The first picture describing the seriousness of the drought is the impact it had on the upper class of Judah, Her nobles.
The drought is so severe that nobles have become personally involved in menial tasks such as collecting water for the household. They send their servants for water, but not even they can find any. Not even the rich and powerful are spared the ravages of drought. The Hebrew word for cisterns
is gebim and is not the word normally used for water cisterns, but rather refers to a hole that has been especially dug in a desperate search for water, but none is found.1 The situation is so desperate that the servants “return with their vessels empty," and they are ashamed and confounded and cover their heads.
They are filled with embarrassment and despair at not being able to complete the simple task of finding water. They cover their heads in sorrow even as they call out to the Lord. This refers to the servants, but it is probably the nobles who are mainly in view.2 The normally rich and powerful are humbled and devastated by the drought.
3 Her nobles send their servants for water; they come to the cisterns; they find no water; they return with their vessels empty; they are ashamed and confounded and cover their heads.