Lamentations

What makes Lamentations special?

Lamentations is actually a collection of five separate poems, printed here as chapters. These poems, sometimes called “laments,” express deep sadness and share a common theme and a common use in worship. In synagogues today, Lamentations is read aloud on the ninth day of Ab (late July), a day of fasting that commemorates the destruction of the Jerusalem temple in 586 b.c., and of the second temple in a.d. 70. Many Christian churches include readings from Lamentations in their worship services during Holy Week, the week before Easter. The expression of the people's grief and agony is timeless, as is the hope for restoration and renewal that is based on God's mercy. In Lamentations we find deep sorrow and much complaint, but also hope and trust in God's mercy.

Why was Lamentations written?

The five poems are presented as eyewitness accounts to one of the greatest tragedies in Jewish history. God's special city (Jerusalem) and God's special place (the temple) were robbed and destroyed by Israel's enemies. The poems are written to lament this destruction, but also as a way of finding some meaning in it for God's people. Sometimes tragedy reveals God's purpose. God punished the people for their sins but did not abandon them completely.

What's the story behind the scene?

The small southern kingdom of Judah fell to the powerful forces of Babylonia in 586 b.c. after years of repression following an unsuccessful rebellion in 597 b.c. The capture and destruction, described in 2 Kings 25, was swift, terrible, and total. King Zedekiah, who ruled Judah from 598 to 586 b.c. was taken prisoner and exiled to Babylon along with many of Jerusalem's and Judah's leading citizens, priests, and craftsmen. The poor and the peasants were left behind. For more information, see the mini-articles called “Babylon,” ISA 38.1, and “Exile,” JER 52.1; see also the article called “From Joshua to the Exile: The People of Israel in the Promised Land,” XXB 7.0.

The Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Jewish Scriptures, calls this book the “Lamentations of Jeremiah.” The poems are similar in tone and mood, and include phrases similar to those used by that prophet.

Second Chronicles speaks of a funeral song written by Jeremiah (see 2 Chr 35.25). That song, however, was written to commemorate the death of King Josiah (609 b.c.) rather than the destruction of Jerusalem (597 b.c.). The oldest and best Hebrew texts of Lamentations do not name an author.

The collection is probably not the work of a single author. The poems—whether composed by the people of Judah who had been taken into captivity by the Babylonians, or by those who were left behind—were no doubt written by eyewitnesses to this terrible tragedy. As is often the case, the authors are unknown.

How is Lamentations constructed?

The five poems are presented here as being spoken by either the city of Jerusalem itself or by a writer called “the prophet” (with the speaker being indicated by italics in the text). Chapters 1, 2, and 4 are public expressions of grief over the loss of Jerusalem. Chapter 3 is a personal lament, similar to the Servant's Song in Isaiah 53, which ends in a prayer of thanksgiving and trust. Chapter 5 is a public prayer for mercy.

The poems were carefully constructed to make them easier to remember. Chapters 1 through 4 are called “alphabetic acrostics,” meaning that each stanza (verse) begins with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet and follows the order of the alphabet. Chapters 1, 2, and 4 have twenty-two stanzas, one for each of the twenty-two letters of the alphabet. Chapter 3 has sixty-six stanzas, three for each letter. Chapter 5 also has twenty-two stanzas, but is not an acrostic.

The careful structure of these poems shows that the expression of grief is measured and conscious, and it is well-suited to a public worship service where Lamentations would be spoken aloud by the congregation or worship leader. The special treatment of chapter 3 also highlights its important message. Placed at the center of the book, it is constructed on the basis of the number three, which in the ancient world had the meaning of completeness. This special chapter speaks of God's unending love and desire to rescue people from their enemies.