How can it be that the golden glow has paled. This elegy was pronounced over Yoshiyahu,¹ as it is stated in Divrei Hayomim, “Behold it is written in the Book of Lamentations,”² and with it he joined, in the midst of the elegy, the rest of the children of Tzion.

footnotes: ¹ Who was killed in a battle with Pharaoh Necho. ² II Divrei Hayomim 35:25.

Paled. Dimmed, as in “כֵּהָה”³ which is rendered [by the Targum as] עַמְיָא [=dimmed].

footnotes: ³ Vayikra 13:6.

Golden. The appearance of a face that shines like gold.

Altered. Changes its appearance.

Jewel. A collection of beautiful gold articles used as ornaments is called כֶּתֶם.

Sacred gems. Children who shine like precious stones. But the Midrash Aggadah [states that “sacred gems are spilled refers to], every fourth-part [=רְבִיעִית of blood that Yoshiyahu shed with each arrow that they thrust into him, Yirmiyahu buried in its place [i.e., where it spilled]. Concerning it he called out, “sacred gems are spilled.”

Who were evaluated in golden currency. Who were praised and valued like gold. Whoever saw them would say, “Look, the complexion of these is like the appearance of gold,” and similarly, “it cannot be praised תְסֻלֶּה with the gold jewelry of Ophir,”⁴ [and as in,] “with jewelry of fine gold, it cannot be praised תְסֻלֶּה”⁵ [and as in,] “praise סֹלּוּ Him Who rides the heavens.”⁶ These are expressions of praise and value.

footnotes: ⁴ Iyov 28:16. ⁵ Ibid. 28:19. ⁶ Tehilim 68:5.

Like flasks of clay. Earthen pitchers in which they pour wine, e.g., wine flasks, [as in,] “And they will smash their jars וְנִבְלֵיהֶם.”⁷

footnotes: ⁷ Yirmiyahu 48:12. The scraps of broken metal utensils have some value, but the shards of broken earthenware have no value whatsoever. (Ramak)

Even the serpent. Even though it is cruel, it bares its breast. When it sees its offspring coming from afar, hungry, it uncovers its breasts from their sheath, for it has a cover over its breasts, and it takes them out so that its offspring should not see them covered up and turn away. Then they suckle their young.

Yet the daughters of my people have become brutal. They see their children crying for bread, and yet no one breaks [bread] for them; for their own lives come before their children’s lives because of the hunger.

Those raised on richly colored brocade. On colored garments.

Those raised. An expression [similar to], “And he brought אֹמֵן up Hadassah.”⁸

footnotes: ⁸ Esther 2:7.

Dungheaps. Heaps of dung; they lie on the dunghills in the street.

[My people’s] transgressions surpassed, etc. [The severity of] their punishment⁹ proves about them that their transgression is greater than that of Sodom.¹⁰

footnotes: ⁹ Concerning S’dom, Scripture states, “her sin is extremely grave,” in Bereishis 18:20. However, concerning Yehudah, Scripture states, “The iniquity of the house of Yisroel and Yehudah is extremely extremely great,” in Yechezkeil 9:9. ¹⁰ S’dom’s sins were committed before the Torah was given and are considered accidental [חטא]. However, these sins were committed after the Torah had been given and were considered to be premeditated [עון]. (Palgei Mayim)

Which was instantaneously overturned. The distress of Sodom was not prolonged; it was overturned as in one moment.

Untouched by [human] hands. I.e., the hands of the enemy;¹¹ but it was overthrown through angels.¹² There are also Aggadic Midrashim, but they do not fit the sequence of the verses.

footnotes: ¹¹ Alternatively, ‘who had no prophets’ to lead them back to teshuvah; i.e., S’dom, unlike ‘my people,’ had no prophets to chastise them, therefore Bnei Yisroel’s ‘transgressions surpassed, etc.’ (Targum) ¹² Referring to S’dom.

Her Nazirites were more pristine. Her princes, like נֵזֶר and כֶּתֶר [=a crown]. But I say [it means] actual Nazirites, who had long hair and were very handsome, and the antecedent is “of my people.”¹³

footnotes: ¹³ Above Verse 6.

Those who appeared redder than pearls. Those whose appearance was ruddier than coral and whose forms were like sapphire; their complexions became darker than charcoal.

Than charcoal. This is charcoal.

[Their] bone[s]. An expression of appearance, as in, “like the appearance וּכְעֶצֶם of the heavens in purity,”¹⁴ color in O.F.

footnotes: ¹⁴ Shemos 24:10.

Shrivelled. Shriveled and attached; and there is no similar [word in Scripture].

For they dripped with burst bellies, etc. The corpses [of those who died] because of hunger were swollen from the aroma of the fruits of the field. The enemies would roast meat on the grass outside the wall, and the aroma would go into those swollen from hunger, and their stomachs would split, and their feces would ooze. This is an uglier death than those slain by the sword.

