Study Notes

1:1–22 As is widely done in OT prophecy and psalmody, Jerusalem is here presented as a woman—and represents the nation of which she is the political head and symbolic heart.

1:1–11 In the first half of this first lament, Jerusalem’s condition is described by one who speaks of her in the third person—yet as one who bemoans the city’s desperate situation. For the transition to Jerusalem’s own voice, see the quoted words at the end of v. 11.

1:1 How . . . ! Expresses a mixture of shock and deep dismay (2:1; 4:1–2; 2Sa 1:25, 27; Jer 9:19; 48:17,39; Eze 26:17). deserted lies. Due to the Babylonian exile (v. 3). The Hebrew underlying this phrase is translated “sat alone” in Jer 15:17. There the prophet sat alone; here his beloved city does the same. city. Jerusalem. once so full of people. Cf. Isa 1:21. great among the nations. Cf. Jer 49:15.

1:2 Bitterly she weeps. As did Jeremiah, and for much the same reason (Jer 13:17). at night. See 2:18–19. lovers . . . friends. International allies to whom the people of Jerusalem and Judah looked for security rather than to the Lord (see Jer 2:36–37; 27:3; Eze 16:26, 28–29; 23:11–21; see also Ex 34:15 and note). no one to comfort her. A theme in ch. 1 (see vv. 9,16–17,21). All . . . have betrayed her. See v. 19; like Edom (4:21–22; Ps 137:7) and Ammon (Jer 40:14; Eze 25:2–3,6). become her enemies. See v. 17.

1:3 gone into exile. To Babylonia (see Jer 20:4–5 and thereafter in Jeremiah). among the nations . . . finds no resting place. As Moses warned in Dt 28:65.

1:4 mourn. Are deserted and desolate (see Jdg 5:6; Isa 33:8 and notes). appointed festivals. See Ex 23:14–17 and notes; Lev 23:2. young women grieve. A sign of utter defeat (see Jer 9:20; contrast Ex 15:20 and note; 1Sa 18:6; Ps 68:25; Jer 31:13). See photo.

1:5 masters. Or “head”—in accordance with Dt 28:44 (contrast Dt 28:13).

1:6 Daughter Zion. A personification of Jerusalem (see note on 2Ki 19:21). Her princes . . . have fled before the pursuer. See Jer 52:7–8. like deer that find no pasture. Hence are weakened and become easy prey for predators.

1:7 affliction and wandering. See 3:19. treasures. See vv. 10–11. days of old. For example, the days of David and Solomon. fell into enemy hands. See 2Sa 24:14. destruction. The Hebrew root for this word is the same as that for “Sabbath” (see notes on Ge 2:2–3)—and may be intended as an ironic wordplay (Lev 26:34–35).

1:8 unclean. See v. 17 and note. her naked. See Isa 47:3; Eze 16:37 and notes.

1:9 filthiness. Ceremonial uncleanness (see note on Lev 4:12), here caused by willful sin. did not consider her future. Just as Babylon did not (Isa 47:7). Look, LORD Jerusalem’s desolation is further depicted by quoting the cry that bursts from her lips (see v. 11 and note). enemy has triumphed. See v. 16.

1:10 forbidden to enter your assembly. See Eze 44:7,9 and notes.

1:11 search for bread. Food shortages were an ever-present problem during and after the siege of Jerusalem. keep themselves alive. See v. 19; 2Ki 6:24–29. Look, LORD Again, Jerusalem’s desperate cry to the Lord is suddenly introduced (v. 9). From here to the end of this lament, personified Jerusalem speaks.

1:12 who pass by. See Jer 18:16 and note. Look . . . my suffering. In his magisterial The Messiah, Handel borrowed these lines (as they appeared in the KJV: “Behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow”) and placed them on the lips of the Messiah—perhaps associating them with Isa 53:4 (“Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows . . . ”); cf. also Isa 53:3 (“a man of sorrows”). fierce anger. See 2:3,6; 4:11. The expression is common in Jeremiah (Jer 4:8, 26; 12:13; 25:37–38; 44:6; 49:37; 51:45).

1:13 From on high he sent fire. The fire of his judgment (2:3–4; Lev 10:2; Nu 11:1–3; 16:35; 2Ki 1:10,12; Isa 29:6; 30:30; 66:15–16; Jer 4:4; 21:14; 49:27; 50:32; Am 7:4). my bones. The bones of Jerusalem (personified as a woman; see note on v. 8). In a strikingly similar image, the word of the Lord was like fire in the bones of the prophet (see Jer 20:9 and note). spread a net for my feet. See Ps 57:6; Pr 29:5. desolate. Like Absalom’s sister Tamar (2Sa 13:20).

