In earlier days, the roads to Jerusalem were busy and bustling with the pilgrims who came to the yearly feasts (especially the Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and the Feast of Tabernacles; see Leviticus 23:1–44). This would be a busy time for priests in the temple. Girls would accompany the crowds of people with song and dance. Now the roads are quiet and the feasts are celebrated no more. This must be seen in light of the curse of God (see Leviticus 26:31). Public activity has also ceased—the gateways, which used to be the centre of legal and economic life, are now quiet.
4 The roads to Zion mourn, for none come to the festival; all her gates are desolate; her priests groan; her virgins have been afflicted, and she herself suffers bitterly.