Jeremiah 6:25

"Go not forth into the field, nor walk by the way: for the sword of the enemy and terror, are on every side. O daughter of my people, gird thee with sackcloth, and wallow thyself in ashes: make thee mourning, as for an only son, most bitter lamentation; for the destroyer shall suddenly come upon us."

"O daughter of my people ..." (Jeremiah 6:26). The pathos in the heart of the prophet with such a tragic message shows in this pathetic remark; the very words seem to drip with tears. Note in the final clause the pronoun "us." Jeremiah surely identified himself with the miseries coming upon the beloved city.

"Wallow thyself in ashes ..." (Jeremiah 6:26). "It was the custom of Jewish mourners to cast ashes only upon their heads; wallowing in them therefore refers to something far more than ordinary grief."[20] Actually, there was no adequate manner for symbolizing the horrible grief that overcame the people of God in their capture and captivity.