Young men are compelled to grind at the mill, and boys stagger under loads of wood—the verse describes the enslavement of the young generation: they are forced into hard labor. The grinding at the mill and carrying of wood represent the most exhausting forms of manual labor. Theologically, the verse emphasizes that the entire future generation has been conscripted into servile labor; there is no possibility for normal development or education. The collapse and staggering of boys under loads suggests that they are weakened and exhausted beyond their strength. The verse suggests that the destruction of the next generation ensures that the people will not recover; the young are broken. Yet the fact that young people survive (though enslaved) suggests that the physical existence of the people continues.

COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS

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