1:15 In his winepress . . . trampled. A common metaphor of divine judgment (Isa 63:2–3; Joel 3:13; Rev 14:19–20; 19:15). Virgin Daughter Judah. A personification of Judah (see note on 2Ki 19:21).

1:16 eyes overflow with tears. See 2:11; 3:48; Jer 9:1,18 and note on 9:1; 13:17; 14:17. enemy has prevailed. See v. 9.

1:17 become his foes. See v. 2. unclean thing. For the same imagery elsewhere, see Ezr 9:11; Isa 30:22; 64:6; Eze 7:19–20; 36:17.

1:18 is righteous. Has dealt rightly with me. yet I rebelled. Or “for I have rebelled.” Listen . . . look. The nations are called to take note of the Lord’s righteous acts of judgment, as well as of his righteous acts of deliverance.

1:19 allies . . . betrayed me. See v. 2 and note. keep themselves alive. See note on v. 11.

1:20 I am in torment within. Repeated in 2:11. Outside . . . inside. See Jer 14:18. The Sumerian “Lamentation over the Destruction of Ur” contains a striking parallel: “Inside it we die of famine, outside we are killed by weapons” (lines 403–404).

1:21 day you have announced. Day of God’s judgment on the nations (see 4:21–22; Jer 25:15–38 and notes).

1:22 wickedness . . . before you. See Ps 109:14–15. my heart is faint. The same expression is found in Jer 8:18; see La 5:17; Isa 1:5.

2:1–22 Jerusalem is again personified as a woman—and represents the nation (see note on 1:1–22). In vv. 1–10 Jerusalem’s experience of God’s wrath is described by a voice that speaks of her in the third person. In vv. 12–19 Jerusalem is directly addressed (second-person pronouns abound). At the center (vv. 11–12) the author begins to speak in the first person (see note on 1:1–11). The first-person voice of vv. 20–22 is that of Jerusalem.

2:1 How . . . ! See note on 1:1. Daughter Zion. A personification of Jerusalem (see the same or similar idiom in vv. 2,4–5,8,10,13,15,18; see also note on 2Ki 19:21). hurled down the splendor of Israel. The imagery is that of a falling star (as in Isa 14:12). footstool. Either (1) the ark of the covenant (1Ch 28:2) or, more likely, (2) Mount Zion (see Ps 99:5 and note).

2:2 swallowed up all the dwellings. See v. 5. Daughter Judah. See note on v. 1.

2:3 cut off every horn. See NIV text note. flaming fire that consumes. See 1:13 and note.

2:4 strung his bow. See 3:12; Dt 32:42; Ps 7:12–13; Hab 3:9. right hand. Usually considered the stronger hand. poured out. Widely used imagery in the OT for the display of God’s wrath (Ps 69:24; 79:6; Jer 6:11; 7:20; 10:25; 42:18; 44:6; Hos 5:10; Zep 3:8). Daughter Zion. See note on v. 1.

2:5 palaces . . . strongholds. See Hos 8:14. multiplied mourning and lamentation. The Sumerian “Lamentation over the Destruction of Sumer and Ur” offers this parallel: “In the desolate city there was uttered nothing but laments and dirges” (lines 361–362, 486–487). Daughter Judah. See note on v. 1. See also photo.

2:6 his dwelling . . . his place of meeting. The temple in Jerusalem (see 1Ki 8:29; 9:3; 2Ch 6:2; 7:1–3; Ps 27:7–10 and note; 132:8,13–14). like a garden. Cf. Isa 5:5–6; Jer 5:10; 12:10.

2:7 rejected . . . abandoned. These two verbs are found in Ps 89:38–39 (“rejected . . . renounced”) in connection with the Lord’s forsaking of the king from the dynasty of David. raised a shout in the house of the LORD. See Ps 74:4. as on the day of an appointed festival. See Ps 42:4; 47:5; 81:1–4. But there is bitter irony in the fact that the triumphant shouts of the enemy have silenced the joyful shouts of those who had worshiped at the temple.

