Rashi on the Prophets and Writings

How dim the gold has become This elegy was recited about Josiah, as it is stated (II Chronicles 35: 25): “Behold it is written in the Book of Lamentations,” and with it he joined, in the midst of the elegy, the rest of the children of Zion.
dim Heb. יוּעַם, dim, as in (Lev. 13:6) where כֵּהָה is translated by the Targum as עַמְיָא.
gold the appearance of a face that shines like gold.
changed Heb. יִשְּׁנֶא, changes its appearance.
the gold jewelry Heb. הַכֶּתֶם. A collection of beautiful gold articles used as ornamentation is called ַכֶּתֶם.
The holy stones children who shine like precious stones, and the Midrash Aggadah (Lam. Rabbah) [states]: Every fourth part [of a log] of blood that came out of Josiah with each arrow that they thrust into him, Jeremiah buried in its place, and he called out concerning it, “the holy stones are scattered.”

praised with gold who were praised and equated with gold. Whoever saw them said, “See, the complexion of these is like the appearance of gold,” and so, (Job 28:16): “It cannot be praised (תְסֻלֶה) with jewelry of Ophir”; (ibid. 19): “it cannot be praised (תְסֻלֶה) with jewelry of fine gold”; (Ps. 68: 5): “praise (סֹלוּ) Him Who rides in Aravoth”; these are expressions of praise and value.
earthen pitchers Heb. נִבְלֵי, earthen pitchers in which they pour wine, like wine flasks. (Jer. 48:12): “and they shall smash their jars (נִבְלֵיהֶם).”

Even the sea-monsters Even though it is cruel, it offers the breast. When it sees its hungry offspring coming from afar, it uncovers its breasts from their sheath, for it has a cover over its breasts, and draws them out so that its offspring should not see them covered up and retreat. And then they suckle their young.
the daughter of my people has become cruel They see their children crying for bread, and they do not break it for them, for their own lives come before their children’s lives because of the hunger.

they that were reared on crimson on colored garments.
they that were reared Heb. הָאֱמֻנִים. An expression similar to (Esther 2:7): “And he brought up (אֹמֵן) Hadassah.”
clasp the dunghills heaps of dung; they lie on the dunghills in the street.

The iniquity of my people is greater, etc. Their punishment proves about them that their iniquity is greater than that of Sodom.
which was overthrown as in a moment The distress of Sodom was not prolonged; it was overthrown as in one moment.
and no hands fell on her [i.e.,] the hands of the enemy, but through angels it was overthrown. There are also Aggadic midrashim, but they do not fit the sequence of the verses.

Her Nazirites were purer Heb. נְזִירֶיהָ, her princes, like נֶזֶר and כֶּתֶר, a crown, but I say that [it means] real Nazirites, who had long hair and were remarkably handsome, and the antecedent is “the daughter of my people.”
their appearance was ruddier than coral Those whose appearance was ruddier than coral and whose forms were like sapphire—their complexions became darker than charcoal.

than charcoal Heb. מִשְּׁחוֹר. This is charcoal.
appearance Heb. עֶצֶם, an expression of appearance, like (Exod. 24:10): “like the appearance of (וּכְעֶצֶם) the heavens in purity”; couleur in French, color, complexion.
is shriveled Heb. צָפַד, shriveled and adhered, and there is no similar word.

for they ooze, pierced, etc. The victims of hunger were swollen from the smell of the fruits of the field, for 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. Now this is a more ignoble death than those who are slain by the sword.
pierced Heb. מְדֻקָרִים. Being split either by the swelling of hunger or by the stabbing of the sword is called דְקִירָה, piercing.
by the fruits of the field Because of the roots and grasses that they gathered and ate, their feces increased and were loathsome.

food Heb. לְבָרוֹת, for food, like (II Sam. 12:17): “neither did he eat (בָרָה) bread with them”; (ibid. 3: 35): “to serve (לְהַבְרוֹת) David bread.”

The Lord has spent His fury which burned in Him for many years; He now spent it when He avenged Himself upon them.

for the sins of her prophets [Because of the sins of her] false [prophets], this evil has befallen her.

The blind stagger through the streets When the blind would walk in the street, they staggered, and their feet slipped on the blood of the slain, whom the wicked were slaying in their midst.
they are defiled with blood They were so sullied with blood that those near them could not touch their clothes, and would therefore call out to them.

Depart from us, you unclean ones, who are sullied with blood.
for they are foul Heb. נָצוּ, an expression of foulness and filth, like (Lev. 1:16): “its crop, בְּנֹצָתָה,” which is translated by the Targum as בְּאוּכְלֵיה. So did Menahem associate it (not found in our editions of Machbereth).
even slipping They slipped in the blood.

The anger of the Lord divided them Heb. פְּנֵי, lit. the face of. The angry face of the Holy One, blessed be He, divided them and dispersed them among the heathens, because they did not respect the presence of the priests when they were in their [state of] tranquility.

Our eyes still strained for our futile help When the evil befell us, our eyes were still looking forward to Pharaoh’s army, concerning whom it is said (Isa. 30:7): “And the Egyptians help in vain and to no purpose,” for they would promise us aid but they would not come, as it is stated concerning them (Jer. 37:7): “Behold, Pharaoh’s army, which has come out to aid you, is returning to its land, Egypt.” We find in Midrash Kinoth that they were coming in ships. The Holy One, blessed be He, signaled to the sea and caused inflated flasks like human intestines to float before them, moving around in the water. They said to each other, “These flasks are our forefathers, the men of Egypt who drowned in the sea because of these Jews, and we are going out to aid them?” They stopped and turned around.
we hoped Heb. צִפִּינוּ, we waited.

They dogged our steps Heb. צָדוּ. Our enemies stalked our steps and prevented us from walking in our streets, like (Exod. 21:13): “but if he did not lurk (צָדָה)”;(I Sam. 24:12): “but you are stalking (צֹדֶה) my soul.”

The breath of our nostrils, the Lord’s anointed That is Josiah, as it is stated in Chronicles (II Chron. 35:25): “And Jeremiah lamented Josiah.”
in their pits in the pits that they dug.

Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Edom Jeremiah prophesied about the destruction of the Second Temple, which the Romans would destroy.
Rejoice and be glad for the time being, but ultimately, the cup of retribution will pass also over you, and you will become drunk from it.
and vomit Heb. וְתִתְעָרִי, like (Gen. 24:20): “and she emptied (וַתְּעַר) her pitcher.”

[The punishment of] your iniquity is complete, O daughter of Zion You suffered for all your sins.
He will no longer send you into exile from the exile of Edom and further.