ישעיהו, פרק ט״ז, פסוק י״א

The devastating collapse of Moab brings about a profound sorrow that is felt deep within the body. The primary approach among commentators is that the prophet is not speaking on his own behalf, but rather voicing the cries of a Moabite man lamenting the disaster of his people [אבן עזרא, רד״ק, מצודת דוד]. However, another perspective suggests that the prophet himself is expressing genuine, heartfelt sympathy for Moab's tragic loss [ביאור שטיינזלץ].

This overwhelming grief is experienced as a violent physical sensation. Expressions of internal pain are used to describe the entire hollow of the body [מצודות]. Some specify that this anguish fills the whole abdominal cavity, often including the heart, while deeply affecting the intestines themselves [מלבי״ם, רד״ק]. To capture the intensity of this pain, the sorrow is compared to a harp. The traditional understanding is that the inner organs groan, producing a sound of wailing and mourning [רש״י]. Alternatively, the comparison focuses not on the sound, but on the physical vibration of shock. Just as the strings of a harp tremble when plucked, the inner organs shudder and shake from sheer agony [שד״ל].

A more detailed interpretation merges these ideas, picturing the mourner's entire body as the instrument itself. The internal organs act as the harp strings being violently struck by grief, while the hollow body cavity serves as the soundbox from which the wailing echoes. All of these agonizing sounds and emotions are directed toward the city of Kir-hareseth. Because the wounded and beaten from the battle were brought into its walls, the city itself becomes a massive echo chamber, reflecting and amplifying Moab's cries of despair [מלבי״ם, רד״ק, ביאור שטיינזלץ].