The picture has two distinct points of interest--1. _Man_ (ver. 7).
Desolation receives nowhere so strong and pathetic expression as in
the strong cries and tears of a man. The purer and nobler the man, so
much the more affecting is it to hear his despairing cry and look
upon his tears. The child cannot bear to see his father weep, because
his father is to him the ideal man. Eliakim's grief, on returning
from the interview with Rabshakeh, would be more grievous to Hezekiah
than Shebna's. Peter's repentant tears were bitter; but by the cry of
the Christ, _"Eloi! lama sabathani?"_ and His tears at the grave of
Lazarus, we are much more affected. 2. _Nature_ (vers. 8, 9). The
world is partly bright and beautiful, because noble men of God dwell
in it; Nature reflects and interprets man. The Assyrian invader
weighed heavily on Jewish hearts (xxxvi. 22, xxxvii. 1) and the
Jewish land.