תהלים, פרק ע״ט, פסוק ב׳

The tragedy of Jerusalem's fall extended far beyond the staggering loss of life, reaching into the profound horror of post-mortem humiliation. The invading armies did not merely kill the inhabitants; they actively prevented the survivors from providing proper burials for their dead, leaving the fallen scattered among the city's ruins like refuse [אבן עזרא, מצודת דוד].

The sequence of these horrors reflects the grim reality of the siege. As devastating plagues swept through the trapped population, desperate residents attempted to carry their dead outside the city walls for burial. However, enemy forces waiting in ambush slaughtered the pallbearers as well, leaving both the newly killed and those they carried entirely abandoned [אלשיך].

The brutality inflicted upon the dead only escalated. The invaders were not satisfied with merely leaving whole bodies exposed to the elements. In displays of severe cruelty, they hacked the dead into pieces, casting the remains to the wild beasts and roaming dogs [מלבי״ם, רד״ק, מצודת ציון, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

A profound question arises regarding the spiritual state of these victims, as they are regarded as God's servants and pious followers, despite the fact that the generation of the destruction was known for its severe sins. One perspective suggests that the sheer agony and unnatural cruelty of their deaths served as a powerful atonement. Having endured such terrible suffering, their sins were forgiven, elevating them to the status of God's servants and pious ones [רש״י, אלשיך]. Within this view, a subtle distinction is drawn among the victims: those who were originally sinners but achieved atonement through their deaths are viewed as servants, and their remains are described simply as lifeless bodies. In contrast, the completely righteous victims are recognized as pious ones, and their remains are granted the more dignified description of flesh [אלשיך].

Alternatively, another approach explains that genuine righteous people did, in fact, live in Jerusalem at the time. Although prophets lamented that the city streets were devoid of just individuals, this only described the general public in the open squares. The truly pious were simply hiding in their homes to avoid the wicked masses. When the city fell, God decreed that while some of these righteous individuals would survive and face exile in Babylon, others would be killed and subjected to the disgrace of being left unburied [רד״ק, מאירי].