The word “sons” in this verse does not only refer to youth, but to the whole population. Verses 3–4 will describe the fate of the children, but verses 5–10 will go on to describe the fate of all the rest.
The Lord had once told Jeremiah to break a potter’s jar before the eyes of his people, as a warning to them. Now this warning has come true—the people have changed from “gold” to a pot of clay, thrown on the ground by the Lord.
2 The precious sons of Zion, worth their weight in fine gold, how they are regarded as earthen pots, the work of a potter’s hands!