Charles Ellicott Commentary Lamentations 5:13

"The young men bare the mill; And the children stumbled under the wood." — Lamentations 5:13 (ASV)

They took ... — Better, Young men bear the mill: that is, they were not only set to grind the handmill, which was itself the work of a menial slave (commonly of women), but were also made to carry the mill itself, probably as they marched with the Chaldean armies on their way to Babylon. . So in like manner, the next clause describes the sufferings of the striplings, who were made to carry the wood that was used for fuel or other purposes, and who literally “fell” (or staggered) under their burdens.