Jerusalem's days of glory are coming to an end, as the once-bustling noise of the city gives way to a heavy silence of brokenness and despair. A profound sense of sorrow and deep sighing overtakes the capital. The primary approach among commentators is that the city gates and the doorways of homes, which previously teemed with crowds, will stand desolate. They will appear to be in mourning due to the sheer absence of people passing through them [אבן עזרא, שד״ל, מלבי״ם]. Alternatively, this mourning extends to the people themselves; those who remain will sit at the gates and hold eulogies at every doorway [רש״י, ביאור שטיינזלץ, מצודת דוד].
The city will undergo a complete emptying. The primary approach among commentators is that Jerusalem will be entirely stripped of its residents, its wealth, and all its good fortune, leaving it in a state of severe famine and total deprivation [רש״י, אבן עזרא, רד״ק, מצודת דוד]. However, a unique perspective offers a different understanding based on an ancient military custom. Historically, widows were forbidden from publicly mourning heroes who fell in battle, so as not to weaken the nation's morale; instead, the day of their death was marked by celebrating their bravery. Yet, faced with the loss of all its warriors and the overwhelming despair gripping the city, the metaphorical widow of Zion will be exempt from any guilt for her public weeping. With no hope remaining and nothing left to defend, she is free to openly grieve [מלבי״ם].
Ultimately, Zion is reduced to sitting on the ground, a state understood on two distinct levels. On an emotional and metaphorical level, this reflects a tragic fall from high honor to deep humiliation. The city is personified as a grieving mother sitting on the earth, weeping for her lost children, much like the traditional mourning practices of the Ninth of Av [רש״י, שד״ל, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. On a physical level, this represents the literal destruction of the city, as its towering walls, fortresses, and homes collapse and crumble into the dust [רד״ק].