Lamentations
Summary
A collection of five elegiac poems attributed to Jeremiah that mourn the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple by the Babylonians in 587 BC.
☩Title and Authorship
The Hebrew title 'Ekhah' ('How') comes from the book's opening word, a traditional formula for beginning a song of wailing (cf. 2 Samuel 1:19-27). The Septuagint titled it 'Threnoi' (Lamentations), reflecting the Hebrew 'Kinoth' used by later Jewish writers. Jewish tradition unanimously ascribes the book to Jeremiah, and the Septuagint includes a prefatory verse stating that 'Jeremiah sat weeping and lamented with this lamentation over Jerusalem.' Internal evidence strongly supports this: the author was an eyewitness who vividly describes the siege, and the style matches Jeremiah's acknowledged writings.
☩Poetic Structure
The book's structure is remarkably artificial. Chapters 1, 2, and 4 each contain 22 verses arranged alphabetically by initial Hebrew letter, with each verse consisting of three balanced clauses. Chapter 3 contains 66 verses—three short verses under each of the 22 Hebrew letters, with all three verses in each set beginning with the same letter. Chapter 5 also has 22 verses but without alphabetic order, perhaps because the earnestness of the closing prayer breaks through the constraints of form. This alphabetical arrangement helped memorization and suited congregational recitation or singing.
☩Content and Themes
The five poems all refer to the catastrophe that befell Jerusalem through the Babylonians in 587-586 BC. They describe the sufferings during the siege, the destruction of the sanctuary, the cruelty of enemies especially the Edomites, the disgrace of king and nobles, and the devastation of the country. Chapter 1 strikes the keynote: the solitude of the once-populous city. Chapter 2 depicts the famine and violence. Chapter 3, the central and longest poem, moves from personal lament to confession and hope in God's mercy. Chapter 4 contrasts Jerusalem's former glory with present ruin. Chapter 5 is a communal prayer of the people in exile.
☩Theological Significance
Despite its profound grief, Lamentations is not merely a dirge but contains seeds of hope. The famous passage 'The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness' (3:22-23) stands at the book's center. The author acknowledges that the nation's sin caused the calamity (1:8, 18; 3:42) while maintaining confidence in God's ultimate compassion. The book teaches that proper response to divine judgment includes acceptance, repentance, and renewed trust in God's character. It was read in Jewish synagogues on the ninth of Ab, a fast commemorating Jerusalem's destruction.
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Lamentations, Book Of," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. V (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.James Orr (ed.), "Lamentations, Book of," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. III (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).
- 3.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Lamentations," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).
- 4.Don Fleming, "Lamentations," in Bridgeway Bible Dictionary (Bridgeway Publications, 1990).