איכה, פרק ב׳, פסוק כ״א

The aftermath of the destruction presents a devastating scene of total ruin, striking without mercy across every generation. The tragedy unfolds in different ways for different groups of people, painting a grim picture of a society completely broken. The victims are described as lying on the ground, which is understood either as a gentle term for death, similar to the ancient concept of resting with one's ancestors [אבן עזרא, אלשיך], or as a literal physical collapse in the streets due to fainting and overwhelming starvation [לחם דמעה].

A clear distinction emerges between the victims of famine and the casualties of war. The young boys and the elderly, who were unfit for combat, met their end through starvation, wasting away in the open streets. In contrast, the young men and women met their fate on the battlefield. While the young men went out to fight the enemy directly, the young women accompanied them to the front lines, using their voices to encourage and strengthen the fighters' spirits [לחם דמעה, אלשיך].

The fact that these deaths occurred specifically in the public streets is seen as a direct consequence of past actions. Because the youth once spent their time wandering playfully outside, neglecting their spiritual studies, they faced a measure-for-measure punishment of falling lifeless in those very same streets [תורה תמימה]. The timing of this devastation is equally significant. It took place on the Ninth of Av, a day historically marked for disaster and divine anger. Had the ruin occurred on any other day, it might have been softened by a degree of mercy from God, but on this specific day, His wrath was allowed to run its absolute course without restraint [לחם דמעה].

The tragedy is ultimately framed as a merciless strike from God [ביאור שטיינזלץ, צאינה וראינה]. However, the concept of God slaughtering His people carries profound and difficult layers of meaning. One perspective suggests this points to the absolute peak of the famine's horrors, when desperate, normally compassionate mothers were driven to kill and cook their own children. Because God brought about this unbearable starvation, the horrific acts are attributed directly to Him, as if He performed the slaughter Himself [לחם דמעה]. Another view reads this as the prophet's agonizing cry of regret. Witnessing the survivors being handed over to the enemy's sword and enduring the torture of watching their children suffer, the prophet wishes that God had simply ended everyone's life Himself, sparing even the elderly captives from the prolonged agony of their survival [אלשיך].