“God said to Noah: The end of all flesh has come before Me, as the earth is filled with injustice because of them and, behold, I am destroying them with the earth” (Genesis 6:13). “God said to Noah: The end of all flesh [has come before Me, as the earth is filled with injustice…]” – “Injustice rises up into a rod of wickedness” (Ezekiel 7:11). Does injustice indeed rise up?1“Rise up” implies success and triumph.
But in fact, evil never triumphs in the end. That is a rhetorical question. God forbid; it does not rise up. But if it does rise up, it will be to act as a rod of wickedness, to bring culpability against the wicked.2Injustice does not “rise up” in the sense of success, but in the sense of serving as a tool of punishment.
That is what is meant by “into a rod of wickedness.” “Not among them3None will be spared from among them. and not among their multitudes [mehamonam] and not among anything of theirs [mehemehem]” (Ezekiel 7:11) – not from them, nor from their wealth [mamonam], nor from their offspring [timhatehon]. “And there is no mourning [noa] among them” (Ezekiel 7:11) – no person experienced any satisfaction [naḥat]4Noa, ending in heh, is interpreted as if it were written noaḥ, ending in ḥet, meaning relief or satisfaction. from them, and neither did the Holy One blessed be He experience any satisfaction [naḥat] from them.
“And there is no noa among them” – this is as Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said: “As I regret that I made them. And Noah…” (Genesis 6:7–8)5This is interpreted to mean that God included Noah among those who deserved punishment. The Midrash is expounding noa as if it were a reference to Noah. –even Noah, who remained from among them,6“Noa among them” means: Noah, who was the only survivor among them. it is not that he was worthy, but rather that he found favor [before God, as it is written:] “But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord” (Genesis 6:8). And because they were steeped in licentiousness, they were obliterated from the world.