Lamentations

The Hebrew title of the book is áe‚ka‚ (“How… The Hebrew title of the book is áe‚ka‚ (“How… !”), the first word found in 1:1, 2:1; and 4:1. Because of its subject matter, the book is also referred to in Jewish tradition as qinot, “Lamentations,” which is the title given to it in the Greek Septuagint and Latin Vulgate.

Author & date The book of Lamentations does not identify its writer. However, traditionally it has been attributed to Jeremiah The consensus among scholars is that the date of composition was between 586 and 538 B.C. (during the Babylonian Captivity).

Christ as seen in Lamentations: While there are no messianic predictions in the book, Lamentations portrays Christ as the Man of Sorrows who was acquainted with grief, who was afflicted, despised, and scorned by His enemies (cf. 1:12; 3:19: 2:15-16; 3:14, 30).

STRUCTURE The whole book is poetry and consists of five laments (divided in modern bibles conveniently by chapters) The first four chapters are acrostic poems. Chapters 1, 2, and 4 each contain 22 stanzas of three lines each(verses), and each stanza begins with the succeeding consonant of the Hebrew alphabet. Chapter 3 contains 22 stanzas of three lines each but is divided into 66 verses. In this chapter the first three verses begin with the first consonant of the Hebrew alphabet, the second three with the second consonant, and so on Chapter 5 also contains 22 verses, but it is not an acrostic poem. It is often considered as a prayer.

Theme and purpose There are two books in the Old Testament that deal primarily with the problem of suffering. Job treats the problem of personal suffering, and Lamentations deals with the problem of national suffering. Further, the writer viewed the devastation of Jerusalem and the punishment of Judah as divine judgment, not primarily the result of the Babylonian invader from the north. Thus, the book is a reminder that sin carries with it the consequences of sorrow, grief, misery, and pain The primary purpose of the book is a lament or mourning over the woes that had fallen on sinful Judah and the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple. Additionally, there is an appeal to God’s chosen people that they recognize God was just and righteous in His dealings with them, and that they cast themselves upon His mercy in a spirit of repentance.

Outline I. The destruction and misery of Jerusalem (the first lament) ch. 1 II. The divine punishment of Jerusalem (the second lament) ch. 2 III. The prophet's response to divine judgment (the third lament) ch. 3 IV. The anger of Yahweh (the fourth lament) ch. 4 V. The response of the godly (the fifth lament) ch. 5

“How doth the city sit solitary, that was full of people “How doth the city sit solitary, that was full of people! how is she become as a widow! she that was great among the nations, and princess among the provinces, how is she become tributary! She weepeth sore in the night, and her tears are on her cheeks: among all her lovers she hath none to comfort her: all her friends have dealt treacherously with her, they are become her enemies. Judah is gone into captivity because of affliction, and because of great servitude: she dwelleth among the heathen, she findeth no rest: all her persecutors overtook her between the straits.” (1:1-3) This acrostic lament contains a variety of similar statements describing the destruction and misery of Jerusalem. The first lament is divided into two parts emphasizing a particular perspective: 1:1-11 view Jerusalem's destruction as an outsider looking in. 1:12-22 view Jerusalem's destruction from an inside observer looking out.

“How hath the LORD covered the daughter of Zion with a cloud in his anger, and cast down from heaven unto the earth the beauty of Israel, and remembered not his footstool in the day of his anger! The LORD hath swallowed up all the habitations of Jacob, and hath not pitied: he hath thrown down in his wrath the strong holds of the daughter of Judah; he hath brought them down to the ground: he hath polluted the kingdom and the princes thereof. He hath cut off in his fierce anger all the horn of Israel: he hath drawn back his right hand from before the enemy, and he burned against Jacob like a flaming fire, which devoureth round about.” (2:1-3) The second lament emphasizes God's initiative in bringing destruction on Jerusalem and its people: “The LORD hath done that which he had devised; he hath fulfilled his word that he had commanded in the days of old: he hath thrown down, and hath not pitied: and he hath caused thine enemy to rejoice over thee, he hath set up the horn of thine adversaries.” (2:17) It also describes in greater detail than chapter 1 the nature of the calamity that had befallen Judah.

“I AM the man that hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath This chapter differs from the others in this book in that it contains a first-person narrative of the prophet's reactions to the sufferings he endured as the Lord's faithful servant. It is similar to the "confessions" sections in the Book of Jeremiah in that the prophet opened up and let the reader into his heart and mind. Jeremiah is trying to show through the example of his own experience and responses under afflictions how the Jews should behave under theirs, so as to have hope of a restoration (3:22, 40-47) Additionally, while speaking for the city, the writer expresses hope in the mercy of God, “My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled in me. This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.” (3:20-23)

“How is the gold become dim. how is the most fine gold changed “How is the gold become dim! how is the most fine gold changed! the stones of the sanctuary are poured out in the top of every street. The precious sons of Zion, comparable to fine gold, how are they esteemed as earthen pitchers, the work of the hands of the potter!” (4:1-2) Similar to lament 2, the writer stresses that Judah’s downfall and distress was the result of Yahweh's punishment for sin. In fact unashamed and unrepentant sin was so prevalent in Judah that ,“For the punishment of the iniquity of the daughter of my people is greater than the punishment of the sin of Sodom” (4:6) There is also a graphic description of the horrors and desperate acts of the people of Jerusalem during the siege, “The hands of the pitiful women have sodden their own children: they were their meat in the destruction of the daughter of my people.” (4:10)

“Remember, O LORD, what is come upon us: consider, and behold our reproach. Our inheritance is turned to strangers, our houses to aliens.” (5:1-2) The chapter is more of a prayer than a lament, though its content focuses on the pitiful condition of the Judahites because of Jerusalem's fall. The writer prayed for Yahweh's restoration of the nation to Himself. Only His action would result in restoration. The prophet cried out for renewal of the nation to its former condition of strength and blessing., “Thou, O LORD, remainest for ever; thy throne from generation to generation. Wherefore dost thou forget us for ever, and forsake us so long time? Turn thou us unto thee, O LORD, and we shall be turned; renew our days as of old.” (5:19-21)

Just so we don’t miss the main point.. The focus of Lamentations is on the misery and sorrow that sin produces. However the good news is that, in view of God's promises to Israel, He would not abandon the nation completely. He would bless them in the future (cf. Lev. 26:44; Jer. 31:31-37; Rom. 11:1-2; 2 Tim. 2:13). Thus the same principle holds for us as His children: God's disciplinary judgment , while severe and deserved, is not final.