ירמיהו, פרק ט׳, פסוק כ׳

The collapse of a society is often marked by the sudden, unavoidable force of death piercing through its strongest defenses and silencing its most vibrant spaces. During this time of destruction, disaster breaches the grandest homes, palaces, and fortresses. Typically, a palace is a towering, heavily protected structure. When an enemy approaches, the massive gates are locked shut to block the attack. The only remaining entry points are the high windows. Because the people believe an invasion from such a height is highly unlikely, they leave these windows open. As a result, ruin strikes them suddenly from the exact places they leave unguarded [רד״ק]. Every clever strategy and desperate attempt to outsmart the enemy and keep death at bay completely fails [מצודת דוד]. This catastrophic breach catches the people entirely off guard, largely because they stubbornly ignore the warnings of true prophets, refusing to believe that such massive destruction could ever become a reality [רד״ק]. Alternatively, this scene is understood as a quote from mourning women, who picture death not as an invading army, but as an independent entity sneaking in secretly like a thief through an open window [מלבי״ם].

Once inside, this deadly force moves to wipe out life in the public sphere, specifically targeting two prominent age groups: infants and young men. The natural, lively routine of daily life comes to a sudden halt. Children vanish from the markets and streets where they once played, and young men disappear from the public squares where they used to gather, leaving the entire community completely desolate [רד״ק, מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. There is a precise physical division in where these tragedies unfold. The areas immediately outside and behind the private homes are where the nursing infants are found, while the broader streets and central markets are the domains where the older young men spend their time [מלבי״ם].