Albert Barnes Commentary Lamentations 1:4

"The ways of Zion do mourn, because none come to the solemn assembly; All her gates are desolate, her priests do sigh: Her virgins are afflicted, and she herself is in bitterness." — Lamentations 1:4 (ASV)

Zion, as the holy city, is the symbol of the religious life of the people, just as Judah in the previous verse represents their national life. The “virgins” took a prominent part in all religious festivals (Jeremiah 31:13; Exodus 15:20).