1How doth the cityH5892 sitH3427 solitaryH910, that was fullH7227 of peopleH5971! how is she become as a widowH490! she that was greatH7227 among the nationsH1471, and princessH8282 among the provincesH4082, how is she become tributaryH4522! 2She weepethH1058 soreH1058 in the nightH3915, and her tearsH1832 are on her cheeksH3895: among all her loversH157 she hath none to comfortH5162 her: all her friendsH7453 have dealt treacherouslyH898 with her, they are become her enemiesH341 . 3JudahH3063 is gone into captivityH1540 because of afflictionH6040, and because of greatH7230 servitudeH5656: she dwellethH3427 among the heathenH1471, she findethH4672 no restH4494: all her persecutorsH7291 overtookH5381 her between the straitsH4712. 4The waysH1870 of ZionH6726 do mournH57, because none comeH935 to the solemn feastsH4150: all her gatesH8179 are desolateH8074 : her priestsH3548 sighH584, her virginsH1330 are afflictedH3013, and she is in bitternessH4843 . 5Her adversariesH6862 are the chiefH7218, her enemiesH341 prosperH7951 ; for the LORDH3068 hath afflictedH3013 her for the multitudeH7230 of her transgressionsH6588: her childrenH5768 are goneH1980 into captivityH7628 beforeH6440 the enemyH6862. 6And from the daughterH1323 of ZionH6726 all her beautyH1926 is departedH3318 : her princesH8269 are become like hartsH354 that findH4672 no pastureH4829, and they are goneH3212 without strengthH3581 beforeH6440 the pursuerH7291 . 7JerusalemH3389 rememberedH2142 in the daysH3117 of her afflictionH6040 and of her miseriesH4788 all her pleasant thingsH4262 that she had in the daysH3117 of oldH6924, when her peopleH5971 fellH5307 into the handH3027 of the enemyH6862, and none did helpH5826 her: the adversariesH6862 sawH7200 her, and did mockH7832 at her sabbathsH4868. 8JerusalemH3389 hath grievouslyH2399 sinnedH2398 ; therefore she is removedH5206: all that honouredH3513 her despiseH2107 her, because they have seenH7200 her nakednessH6172: yea, she sighethH584, and turnethH7725 backwardH268. 9Her filthinessH2932 is in her skirtsH7757; she rememberethH2142 not her last endH319; therefore she came downH3381 wonderfullyH6382: she had no comforterH5162 . O LORDH3068, beholdH7200 my afflictionH6040: for the enemyH341 hath magnifiedH1431 himself. 10The adversaryH6862 hath spread outH6566 his handH3027 upon all her pleasant thingsH4261: for she hath seenH7200 that the heathenH1471 enteredH935 into her sanctuaryH4720, whom thou didst commandH6680 that they should not enterH935 into thy congregationH6951. 11All her peopleH5971 sighH584, they seekH1245 breadH3899; they have givenH5414 their pleasant thingsH4261 H4262 for meatH400 to relieveH7725 the soulH5315: seeH7200, O LORDH3068, and considerH5027 ; for I am become vileH2151 . 12Is it nothing to you, all ye that passH5674 byH1870? beholdH5027, and seeH7200 if there beH3426 any sorrowH4341 like unto my sorrowH4341, which is doneH5953 unto me, wherewith the LORDH3068 hath afflictedH3013 me in the dayH3117 of his fierceH2740 angerH639. 13From aboveH4791 hath he sentH7971 fireH784 into my bonesH6106, and it prevailethH7287 against them: he hath spreadH6566 a netH7568 for my feetH7272, he hath turnedH7725 me backH268: he hath madeH5414 me desolateH8074 and faintH1739 all the dayH3117. 