Great as the sea, they broke
Figuratively: His disaster is very great, the breaking within it is found to be great.
("What shall I testify to you? To what shall I liken you, O daughter of Jerusalem? What shall I compare to you and comfort you, O virgin daughter of Zion? For great as the sea is your breaking; who can heal you?" - Lamentations 2:13, and likewise: "For the Lord has poured out His wrath on me and taken from me my only daughter, the apple of my eye... great as the sea are my fractures." - Agnon / Elu Va'elu, 23)
Translation
Expression (Hebrew)
גָּדוֹל כַּיָּם שָׁבְרוּ
Definition (Hebrew)
בַּמְּלִיצָה: הָאָסוֹן שֶׁלּוֹ גָּדוֹל בְּיוֹתֵר, הַמַּשְׁבֵּר בּוֹ הוּא נִמְצָא גָּדוֹל.
("מָה אֲעִידֵךְ מָה אֲדַמֶּה לָּךְ הַבַּת יְרוּשָׁלִַם מָה אַשְׁוֶה לָּךְ וַאֲנַחֲמֵךְ בְּתוּלַת בַּת צִיּוֹן כִּי גָדוֹל כַּיָּם שִׁבְרֵךְ מִי יִרְפָּא לָךְ"- אֵיכָה ב יג, וְכֵן:"כִּי שָׁפַךְ ה' חֲמָתוֹ עָלַי וְלָקַח מִמֶּנִּי אֶת בִּתִּי הַיְּחִידָה בָּבַת עֵינַי...גָּדוֹל כַּיָּם שִׁבְרֵי"-עַגְנוֹן/ אֵלּוּ וָאֵלּוּ, 23)