‘destroyed’) and ‘laid waste’ (נִצְּתָה, nitsetah, ‘kindled’ or ‘set ablaze’). Why frame this as a question rather than direct accusation? The interrogative invites Israel to make the connection between their sin and its consequences, engaging their conscience more effectively than mere declaration. Gill notes that the question ‘is put to excite attention’ and prepare hearers for the explanation that follows. The theological weight rests on covenant theology: land and people exist in organic connection under God’s covenant administration. When the people corrupt themselves, the land itself suffers under divine curse. This principle, rooted in Leviticus 18:25-28, reaches its devastating fulfillment in Judah’s exile. The question form transforms judgment announcement into pedagogical moment, revealing God’s desire that Israel understand the moral logic of their destruction.