14The yokeH5923 of my transgressionsH6588 is boundH8244 by his handH3027: they are wreathedH8276, and come upH5927 upon my neckH6677: he hath made my strengthH3581 to fallH3782, the LordH136 hath deliveredH5414 me into their handsH3027, from whom I am not ableH3201 to rise upH6965 . 15The LordH136 hath trodden under footH5541 all my mightyH47 men in the midstH7130 of me: he hath calledH7121 an assemblyH4150 against me to crushH7665 my young menH970: the LordH136 hath troddenH1869 the virginH1330, the daughterH1323 of JudahH3063, as in a winepressH1660. 16For these things I weepH1058 ; mine eyeH5869, mine eyeH5869 runneth downH3381 with waterH4325, because the comforterH5162 that should relieveH7725 my soulH5315 is farH7368 from me: my childrenH1121 are desolateH8074, because the enemyH341 prevailedH1396 . 17ZionH6726 spreadeth forthH6566 her handsH3027, and there is none to comfortH5162 her: the LORDH3068 hath commandedH6680 concerning JacobH3290, that his adversariesH6862 should be round aboutH5439 him: JerusalemH3389 is as a menstruous womanH5079 among them. 18The LORDH3068 is righteousH6662; for I have rebelledH4784 against his commandmentH6310: hearH8085, I pray you, all peopleH5971, and beholdH7200 my sorrowH4341: my virginsH1330 and my young menH970 are goneH1980 into captivityH7628. 19I calledH7121 for my loversH157, but they deceivedH7411 me: my priestsH3548 and mine eldersH2205 gave up the ghostH1478 in the cityH5892, while they soughtH1245 their meatH400 to relieveH7725 their soulsH5315. 20BeholdH7200, O LORDH3068; for I am in distressH6887 : my bowelsH4578 are troubledH2560 ; mine heartH3820 is turnedH2015 withinH7130 me; for I have grievouslyH4784 rebelledH4784 : abroadH2351 the swordH2719 bereavethH7921, at homeH1004 there is as deathH4194. 21They have heardH8085 that I sighH584 : there is none to comfortH5162 me: all mine enemiesH341 have heardH8085 of my troubleH7451; they are gladH7797 that thou hast doneH6213 it: thou wilt bringH935 the dayH3117 that thou hast calledH7121, and they shall be likeH3644 unto me. 22Let all their wickednessH7451 comeH935 beforeH6440 thee; and doH5953 unto them, as thou hast doneH5953 unto me for all my transgressionsH6588: for my sighsH585 are manyH7227, and my heartH3820 is faintH1742.
Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary 1 (Lam. 1:1-22)
how is she . . . widow! she that was great, &c.--English Version is according to the accents. But the members of each sentence are better balanced in antithesis, thus, "how is she that was great among the nations become as a widow! (how) she who was princess among the provinces (that is, she who ruled over the surrounding provinces from the Nile to the Euphrates,
Gen 15:18;
1Kgs 4:21;
2Chr 9:26;
Ezra 4:20) become tributary!" [MAURER].
sit--on the ground; the posture of mourners (
Lam 2:10;
Ezra 9:3). The coin struck on the taking of Jerusalem by Titus, representing Judea as a female sitting solitary under a palm tree, with the inscription, Judća Capta, singularly corresponds to the image here; the language therefore must be prophetical of her state subsequent to Titus, as well as referring retrospectively to her Babylonian captivity.
2 in the night--even in the night, the period of rest and oblivion of griefs (
Job 7:3).
lovers . . . friends--the heathen states allied to Judah, and their idols. The idols whom she "loved" (
Jer 2:20-
Jer 2:25) could not comfort her. Her former allies would not: nay, some "treacherously" joined her enemies against her (
2Kgs 24:2,
2Kgs 24:7;
Ps 137:7).
