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Introduction to Lamentations
Part 1: General Introduction
Outline of the Book of Lamentations
- First lament: Yahweh and his people have abandoned Jerusalem (1:1–22)
- Second lament: Yahweh was angry with Jerusalem and caused it to be destroyed (2:1–22)
- Third lament (3:1-66)
- The people grieve (3:1–20)
- Yahweh comforts those who turn back to him (3:21–39)
- Judah is learning to return to Yahweh (3:40–54)
- Judah cries out to be avenged of its enemies (3:55–66)
- Fourth lament: The terrors of the siege of Jerusalem (4:1-4:22)
- The people's sin caused Jerusalem to be punished (4:1–20)
- Their being punished satisfied Yahweh's wrath for their sin (4:21–22a)
- Edom will be punished also (4:22b)
- Fifth lament: The broken nation cries out to Yahweh (5:1–22)
What is the Book of Lamentations about?
The Babylonians captured the city of Jerusalem in 586 B.C. In the Book of Lamentations, the writer grieves over Jerusalem being destroyed.
The Book of Lamentations is organized into five poems. The writer describes how God allowed Jerusalem to be destroyed because the people sinned against him. However, the writer also states that God is always loving and faithful to his people. (See: rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/sin and rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/faith)
Who wrote the Book of Lamentations?
The text of Lamentations does not give the name of the author. The traditional view is that Jeremiah wrote it. The writer seems to have personally seen Jerusalem destroyed. The serious and grieving words in the Book of Jeremiah are similar to those in the Book of Lamentations.
How should the title of this book be translated?
Translators may use the traditional title of "Lamentations." Or they may call the book "Poems of Sadness." If translators want to take the view that the prophet Jeremiah wrote this book, they might decide on a title such as "The Sad Sayings of Jeremiah." (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/translate-names)
Part 2: Important Religious and Cultural Concepts
Did God abandon Israel?
The author of Lamentations often speaks of God abandoning Israel. But this did not mean that God had completely given up on Israel. He rejected Israel for a period of time as the special place where he would be present. However, God remained faithful to what he promised Israel in his covenant.
While it was common in the ancient Near East to think that a god might leave its city, it usually did so because it was too weak to defend the city. In Lamentations, Yahweh abandons Jerusalem because the people sinned against him, not because he was too weak to defend the city. (See: rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/falsegod)
What is a funeral song?
People groups commonly sing songs after someone dies or during a funeral. Depending on the culture, these songs can sound either happy or sad. The Book of Lamentations is like a sad song, called a "lament," sung at a funeral. Some scholars think the rhythm of the laments in Hebrew makes them sound slow like a funeral procession.
Part 3: Important Translation Issues
What style of writing is Lamentations?
Lamentations is a collection of five poems. The Jewish exiles living in captivity in Babylon may have sung or chanted these laments. The Jews who remained in Jerusalem after the Babylonians conquered it may also have sung them. In Chapters 1, 2, and 4, each line of the poem begins with a different Hebrew letter, in the order of the Hebrew alphabet. The third chapter repeats three lines starting with the same letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The next three lines begin with next letter in the Hebrew alphabet.
Who are the woman and the man in Lamentations?
The author uses the image of an abandoned woman and a persecuted man to represent Judah and Jerusalem. He uses this type of personification to help readers understand the pain and sorrow. (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-personification)