ירמיהו, פרק ב׳, פסוק ל״ד

Beyond their spiritual failures, the nation had sunk into severe moral corruption and a culture of bloodshed. Social crimes were no longer hidden out of shame; instead, they became public acts and even a source of twisted pride. The primary approach among commentators notes that the blood of the victims was clearly visible on the edges of the murderers' clothing [מצודת ציון, רד״ק]. Rather than feeling remorse, the criminals of that generation flaunted their violence, proudly displaying the blood on their garments for show and glory [מצודת דוד, אברבנאל]. Conversely, another perspective suggests that these crimes were committed in the shadows, or that the most vulnerable members of society were harmed due to severe neglect while supposedly under the shelter and protection of the leaders [רד״ק, אברבנאל, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

The victims of this violence were entirely innocent, destitute individuals who were killed for no reason. Some identify these vulnerable targets as the true prophets, who were murdered simply because they tried to rebuke the nation and guide the people back to the right path [מלבי״ם]. The sheer injustice of their deaths is highlighted by the fact that these victims were not caught breaking into homes like common thieves; therefore, there was absolutely no legal or moral justification to kill them [רש״י, רד״ק, אברבנאל]. When applied to the prophets, the people treated them as if they were thieves coming to rob them of their comfortable lifestyles, even though the prophets had come to take nothing at all [מלבי״ם]. Alternatively, the concept of a break-in is understood to describe the brazen nature of the crimes, indicating that the murders did not occur in a secret hiding place, but rather openly in the public square [מצודת דוד, אברבנאל].

The motivation behind this violence directly ties back to the victims' message. The poor and the prophets were slaughtered precisely because they rebuked the people for their many sins and evil ways [רש״י, מלבי״ם]. Other commentators connect the guilt back to the bloodstained clothing, noting that the evidence of murder was found on all those garments proudly displayed by the perpetrators [מצודת דוד, אברבנאל]. Ultimately, this inescapable guilt serves as a clear declaration that the responsibility for these terrible acts rests heavily upon the entire nation and its leaders [ביאור שטיינזלץ].