3 (
Jer 52:27).
because of great servitude--that is, in a state "of great servitude," endured from the Chaldeans. "Because" is made by VATABLUS indicative of the cause of her captivity; namely, her having "afflicted" and unjustly brought into "servitude" the manumitted bond-servants (
Jer 34:8-
Jer 34:22). MAURER explains it, "Judah has left her land (not literally 'gone into captivity') because of the yoke imposed on it by Nebuchadnezzar."
no rest-- (
Deut 28:64-
Deut 28:65).
overtook her between . . . straits--image from robbers, who in the East intercept travellers at the narrow passes in hilly regions.
4 feasts--the passover, pentecost (or the feast of weeks), and the feast of tabernacles.
gates--once the place of concourse.
5 the chief--rule her (
Deut 28:43-
Deut 28:44).
adversaries . . . prosper; for the Lord--All the foes' attempts would have failed, had not God delivered His people into their hands (
Jer 30:15).
6 beauty . . . departed--her temple, throne, and priesthood.
harts that find no pasture--an animal timid and fleet, especially when seeking and not able to "find pasture."
7 remembered--rather, "remembers," now, in her afflicted state. In the days of her prosperity she did not appreciate, as she ought, the favors of God to her. Now, awakening out of her past lethargy, she feels from what high privileges she has fallen.
when her people fell, &c.--that is, after which days of prosperity "her people fell."
mock at her sabbaths--The heathen used to mock at the Jews' Sabbath, as showing their idleness, and term them Sabbatarians [MARTIAL, 4.4]. Now, said they ironically, ye may keep a continuous Sabbath. So God appointed the length of the captivity (seventy years) to be exactly that of the sum of the Sabbaths in the four hundred ninety years in which the land was denied its Sabbaths (
Lev 26:33-
Lev 26:35). MAURER translates it "ruin." But English Version better expresses the point of their "mocking," namely, their involuntary "Sabbaths," that is, the cessation of all national movements. A fourth line is added in this stanza, whereas in all the others there are but three. So in
Lam 2:19.
8 (
1Kgs 8:46).
is removed--as a woman separated from the congregation of God for legal impurity, which is a type of moral impurity. So
Lam 1:17;
Lev 12:2;
Lev 15:19, &c.
her nakedness--They have treated her as contumeliously as courtesans from whom their clothes are stripped.
turneth backward--as modest women do from shame, that is, she is cast down from all hope of restoration [CALVIN].
9 Continuation of the image in
Lam 1:8. Her ignominy and misery cannot be concealed but are apparent to all, as if a woman were suffering under such a flow as to reach the end of her skirts.
remembereth not . . . last end-- (
Deut 32:29;
Isa 47:7). She forgot how fatal must be the end of her iniquity. Or, as the words following imply: She, in despair, cannot lift herself up to lay hold of God's promises as to her "latter end" [CALVIN].
wonderfully--Hebrew, "wonders," that is, with amazing dejection.
O Lord, behold--Judah here breaks in, speaking for herself.
for the enemy hath magnified himself--What might seem ground for despair, the elated insulting of the enemy, is rather ground for good hope.
10 for--surely she hath seen, &c.
heathen . . . command . . . not enter . . . congregation--for instance, the Ammonites and Moabites (
Deut 23:3;
Neh 13:1-
Neh 13:2). If the heathen, as such, were not allowed to enter the sanctuary for worship, much less were they allowed to enter in order to rob and destroy.
11 (
Jer 37:21;
Jer 38:9;
Jer 52:6).
given . . . pleasant things for meat-- (
2Kgs 6:25;
Job 2:4).
relieve . . . soul--literally, "to cause the soul or life to return."
for I am become vile--Her sins and consequent sorrows are made the plea in craving God's mercy. Compare the like plea in
Ps 25:11.
12 The pathetic appeal of Jerusalem, not only to her neighbors, but even to the strangers "passing by," as her sorrow is such as should excite the compassion even of those unconnected with her. She here prefigures Christ, whom the language is prophetically made to suit, more than Jerusalem. Compare Israel, that is, Messiah,
Isa 49:3. Compare with "pass by,"
Matt 27:39;
Mark 15:29. As to Jerusalem,
Dan 9:12. M AURER, from the Arabic idiom, translates, "do not go off on your way," that is, stop, whoever ye are that pass by. English Version is simpler.
