ירמיהו, פרק ד׳, פסוק כ״ג

A vision of destruction unfolds, revealing not merely a local disaster, but the terrifying collapse of reality itself. The world appears to be falling apart, reversing the six days of creation and returning to its very beginning. Through a profound prophetic experience, the prophet looks out over the land [מצודת דוד, רד״ק] and witnesses total desolation, emptiness, and a complete lack of form [מצודת ציון, שטיינזלץ]. On a practical level, this portrays a ruined country stripped of its inhabitants through exile [מצודת דוד, רד״ק]. On a deeper level, the imagery directly mirrors the opening moments of Genesis. The earth is reverting to its ancient, empty state before life began [רד״ק, מלבי״ם, מצודת ציון].

The vision then shifts upward toward the sky. The primary approach among commentators is that the prophet simply looks up and observes the heavens [מצודת ציון, רד״ק]. Yet, another perspective suggests that the darkness is so absolute that the sky itself is completely invisible. In this view, the prophet can only gaze toward the empty height where the heavens ought to be [מלבי״ם].

Looking upward, he finds that all light has vanished. This continues the theme of creation moving backward: while light was the very first thing brought into existence, it is now entirely gone [מלבי״ם]. This overwhelming darkness also serves as a powerful metaphor for the people's intense suffering. Just as a person experiencing deep distress feels as though their entire world has gone dark, the absence of light reflects the crushing weight of their tragedy [מצודת דוד, רד״ק].