ירמיהו, פרק כ״ו, פסוק י״ח

A stark historical memory from the era of Hezekiah, king of Judah, serves as a chilling warning. During that time, a prophet originating from the city of Moresheth [רש"י] delivered a severe prophecy foretelling the absolute destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple. This exact warning was also recorded in the Book of Micah [ביאור שטיינזלץ].

The prophecy paints a grim picture of total devastation through three vivid images. First, the heart of the city will be completely leveled. It will be destroyed down to its very foundations and literally plowed over, transforming into an ordinary agricultural field ready for planting [מצודת דוד]. Second, the rest of Jerusalem is destined to become a series of desolate mounds. The primary approach among commentators is that the city will be reduced to heaps of ruins, filled with piles of stones left behind from the collapsed walls of ruined homes. Finally, the sacred site of the Temple itself will suffer a profound physical transformation. The mount will be reduced to high bumps of dirt and scattered piles of stones, closely resembling the natural, unkempt hills typically found deep within a wild forest [מצודת דוד, מצודת ציון, ביאור שטיינזלץ].