2:8 determined to tear down. See Jer 1:15; 32:31. Daughter Zion. See note on v. 1. stretched out a measuring line. To destroy with the same standards of precision used in building (see Isa 28:17; Am 7:7–8 and notes). ramparts . . . walls. Cf. Isa 26:1. The ramparts were the outer fortifications (2Sa 20:15).

2:9 the law is no more. There are no longer any priests (v. 20) to teach and interpret the covenant law (see Jer 18:18; Hos 4:4–9 and notes). prophets no longer find visions. The Lord was no longer communicating to his people through prophets (see Ps 74:9; Am 8:11 and note; Mic 3:7).

2:10 elders. See note on Ex 3:16. Daughter Zion. See note on v. 1. sit on the ground in silence . . . sprinkled dust on their heads and put on sackcloth . . . bowed their heads. Signs of mourning (Job 2:12–13; Ps 35:13–14). young women of Jerusalem. See 1:4 and note.

2:11 My . . . I . . . my . . . my. See note on vv. 1–22. Presumably the speaker is the same as that heard in vv. 1–10 and in 1:1–11 (see note there). He begins at this point with an expression of deep personal grief over Jerusalem’s condition, especially that of her little ones (vv. 11–12), and then addresses Jerusalem directly (vv. 13–19). weeping. See note on 1:16. I am in torment within. Repeated from 1:20. my people. Or, more formally, “the daughter of my people” (see note on v. 1). This particular phrase occurs also in 3:48; 4:3,6,10; Isa 22:4; Jer 8:11,21; cf. Jer 14:17.

2:13 What can I say for you? The author has no words that can bring comfort to suffering Jerusalem. Daughter Jerusalem . . . Virgin Daughter Zion. See note on v. 1.

2:14 prophets . . . false. Jeremiah often denounced the false prophets (Jer 5:12–13; 6:13–14; 8:10–11; 14:13–15; 23:9–40; 27:9—28:17; cf. Jer 26:7–11, 16; Eze 22:26, 28). worthless. Or “mere whitewash”; for an explanation of this image, see Eze 13:10–16; 22:28.

2:15 who pass your way. See 1:12. clap their hands. See Job 27:23; 34:37. scoff. See v. 16; see also note on Jer 19:8. shake their heads. See Job 16:4 and note; Ps 44:14; 64:8; 109:25; Jer 18:16. Daughter Jerusalem. See note on v. 1. was called the perfection of beauty. As in Ps 50:2 (see note there). was called . . . the joy of the whole earth. As in Ps 48:2 (see note there; cf. Jer 51:41).

2:16 open their mouths wide. To taunt or to devour (Nu 16:30; Ps 22:13; Isa 5:14; 9:12). swallowed her up. See vv. 2,5; Jer 51:34.

2:17 fulfilled his word. See Isa 55:11 and note. long ago. The days of Moses (see, e.g., the threats of Lev 26:23–39; Dt 28:15–68). without pity. But only after countless opportunities for the people to repent, which they rejected, and with numerous promises of restoration in the future. exalted the horn. Increased the strength (see NIV text note; see also 1Sa 2:1; Ps 75:4).

2:18 See Jer 14:17. You walls. A city gate is similarly addressed in Isa 14:31. Daughter Zion. See note on v. 1.

2:19 watches of the night begin. See note on Jdg 7:19; see also Ps 63:6. pour out your heart. In earnest prayer (Ps 62:8). like water. A common simile with “pour out” (Dt 12:16, 24; 15:23; Ps 79:3; Hos 5:10). Lift up your hands. In prayer (see Ps 28:2 and note; 1Ti 2:8). children, who faint from hunger. See vv. 11–12.

2:20–22 Jerusalem’s heartbroken prayer in response to v. 19.

2:20 women eat their offspring. See 4:10; Jer 19:9 and note.

2:21 See Jer 6:11 and note.

2:22 summon to a feast day. The same Lord who had called Israel to come to him in worship and to celebrate his saving acts in their history (see, e.g., Ps 81; 95; 114) now issues a quite different summons. summoned against me. See 1:15. terrors on every side. See note on Jer 6:25. day of the LORD’s anger. The lament ends as it began (v. 1). no one escaped or survived. See Jer 42:17; 44:14. those I cared for. Jerusalem’s inhabitants.

