דברי הימים ב, פרק י״ג, פסוק י״ז

The battle ended in an absolute defeat, with the vast majority of the Israelite army falling as casualties [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. The sheer scale of the destruction was staggering, and the magnitude of the blow is understood quite literally by the massive death toll of half a million men [רד״ק].

Beyond the enormous loss of life on the battlefield, the tragedy extended deeply into the lives of the surviving families. A deeper perspective suggests the devastation was exceptionally severe because it created a lasting, unresolved sorrow. The fallen soldiers were left in a state where they could not be recognized. Because their deaths could not be officially confirmed, their wives were left legally bound to their missing husbands and unable to remarry.

The way the soldiers became unrecognizable is explained through two distinct viewpoints. One approach suggests that their facial features were physically mutilated during the violence of the conflict. Another perspective explains that guards were stationed over the bodies for three days, intentionally preventing their burial. Over this time, the remains naturally decayed until their features were completely ruined and any chance of identification was lost [רד״ק].