Gird thee with sackcloth, O daughter of my people, and sprinkle thee with ashes: make thee mourning as for an only son, a bitter lamentation, because the destroyer shall suddenly come upon us.
בַּת־עַמִּ֤י חִגְרִי־שָׂק֙ וְהִתְפַּלְּשִׁ֣י בָאֵ֔פֶר אֵ֤בֶל יָחִיד֙ עֲשִׂ֣י לָ֔ךְ מִסְפַּ֖ד תַּמְרוּרִ֑ים כִּ֣י פִתְאֹ֔ם יָבֹ֥א הַשֹּׁדֵ֖ד עָלֵֽינוּ׃
2 Church Fathers comment on this verse
O hands of my people, prepare yourselves with the covering. Why? Due to the approaching tribulations. He further details the reasons for these trials. This is a pattern he consistently follows, both affirming and substantiating his declarations.
O daughter of my people, mourn deeply for the death of the only begotten, for the destroyer will come upon us unexpectedly. Previously it was said, Do not venture into the fields or take the road, for the enemy's sword is a terror around us and even fleeing is forbidden. What is being urged is repentance, for in it lies the most reliable and safest defense. The phrase regarding the death of the only begotten emphasizes the profound loss of a singular child. In the Hebrew, the term used conveys the essence of being the only-begotten, unlike the translation of the Septuagint which translates it as beloved—a distinction also made in the naming of Solomon. There is no greater sorrow than to lose one’s solitary son, as noted in 2 Kings 12.
Our version states that destruction will fall upon us unexpectedly, while the Septuagint opts for the phrase upon you, reflecting God's immense mercy in showing that whatever befalls His people also touches Him directly. The slayer alludes either to Nebuchadnezzar or to the adversary.
Passages read together with this verse.
THEOSIS