3:1–66 This lament at the center of the book stands apart in significant ways. As to form: Like chs. 1 and 2, it is an alphabetic acrostic and is made up of 22 three-line units, but here each line of each unit begins with the same letter (see Introduction: Literary Features; see also diagram). That probably accounts for why in this lament each poetic line, rather than each stanza, has traditionally been set off as a grammatical unit and assigned a separate verse number. As to content: It begins (vv. 1–39) like the prayers of individuals found in the Psalter (which it extensively echoes) without any clear reference to the destruction of Jerusalem and the exile of the nation. This extended introduction may have been intended to put the communal lament that follows (vv. 40–66; see note on vv. 48–66) in a context that models how the community should react to its present distress.

3:1 The exact center of the book. The speaker identifies himself as one who exemplifies those who have suffered much under the rod of God’s wrath. affliction. See v. 19. rod of the LORD’s wrath. See Job 9:34; 21:9; cf. Isa 10:5 and note.

3:2 darkness rather than light. See Job 12:25; Ps 143:3; Isa 50:10; 59:9; cf. Am 5:18 and note.

3:4 grow old. See Ps 32:3 (“wasted away”); Ps 49:14 (“decay”). broken my bones. See Ps 51:8; Isa 38:13 and note.

3:5 surrounded me. See Job 19:6. bitterness. Or “poison” (see Jer 8:14 and note). hardship. See Ex 18:8; Nu 20:14; Ne 9:32.

3:6 See Ps 143:3 and note.

3:7 walled. The Hebrew for this word is the same as that for “barred” in v. 9 (Job 19:8; Hos 2:6). cannot escape. See Ps 88:8.

3:8 shuts out my prayer. See v. 44; Job 30:20; Ps 18:41; 22:2; Pr 1:28; Jer 7:16 and note.

3:9 made . . . crooked. Rather than level (see Isa 26:7; 45:2; Jer 31:9 and note) or straight (see Ps 5:8; Pr 3:6 and notes; 11:5; Isa 45:13).

3:10 Like a bear . . . like a lion. See Jer 4:7; 5:6; 49:19; 50:44; Am 1:2 and note; 5:19; cf. Ps 7:2 and note.

3:11 See 1:2.

3:12 drew his bow. See note on 2:4. made me the target. See note on Job 6:4.

3:13 with arrows. See Ps 38:2 and note.

3:14 mock me. See Jeremiah’s complaint in Jer 20:7; see also v. 63; Ps 22:6–7; 69:12; cf. Isa 28:9–10 and note.

3:15 filled me with bitter herbs. The Hebrew underlying this phrase is translated “overwhelm me with misery” in Job 9:18 (see note on Jer 9:15). For the significance of the bitter herbs eaten during the Passover meal, see note on Ex 12:8.

3:16 broken my teeth with gravel. Cf. Ps 72:9; Mic 7:17. trampled me in the dust. See Ps 7:5.

3:18 all that I had hoped from the LORD. See Ps 39:7; the first explicit mention of Yahweh (“the LORD”) in ch. 3 (see article).

3:19–20 The author again recalls all his troubles but now in preparation for his words of hope and encouragement in vv. 21–39.

3:19 affliction and . . . wandering. See 1:7. the bitterness and the gall. See vv. 5,15; cf. Jer 9:15.

3:21–27 The theological—and spiritual—high point of the book of Lamentations (see Introduction: Themes and Theology).

3:22 great love. See v. 32. The Hebrew for this phrase is plural (as also in Ps 107:43) and denotes the Lord’s repeated acts of loving faithfulness to his covenant promises (Ps 89:1; see also article). See note on Ps 6:4; see also Isa 63:7 (“kindnesses”) and note. we. The Lord’s people.

3:23 They. The “great love” and “compassions” (v. 22) of the Lord. new every morning. See Ps 30:5 and note; Isa 33:2. great is your faithfulness. It is beyond measure (see note on v. 32; see also Ps 36:5 and note).

3:24 The LORD is my portion. See Ps 73:26; 142:5 and notes. He was the inheritance share of the priests and Levites (see Nu 18:20; see also note on Ge 15:1). therefore I will wait. See Ps 27:14; 71:14 and notes. The Hebrew for this phrase is the same as that for “therefore I have hope” in v. 21 and serves as a refrain.

3:25 The LORD is good. See Ps 34:8 and note on 34:8–14; 86:5. whose hope is in him. See Ps 25:3; 33:18; 37:9 and note.

3:26 See Ps 40:1; Isa 26:3; 30:15.

