In their streets they shall gird themselves with sackcloth: on the tops of their houses, and in their streets, every one shall howl, weeping abundantly.
On the tops of their houses - which were flat: places of resort for prayer, etc., in the East (Acts 10:9).
And in their streets, every one shall howl, weeping abundantly - `melting away in tears.' Horsley prefers, 'descending to weep.' Thus, there is a 'parallelism by alternate construction' (Lowth); or chiasmus: "howl" refers to "the tops of their houses." 'Descending to weep' to "streets" or squares, where they descend from the housetops.