With burst bellies. Being split; either by the swelling of hunger or by the stabbing of the sword is called piercing [=דְּקִירָה.

From [eating] the produce of the fields. Because of the roots and grass that they gathered and ate, their feces increased and they were loathsome.

Their food. For food, as in, “and he did not eat בָרָה food with them,”¹⁵ [and as in] “to serve Dovid a meal לְהַבְרוֹת.”¹⁶

footnotes: ¹⁵ II Shmuel 12:17. ¹⁶ Ibid. 3:35.

Adonoy spent His wrath. Which burned in Him for many years.¹⁷ He now spent it when He avenged Himself upon them.

footnotes: ¹⁷ God’s fury is compared to a ‘consuming fire’ as in Eichah 2:3 above; also see Devorim 4:24.

For the sins of her false prophets. [Because of the] false [prophets], this evil has befallen her.¹⁸ who burnt incense for idol worship, this evil has befallen her.’ (Targum)

footnotes: ¹⁸ Alternately, ‘because of the sins committed against the prophets,’ namely the murder of Zecharyah, this evil has befallen her. (Eichah Rabbah 4:16) Or ‘because of the sins committed by her prophets and kohanim

The blind slithered in the streets. When the blind would walk in the street, they would stagger, and their feet would slip on the blood of the slain,¹⁹ whom the wicked were slaying in its [Yerusholayim] midst.

footnotes: ¹⁹ Alternatively, ‘they wandered through the streets blindly.’

Filthied with blood. They were so sullied with blood that those near them could not touch their clothes, and would therefore call out to them.²⁰

footnotes: ²⁰ “Get away, you are contaminated, etc.”

Get away. From us, you unclean ones, who are sullied with blood.

For they were obscene. An expression of foulness and filth,²¹ as in, “its crop מֻרְאָתוֹ with its feathers,”²² which is translated [by the Targum] as בְּאוּכְלֵיהּ. So did Menachem classify it.

footnotes: ²¹ Alternatively, ‘they blasphemed.[נצונאצו].’ ²² Vayikra 1:16.

And slithering. They slipped in blood..

In Adonoy’s glaring anger He dispersed them. The angry face of the Holy One, Blessed Is He, divided and separated them among the nations, because they did not respect the presence of the kohanim when they were in their tranquility.

We persisted in longingly eyeing illusive reinforcements. When the evil befell us, our eyes were still looking forward to Pharaoh’s army, concerning whom it is stated, “And the Egyptians, they help in vain and to no purpose,”²³ for they would promise us aid but they would not come, as it is stated concerning them, “Behold, Pharaoh’s army, which has come out to help [you], is returning to its land, to Egypt.”²⁴ We find in Midrash Kinos that they were coming in ships. The Holy One, Blessed Is He, hinted to the sea and caused inflated flasks²⁵ like human intestines to move about in the water. They said to each other, “These flasks are our forefathers, the men of Egypt who drowned in the sea on account of these Jews, and we are gong out to assist them?” They stopped and turned back.

footnotes: ²³ Yeshayahu 30:7. ²⁴ Yirmiyahu 37:7. ²⁵ The text in the Midrash is שלדותיהן, i.e., their skeletons.

Yearning. We waited.

They lurked behind our steps. Our enemies stalked our footsteps [and prevented us] from walking in our streets, as in, “but for one who had not lain in ambush צָדָה”²⁶ [and as in,] “but you are stalking צָדָה my soul.”²⁷

footnotes: ²⁶ Shemos 21:13. ²⁷ I Shmuel 34:12.

Adonoy’s anointed. That is Yoshiyahu, as it is stated in Divrei Hayomim, “And Yirmiyahu lamented over Yoshiyahu.”²⁸

footnotes: ²⁸ II Divrei Hayomim 35:25. See Maseches Ta’anis 22b. Alternatively, ‘Adonoy’s appointed’ refers to Tzidkiyahu king of Yehudah who was blinded and carried off to Bavel in chains by the people of Kasdim.

In their pitfalls. In the pits that they dug.

Rejoice in gladness city of Edom. Yirmiyahu prophesied about the destruction of the second Beis Hamikdosh which the Romans would destroy.²⁹

footnotes: ²⁹ Alternatively, it refers to Edom who rejoiced at the downfall of Yerusholayim and rejoiced at the destruction of the first Beis Hamikdosh, as it says “Remember, Adonoy, for the offspring of Edom...who say ‘Destroy! Destroy!’ etc., in Tehilim 137:7.

Rejoice in gladness. For the time being, but ultimately, the cup of retribution will pass also over you, and you will become drunk from it.

[Till] you vomit. And you will throw up, as in, “and she emptied וַתְּעַר her pitcher.”³⁰

footnotes: ³⁰ Bereishis 24:20.

You have been fully chastised for your sins city of Tzion. You suffered for all your sins.

He will never exile you again. After the exile of Edom.