3:27 It is good. See Pr 3:11–12 and note. a man to bear the yoke. Echoes the thought of v. 1: “the man who has seen affliction.” while . . . young. Cf. Ecc 12:1.

3:28 sit alone. Patiently suffering the mockery of his enemies (v. 30). in silence. See v. 39; Ps 39:9. it. The yoke (v. 27).

3:29 bury his face in the dust. Showing humble submission to God. there may yet be hope. See 2Sa 12:22; Job 2:12; Am 5:15; Jnh 3:9.

3:30 offer his cheek. See Mt 5:39. filled with disgrace. See Ps 123:3–4.

3:31 no one is cast off . . . forever. See Isa 49:14–16; cf. note on Jer 3:5; cf. also Ro 11:11–32 and notes.

3:32 The same God who judges also restores (Ps 30:5; Isa 54:7–8). great is his unfailing love. See note on v. 22; see also “great is your faithfulness” (v. 23)—faithfulness and unfailing love are often used together to sum up God’s covenant mercies toward his people (see Ps 25:10; 26:3 and notes).

3:33 does not willingly bring affliction. See Eze 18:23, 32; Hos 11:8; 2Pe 3:9.

3:34 crush underfoot. As the Babylonians had done in 586 bc.

3:35 deny . . . rights. As the leaders of Judah had done, in direct violation of the law (Ex 23:6). before the Most High. In the presence of those whom the Most High designates to dispense justice (see Ex 22:8–9 and NIV text notes; see also introduction to Ps 82). Most High. See note on Ge 14:19.

3:36 deprive . . . of justice. People might, but God never does (Job 8:3; 34:12). the Lord see such things. Contrary to what the wicked think (see Ps 10:11 and note), the Lord does see and will call to account (Ps 10:13–15).

3:37 speak and have it happen. No one is equal to God (see Ge 1:3 and note; Ps 33:9–11 and note on 33:4–11); so no one can override the Lord’s governing authority (cf. Job 1:12; 2:6 and notes).

3:38 See Job 2:10; Pr 3:11–12; Isa 45:7; Am 3:3–6 and notes; see also Jer 32:42.

3:39 complain. See v. 28 and note.

3:40–41 Here the voice of the community breaks in, responding to the model set before them in vv. 1–39 (see note on v. 1). Appropriately, the community begins with a confession of sin (see 1:8 and note; see also Ps 32:3–5; 39:7–10; 40:11–12; 41:4).

3:40 let us return to the LORD. See Hos 6:1; cf. Jer 3:1; 4:1; Hos 14:1; Joel 2:12–13; Zec 1:3.

3:41 lift up . . . hands. See note on 2:19. heaven. Where God is enthroned (Ps 2:4; Isa 63:15; 66:1).

3:42 We have sinned and rebelled. For similar confessions, see Ps 106:6; Ezr 9:6–7; Ne 9:16–18; Da 9:5.

3:43 covered yourself with anger. Cf. Isa 59:17–18. pursued us . . . slain without pity. See v. 66; 2:21; Jer 29:18.

3:46 See 2:16 and note.

3:48–66 The voice returns to first-person singular. It could be the same voice as that heard in vv. 1–39, but more likely the community now speaks in first-person singular (see, e.g., Ps 44:1,4 and note on 44:4). To their prayer the community adds expressions of assurance of being heard and a call for redress against the enemies who have attacked them “without cause” (v. 52)—both of which are common elements in the prayers of individuals in the Psalter (cf. Ps 5:10; Ps 54 and notes).

3:48 tears flow from my eyes. See note on 1:16. my people. Or, more formally, “the daughter of my people” (see note on 2:11).

3:50 looks down . . . sees. See 5:1; Ps 80:14; Isa 63:15.

3:51 women of my city. See 1:4,18; 2:20–21; 5:11.

3:52 enemies without cause. See note on Ps 35:19. like a bird. See Ps 124:7.

3:53 end my life in a pit. See Ps 35:7. threw stones at. See 2Sa 16:6; 1Ki 12:18.

3:54 waters closed over my head. See Ps 32:6; 42:7; 69:1–2 and notes; Jnh 2:5. perish. Cf. Ps 18:4–5; 30:3 and notes; Isa 53:8; Jnh 2:2 and note.

3:55 from the depths of the pit. See Ps 30:1 and note.

3:56 cry for relief. See Job 32:20; Ps 118:5.

