Charles Ellicott Commentary Lamentations 4:2

"The precious sons of Zion, comparable to fine gold, How are they esteemed as earthen pitchers, the work of the hands of the potter!" — Lamentations 4:2 (ASV)

The precious sons of Zion ... —The adjective is applied not to a special class, priests, nobles, or the like, but to all the sons of Zion in their ideal character as kingdom of priests (Exodus 19:6). They had been “comparable to” (literally, weighed with), i.e., equal to their weight in, fine gold, the work of God. Now they had become as earthen pitchers, the work of the potter. We note the comparison as characteristic of the writer (Jeremiah 18:1–6; Jeremiah 19:1–10).