Lamentations 5:18
The mountain of Zion lies desolate; jackals prowl over it—the verse presents the final image of devastation: the sacred mountain is desolate, and wild animals inhabit the place. The jackals suggest a complete return to wildness; civilization has been overcome by nature. Theologically, the verse emphasizes that even the holiest mountain, the seat of the temple and God's presence, is now abandoned. The inhabitation by jackals suggests that the sacred is profaned; what should be holy is now the haunt of wild beasts. The verse represents the nadir of the lament: the most sacred place has become the most desolate. Yet the very naming of this desolation suggests that memory persists; the people remember when Zion was glorious.