3:57 near when I called. See Ps 145:18. Do not fear. A frequent reassuring word from God (see Jer 1:8 and note).

3:58 redeemed my life. See Ps 25:22; 103:4 and notes.

3:59 you have seen. See Ps 10:14; 35:22. Uphold my cause! See Ps 35:23; 43:1; 119:154.

3:61 you have heard. The Lord has heard, as well as seen (vv. 59–60), what the enemies are doing.

3:62 whisper . . . mutter. See Ps 5:9 and note.

3:63 Sitting or standing. Engaging in any kind of activity (see Dt 6:7; 11:19; Ps 139:2; Isa 37:28). mock me in their songs. See note on v. 14.

3:64 Paralleled in Ps 28:4; see Ps 5:10 and note.

3:65 Put a veil over their hearts. So they cannot see the error of their ways or foresee the consequences. may your curse be on them! See Ps 109:16–20 and note.

3:66 Pursue them. Just as you have pursued us without pity because of our sins (v. 43), so now pursue them without pity for what they have done to us.

4:1–22 Another lamentation over the conquest of Jerusalem by the Babylonians—apparently by someone who had experienced the long siege of the city and the subsequent dispersion of its people. Verses 1–10 describe the terrible conditions of the siege, vv. 11–19 speak of the taking of the city and the fate of the refugees, v. 20 expresses the people’s shock and dismay at the crushing of the Davidic king, and vv. 21–22 close the lament with words about the contrasting futures of exultant Edom and desolate Zion.

4:1 How . . . ! See note on 1:1. gold . . . gems. Metaphors for God’s chosen people (v. 2). For similar imagery, see SS 5:11–12, 14–15; Zec 9:16; cf. “The Babylonian Theodicy”: “O . . . my precious brother, . . . jewel of gold” (lines 56–57; see chart). at every street corner. See 2:19; Isa 51:20.

4:3 my people. See note on 2:11. become heartless. See v. 10 and note. like ostriches. See Job 39:14–16.

4:5 delicacies . . . purple. See Ge 49:20. Purple was the color of royalty (see, e.g., Jdg 8:26; see also note on SS 7:5); cf. the expressions “born in/to the purple” and “royal blue.” lie on ash heaps. See Job 2:8 and note; cf. Jer 6:26 and note.

4:6 my people. See note on v. 3. Sodom. See note on Jer 20:16. overthrown in a moment. And therefore spared the suffering of a lengthy siege (like that of Jerusalem).

4:7 than rubies. See Job 28:18. lapis lazuli. See SS 5:14; Isa 54:11 and notes.

4:8 skin has shriveled on their bones. See Job 19:20.

4:10 See 2:20; Jer 19:9 and note. my people. Or, more formally, “the daughter of my people” (see note on v. 3).

4:11 fierce anger. See 1:12 and note. kindled a fire . . . consumed. See Jer 17:27 and note.

4:13 See 2:14 and note; see also Eze 22:26,28.

4:14 grope . . . as if they were blind. See Dt 28:28–29; Isa 29:9 and note; 59:10 and note; Zep 1:17. defiled with blood. See Isa 59:3.

4:15 unclean! The cry of the person with a much dreaded skin disease (Lev 13:45). people . . . no longer. Threatened in Dt 28:65–66.

4:16 As threatened in Dt 28:49–50.

4:17 our eyes failed. See Dt 28:28; Ps 69:3. nation that could not save us. For example, Egypt (Eze 29:16).

4:19 eagles. See Jer 4:13; 48:40 and notes.

4:20 The LORD’s anointed. King Zedekiah of the dynasty of David—under which the people of Judah felt secure because of God’s covenant with David (see 2Sa 7; Ps 89; 132; Isa 55:3 and note). our very life breath. Or “the breath of our nostrils” (a title used also of Pharaoh Rameses II in an inscription found at Abydos in Egypt). was caught. See Jer 39:4–7; 52:7–11. shadow. Protection (see Jdg 9:15; Ps 17:8 and notes). This verse beautifully expresses the hope that came to be focused in the promised Messiah—the “Anointed One” from the house of David.

