Lamentations 4:7–8 (ESV)

7 Her princes were purer than snow, whiter than milk; their bodies were more ruddy than coral, the beauty of their form was like sapphire.

Imagine the talking in the streets as people saw their former princes and rich men, now barely recognizable, searching around for food. Formerly the colours of their skins were white and red—they never had to go out into the sun. Now they appeared “black” from sunburn, thinness, and sickness. It is as if they carried the stamp of God’s covenant wrath on their bodies.