God sent famine, war, disease, and death as punishment. However, God often wanted to change stubborn behavior rather than just punish.
Because of their ongoing rebellion, the people’s “head” is described as injured and their “heart” as sick. This language shows how serious their condition had become.
The nation suffered physical harm from Assyrian attacks. At the same time, they were spiritually defiled and overcome by sin (Isaiah 64:6).