4:21 Rejoice and be glad. Irony—exult for the little time you have left before God’s judgment sweeps over you (v. 22). Daughter Edom. A personification of Edom (see note on 2Ki 19:21). Edom. Because of its close relationship with Israel from earliest times and its persistent hostility (see note on Ge 25:26), Edom often served OT writers as representative of all Israel’s enemies (see Ps 137:7 and note; Isa 13:1–6 and note on 13:1; 34:5 and note; Jer 49:7–22 and note on 49:8; Am 9:12 and note; Introduction to Obadiah: Unity and Theme; Ob 8 and note). land of Uz. See Jer 25:20; see also note on Job 1:1. cup. See note on Jer 25:15. stripped naked. See 1:8; see also Jer 49:10; Na 3:5.

4:22 Daughter Zion. A personification of Jerusalem (see note on 2Ki 19:21). will not prolong your exile. See Jer 31–33. expose your wickedness. Contrast Ps 32:1; 85:2.

5:1–22 Although not an explicitly alphabetic acrostic like each of chs. 1–4, this lament is still controlled by the alphabet in that it is composed of just 22 poetic lines (see introduction to Ps 33). The first-person plural language identifies it as the voice of the community (like Ps 44; 60; 74; 80). The circumstances described suggest the time immediately after the fall of Jerusalem, when all was chaotic in the land (see v. 18; see also Jer 40:7—41:45). Some interpreters have suggested that the diminution of formal structure in this final lament may have been chosen to reflect the social disintegration brought on by the Babylonian destruction of the state of Judah (see Introduction: Literary Features).

5:1 Remember . . . see. Initial appeal to the Lord to give his full attention to the plight of his people (Ps 44:13; 79:4).

5:2 Our inheritance. The land of Judah (see Jer 2:7 and note; 3:18).

5:3 have become fatherless . . . widows. Are as helpless as these (see notes on Ex 22:21–27; Isa 1:17).

5:4 We must buy the water . . . wood. Contrast Dt 29:11; Jos 9:21, 23,27. wood. Firewood.

5:5 find no rest. The promised “rest” has been taken from them (see Dt 3:20 and note).

5:6 submitted. See 1Ch 29:24; 2Ch 30:8; Jer 50:15; cf Eze 17:18. Egypt . . . Assyria. By this time a conventional way of referring to the great world powers to which the Israelites had often turned for protective alliances (see Isa 7:18; 11:16; 19:23–25; 52:4; Jer 2:18,36; see also Hos 7:11; 9:3; 11:5,11; 12:1 and notes; cf. Mic 7:12; Zec 10:10 and note).

5:7 Fathers and sons alike are responsible for the calamity that has befallen Jerusalem (see v. 16; Jer 3:25; 16:11–12; 31:29–30; Eze 18:2–4; cf. Isa 65:7).

5:8 Slaves. An ironic reference to the Babylonian officials who now rule over Jerusalem (formerly “queen among the provinces,” 1:1); see Pr 30:21–22.

5:9 sword in the desert. Marauding bandits.

5:12 hung. An added indignity following execution (see notes on Dt 21:22–23).

5:13 toil at the millstones. Humiliating and back-breaking work (see note on Jdg 9:53; see also Isa 47:2). See photo.

5:14 city gate. The municipal court (Jos 20:4), but also a gathering place for conversation and entertainment (cf. 1:4).

5:15 See Jer 7:34; 16:9; 25:10; contrast Ps 30:11; Jer 31:13.

5:16 crown. Symbolizes the glory and honor embodied in the city of Jerusalem (see 1:1; 2:15; cf. Isa 28:1,3).

5:17 hearts are faint. See note on 1:22. eyes grow dim. See 2:11; see also note on Ps 6:7.

5:18 jackals. The Hebrew for this word, different from that used in 4:3, can also mean “foxes” (see note on Jdg 15:4). For similar imagery of desolation, see Isa 13:21–22; 34:11–15; Zep 2:13–15.

5:19 Paralleled in Ps 102:12 (see note there). Elsewhere also prayer begins with praise (see Ps 44:1–8; 74:12–14; 80:1–2; 89:1–18; cf. Ac 24:23 and note). See Introduction: Themes and Theology (last paragraph).

5:20 Why . . . ? Why . . . ? See note on Ps 6:3.

5:21 Restore us to yourself. This language suggests a prayer for renewed commitment to the Lord (1Ki 8:33, 48; Ne 1:9; Jer 3:7, 10; Hos 7:10). we may return. See Jer 31:18 and note on 31:18–19. renew. See Ps 104:30.

5:22 See Jer 14:19. unless. A similarly somber ending characterizes not only other laments (e.g., Ps 88) but also other OT books (e.g., Isaiah and Malachi).