“The young men carried the mill, and the lads stumbled on the wood” (Lamentations 5:13).“The young men carried the mill.” You find that there was no mill in Babylon. When Nebuchadnezzar ascended,15When he ascended and conquered Jerusalem. he loaded them with mills [reḥayim] and took them down.16He made the captives carry the heavy millstones to Babylon. That is what is written: “For your sake I sent to Babylonia and I will bring down all their bars [bariḥim]” (Isaiah 43:14), bareḥayim is written.Another matter, “the young men carried [nasa’u] the mill [teḥon].” It is a euphemism,17It is a euphemism for the fact that they used these young men to impregnate their women, as though they were married [nesuim] to them. just as it says: “He would grind [toḥen] in the prison” (Judges 16:21).18They would bring their women to Samson so he could impregnate them.“And the lads stumbled on the wood.” Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: Three hundred children were found impaled with a wooden beam.
The Young Men Carried the MILL, and the Lads Stumbled on
“The young men carried the mill, and the lads stumbled on the wood” (Lamentations 5:13).“The young men carried the mill.” You find that there was no mill in Babylon. When Nebuchadnezzar ascended,15When he ascended and conquered Jerusalem. he loaded them with mills [reḥayim] and took them down.16He made the captives carry the heavy millstones to Babylon. That is what is written: “For your sake I sent to Babylonia and I will bring down all their bars [bariḥim]” (Isaiah 43:14), bareḥayim is written.Another matter, “the young men carried [nasa’u] the mill [teḥon].” It is a euphemism,17It is a euphemism for the fact that they used these young men to impregnate their women, as though they were married [nesuim] to them. just as it says: “He would grind [toḥen] in the prison” (Judges 16:21).18They would bring their women to Samson so he could impregnate them.“And the lads stumbled on the wood.” Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: Three hundred children were found impaled with a wooden beam.