13 bones--a fire which not only consumes the skin and flesh, but penetrates even to my "bones" (that is, my vital powers).
prevaileth against--not as ROSENMULLER, "He (Jehovah) hath broken them"; a sense not in the Hebrew.
net-- (
Ezek 12:13); image from hunting wild beasts. He has so entangled me in His judgments that I cannot escape.
turned me back--so that I cannot go forward and get free from His meshes.
14 yoke . . . is bound by his hand-- (
Deut 28:48). Metaphor from husbandmen, who, after they have bound the yoke to the neck of oxen, hold the rein firmly twisted round the hand. Thus the translation will be, "in His hand." Or else, "the yoke of my transgressions" (that is, of punishment for my transgressions) is held so fast fixed on me "by" God, that there is no loosening of it; thus English Version, "by His hand."
wreathed--My sins are like the withes entwined about the neck to fasten the yoke to.
into their hands, from whom--into the hands of those, from whom, &c. MAURER translates, "before whom I am not able to stand."
15 trodden, &c.--MAURER, from Syriac root, translates, "cast away"; so
2Kgs 23:27. But
Ps 119:118, supports English Version.
in . . . midst of me--They fell not on the battlefield, but in the heart of the city; a sign of the divine wrath.
assembly--the collected forces of Babylon; a very different "assembly" from the solemn ones which once met at Jerusalem on the great feasts. The Hebrew means, literally, such a solemn "assembly" or feast (compare
Lam 2:22).
trodden . . . virgin . . . in a wine-press--hath forced her blood to burst forth, as the red wine from the grapes trodden in the press (
Isa 63:3;
Rev 14:19-
Rev 14:20;
Rev 19:15).
16 (
Jer 13:17;
Jer 14:17). Jerusalem is the speaker.
mine eye, mine eye--so
Lam 4:18, "our end . . . our end"; repetition for emphasis.
17 Like a woman in labor-throes (
Jer 4:31).
menstruous woman--held unclean, and shunned by all; separated from her husband and from the temple (compare
Lam 1:8;
Lev 14:19, &c.).
18 The sure sign of repentance; justifying God, condemning herself (
Neh 9:33;
Ps 51:4;
Dan 9:7-
Dan 9:14).
his commandment--literally, "mouth"; His word in the mouth of the prophets.
19 lovers-- (
Lam 1:2;
Jer 30:14).
elders--in dignity, not merely age.
sought . . . meat--Their dignity did not exempt them from having to go and seek bread (
Lam 1:11).
20 bowels . . . troubled-- (
Job 30:27;
Isa 16:11;
Jer 4:19;
Jer 31:20). Extreme mental distress affects the bowels and the whole internal frame.
heart . . . turned-- (
Hos 11:8); is agitated or fluttered.
abroad . . . sword . . . at home . . . as death-- (
Deut 32:25;
Ezek 7:15). The "as" does not modify, but intensifies. "Abroad the sword bereaveth, at home as it were death itself" (personified), in the form of famine and pestilence (
2Kgs 25:3;
Jer 14:18;
Jer 52:6). So
Hab 2:5, "as death" [MICHAELIS].
21 they are glad that thou hast done it--because they thought that therefore Judah is irretrievably ruined (
Jer 40:3).
the day . . . called--(but) thou wilt bring on them the day of calamity which thou hast announced, namely, by the prophets (Jer. 50:1-46;
Jer 48:27).
like . . . me--in calamities (
Ps 137:8-
Ps 137:9;
Jer 51:25, &c.).
22 Such prayers against foes are lawful, if the foe be an enemy of God, and if our concern be not for our own personal feeling, but for the glory of God and the welfare of His people.
come before thee--so
Rev 16:19, "Babylon came in remembrance before God" (compare
Ps 109:15).