תהלים, פרק ק״ב, פסוק ז׳

Deep sadness and the crushing weight of isolation often leave a person feeling completely cut off from the rest of the world. When forced from home, the pain of exile transforms into a bitter, solitary cry. The imagery used to capture this profound loneliness relies on birds that dwell far away from human settlement [רש״י, מצודת ציון, אבן עזרא]. These are creatures of the night [ביאור שטיינזלץ], known for natural calls that sound like weeping and wailing [רד״ק, מאירי, מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. They make their homes in harsh deserts [רש״י] and desolate ruins [רד״ק, מאירי].

The primary approach among commentators is that comparing the sufferer to these isolated birds perfectly captures a state of total social disconnection and intense crying. Uprooted from his home and separated from his brothers, the wanderer is forced into desolate places, crying out bitterly in pain [רש״י, רד״ק, אבן עזרא, מצודת דוד, מאירי]. Remaining in this ongoing state of grief requires constant, exhausting effort [מלבי״ם].

Beyond a static picture of grief, some commentators view the transition between the two types of birds as a reflection of a changing reality. One perspective suggests this shift represents the fading strength of the sufferer to endure and pray. At the beginning of the destruction, he resembles a strong desert bird, capable of crying out day and night without stopping and without human interruption. However, as the long exile drags on, his energy drains away. He eventually becomes like a weaker bird in the ruins, unable to maintain his constant wailing, crying out only rarely and only when no one else is around [אלשיך].

Another viewpoint sees the two birds as representing different physical stages of the exile itself. Initially, the outcast is like a desert bird that lives in complete isolation but must travel far to rivers just to hunt for food. Similarly, the exiled person first lives in total separation, forced to sneak into populated areas secretly just to survive. In a later stage, the harsh conditions of exile ease slightly, allowing the wanderer to move closer to human settlement. However, he is still forbidden from entering the cities themselves. He is forced to live in the ruins on the outskirts of town, physically closer to society but remaining an outcast, forever separated from the community [מלבי״ם].