ירמיהו, פרק כ״ב, פסוק כ׳

A dramatic call rings out to the nation of Israel, portrayed as a woman in distress, urging her to climb to the highest peaks and scream for rescue from an approaching disaster. This plea captures the tragic collapse of political alliances and the bitter realization that the earthly powers the nation relied upon, rather than trusting in God, have crumbled and can no longer offer protection.

The prophet directs the nation to raise her voice from specific prominent locations, Lebanon and Bashan. The primary approach among commentators views this geographically. The nation is told to climb the highest, most familiar mountain peaks so that her desperate cries for help can echo far into the distance [מצודת דוד, רד״ק, אברבנאל, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Conversely, a symbolic approach connects these locations directly to Jerusalem and the Temple Mount. In this view, Lebanon represents the Temple itself, as it is the place that cleanses the sins of the people. Bashan symbolizes the gates of the Temple Mount. This connection is drawn either because the heavy doors were crafted from the mighty oaks of Bashan, because of the vast, open courtyards surrounding the sacred site, or as a reference to the countless grazing animals brought there for offerings [רש״י, רד״ק].

The nation is also instructed to let her cries be heard from the surrounding areas. Most sources understand this as a call to scream in every direction and from all sides [מצודת ציון, רד״ק, אברבנאל, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Another interpretation suggests that the cries should ring out specifically from the public crossroads and travel routes [רש״י].

The underlying cause for this desperate outcry is the shattering of the nation's former lovers. Commentators agree that these lovers symbolize Israel's political allies. The most common understanding is that these allies were powerful empires, such as Assyria and Egypt, whose military strength the nation trusted instead of relying on God. The prophet is mocking the people, challenging them to call out to these foreign nations to see if they will come to the rescue. In reality, those great empires have already been crushed by the heavy hand of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, leaving Jerusalem entirely without a savior [מצודת דוד, רד״ק, אברבנאל, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Providing a different perspective, one commentator suggests that this warning was actually delivered during a time of peace. In this view, the broken lovers are the other tribes of Israel who had already been exiled by Sennacherib. The fall of their own brothers should have served as a glaring warning to Judah that its strength was failing and ruin was near, yet the people simply refused to listen [מלבי״ם].