ירמיהו, פרק מ״ז, פסוק ה׳

The impending ruin of the major Philistine cities is painted in the vivid, heavy colors of deep mourning. To capture the tragic end of these powerful centers, ancient customs of grieving the dead are used as metaphors for total and absolute destruction. The fall of Gaza, for instance, is pictured as a state of baldness, evoking the agonizing image of mourners tearing out their own hair as the city is left entirely desolate [שטיינזלץ, מצודת ציון]. Most commentators explain that this specific image of baldness points to two successive disasters that strike the city. First, the king of Egypt attacks, acting as a partial tearing of the hair. Soon after, the king of Babylon arrives and completely destroys what is left, stripping the city bare until it is entirely empty [רד״ק, מצודת דוד, מלבי״ם, חומת אנך, אברבנאל].

Alongside Gaza, the neighboring city of Ashkelon is also completely wiped out and cut off from the world [רש״י, רד״ק, מצודת ציון, מלבי״ם, שטיינזלץ]. This wave of ruin does not stop at the city walls but continues onward to wipe out whatever remains in the surrounding areas [מלבי״ם]. Commentators offer two main ways to understand exactly what this remaining target is. A geographical approach suggests the destruction sweeps through the Philistine valley regions, taking out the many residents who live there [רד״ק, מצודת דוד, מלבי״ם, שטיינזלץ, חומת אנך, אברבנאל]. Alternatively, another perspective views this remnant not as a physical place, but as a measure of depth and abundance, referring to the final traces of the Philistines' immense wealth, military power, and strength [רד״ק, חומת אנך, אברבנאל].

The prophecy closes by completing its poetic theme of grief, asking the survivors how long they will continue to gash their own flesh. Cutting oneself was a common expression of intense sorrow, crying, and mourning [רש״י, מצודת דוד, מצודת ציון, רד״ק, שטיינזלץ], while also reflecting the loud commotion, confusion, and desperate cries of a falling nation [רד״ק]. By weaving together the tearing of hair and the cutting of flesh, the prophet creates a complete picture of ancient mourning practices. Since the "baldness" of total ruin has already fallen upon Gaza, the surviving mourners are left with a rhetorical question: how long will they continue to deeply wound themselves and lament over the endless disasters that have repeatedly shattered their world [מצודת דוד, מלבי״ם, אברבנאל].