ירמיהו, פרק מ״ח, פסוק ל״ו

A profound sense of grief and mourning surrounds the harsh destruction of Moab. The emotional toll is expressed through a heart that moans with pain, likening the sound of relentless weeping to the sorrowful wailing of flutes [מצודת ציון].

There are two ways to understand the voice behind this sorrow. One perspective suggests that the prophet himself is expressing deep sympathy. Even though Moab is an enemy nation, he feels a shared sense of human sadness upon seeing them so utterly defeated [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. On the other hand, the prophet might simply be speaking in the voice of the Moabite people themselves, capturing the tragic words they cry out as they face their own disaster [רד״ק, מצודת דוד].

The mourning focuses on two distinct places, each representing a different aspect of the tragedy. Moab stands as the battlefield where the warriors were struck down in combat, while Kir-Heres represents the place of suffering where the sick and wounded lay in agony [מלבי״ם].

The root of this deep despair stems from what was taken from them. The primary approach among commentators is that the sorrow is driven by the complete wiping out of their vast wealth. All the abundant riches, profits, and savings that the Moabite nation had carefully gathered and amassed over time are completely destroyed [רד״ק, מצודת דוד, מצודת ציון, מלבי״ם, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Alternatively, the loss is understood not just as a matter of stolen wealth, but as a moral downfall. In this view, the destruction of the Moabites is the direct result of the immense pride and arrogance they displayed, which ultimately brought about their ruin [רש״י].