Jeremiah 9:19Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

In what ways have we been rendered desolate and filled with shame? We have abandoned our homeland; our dwellings have been laid waste. These are the lamentations of the mourners in Zion, who respond to their own cries by identifying the reason for their desolation: we have forsaken the land—abandoned due to our sin and wrongdoing, and the tents that we once inhabited as travelers have been destroyed. Let those communities, who once held firm in their faith, also voice this truth; they are indeed desolate and shamed because they have turned away from the Lord's land and forsaken their abodes.

I will disperse them into languages unfamiliar to them and their ancestors, and I will bring destruction upon them through the sword until they are wholly obliterated. This illustrates a dual punishment: the devastation of war and the misery of captivity; for those who survive the conflict are taken into bondage. Heightening their dread, He instructs that ‘mourners’ be summoned and that an outpouring of tears be encouraged. He also directs the women, as joy is no longer possible, to instruct their daughters to ‘weep.’