a 11:2 Or "covenant."
a 12:4 Greek; Masoretic Text "he."
a 13:27 "Clean" refers to anything that Moses' Teachings say is presentable to God.
a 14:21 Or "covenant."
b 15:7 Winnowing is the process of separating husks from grain.
a 17:3 Greek; Masoretic Text "on my mountain."
a 19:13 "Unclean" refers to anything that Moses' Teachings say is not presentable to God.
a 22:9 Or "covenant."
a 22:24 Masoretic Text "Coniah," an alternate form of Jehoiakin.
a 23:8 Greek; Masoretic Text "I."
a 24:1 Masoretic Text "Jeconiah," an alternate form of Jehoiakin.
a 27:2 A yoke is a wooden bar placed over the necks of work animals so that they can pull plows or carts.
a 27:19-20 Masoretic Text "Jeconiah," an alternate form of Jehoiakin.
b 28:2 A yoke is a wooden bar placed over the necks of work animals so that they can pull plows or carts.
c 28:13 Greek; Masoretic Text "you."
a 29:2 Masoretic Text "Jeconiah," an alternate form of Jehoiakin.
a 30:8 A yoke is a wooden bar placed over the necks of work animals so that they can pull plows or carts.
a 31:31 Or "covenant."
a 32:40 Or "covenant."
a 33:20 Or "covenant."
a 34:13 Or "covenant."
a 40:5 Hebrew meaning of "If you wish to remain" uncertain.
a 43:12 Greek; Masoretic Text "I."
a 49:1 Or "Molech."
a 51:2 Winnowing is the process of separating husks from grain.
a 51:33 A threshing floor is an outdoor area where grain is separated from its husks.
Introduction to LAMENTATIONS.
The fall of Jerusalem was slow and terrible. In 605 BC, Nebuchadnezzar became king of Babylon. Soon after, King Jehoiakim of Judah pledged allegiance to him, a decision he later regretted. In response to Jehoiakim's rebellion, Nebuchadnezzar attacked Jerusalem in 597 BC, killed Jehoiakim, looted the temple, and took thousands of Jerusalem's leading citizens back to Babylon. For about ten years, the remaining inhabitants of Jerusalem were ruled by the puppet king Zedekiah. Eventually he too rebelled, and this time Nebuchadnezzar brought the entire Babylonian army with him to besiege Jerusalem.
The siege began in the winter of 588 BC. Soon food ran short, and people inside the city walls began bartering their prized possessions to obtain a loaf of bread. As the shortages became more severe, children fainted in the streets from hunger and died in their mothers' arms. By the summer of 586 BC, there was nothing left to eat. Many people starved to death, and some resorted to cannibalism. At that point, the Babylonians broke through the city walls, stripping the temple of its remaining valuables. They burned down the temple, the palace, and many houses, raping the women and girls and forcing the men to do hard labor. When the Babylonians captured the Judean king, they slaughtered his sons as he watched and then blinded him. On their return to Babylon, they took Jerusalem's military, political, and religious leaders with them. Only the poorest were left to occupy their destroyed homeland. One of these was the prophet Jeremiah.
Tradition says that Jeremiah wrote Lamentations right after the fall of Jerusalem, though the book does not name an author. Read the five laments, and you will know that they were written by someone who experienced more than the human spirit can bear. Famine. Disease. War. Destruction. Death. The loss of everything sacred, everything loved, everything that gives life meaning. Jeremiah might have lashed out in fury or retreated into insanity. And yet his laments show a different response-profound sorrow, heartfelt repentance, and incredible faith. At the heart of Lamentations, we read an amazing affirmation of God's justice and compassion: "The reason I can still find hope is that I keep this one thing in mind: the LORD's mercy. We were not completely wiped out. His compassion is never limited. It is new every morning. His faithfulness is great" (3:21-23).
Key Names of God in Lamentations Yahweh LORD Adonay Lord, Master Elyon Highest El God LAMENTATIONS.
1 2 3 4 5.
The Prophet Speaks Out: No One Offers Comfort 1 a1 "Look how deserted Jerusalem is!
Once the city was crowded with people.
Once it was important among the nations.
Now it is a widow.
Once it was a princess among the provinces.
Now it does forced labor.
2 Jerusalem cries bitterly at night with tears running down its cheeks.
Out of all those who love the city, no one offers it comfort.
All of Jerusalem's friends have betrayed it and become its enemies.
3 "Judah has been exiled after much suffering and harsh treatment.
Its people live among the nations; they find no rest.
Those who chased them caught up with them in places where there was no way out.
4 "The roads to Zion are deserted.b No one comes to the annual festivals.
No one passes through any of its gates.c Its priests are groaning.
Its young women are made to suffer.
Zion is bitter.
5 Its opponents are now in control.
Its enemies have no worries.
Yahweh made Zion suffer for its many rebellious acts.
Its children go ahead of their opponents into captivity.
6 All splendor has abandoned the people of Zion.
Its influential people were like deer that couldn't find any pasture.
They ran without any strength ahead of the hunters.
7 "Now, during its suffering and oppression, Jerusalem remembers all the treasures it had from ancient times, when its people fell into the power of their enemies with no one to help them.
Their opponents looked on, and they laughed at Jerusalem's downfall.
8 Jerusalem has sinned so much that it has become a filthy thing.
Everyone who used to honor it now despises it.
They've seen it naked.
Jerusalem groans and turns away.
9 Jerusalem's own filth covers its clothes.
It gave no thought to its future.
Its downfall was shocking.
No one offers it comfort.
'O Yahweh, look at my suffering, because my enemies have triumphed.'
10 The enemies laid their hands on all of the city's treasures.
Jerusalem has seen the nations enter the holy place.
'O Lord, they are the same people you have forbidden to enter your congregation.'
11 All the people are groaning as they beg for bread.
They trade their treasures for food to keep themselves alive.
'O Yahweh, look and see how despised I am!'"
Zion Speaks Out: No One Offers Comfort 12 "Doesn't this affect all of you who pass by?
Look and see if there's any pain like the pain that Yahweh has caused me, like the pain that he has made me suffer on the day of his fierce anger.
13 He sent fire from above.
He made it go deep into my bones.
He spread a net for my feet.
He made me turn back.
He has left me devastated.
He has made me sick all day long.
14 My rebellious acts are a heavy burden for me.
They were tied together by Yahweh's own hands.
They were tied around my neck.
He has weakened me with them.
Adonay has handed me over to people I cannot oppose.a 15 Adonay has treated all the warriors inside my walls with contempt.
He called an army to defeat my young men.
Adonay trampled the people of Judah in a winepress.
16 I'm crying because of all these things.
My eyes-my eyes flow with tears.
No one can give me the comfort I need to keep me alive.
Everyone is too far away from me.
My children are devastated because my enemies have won."
17 Zion holds out its hands.
No one offers it comfort.
Yahweh has given this order about Jacob: His own neighbors will become his opponents.