The Bible Book

160

MY HEART IS

POURED OUT

ON THE GROUND

LAMENTATIONS 2:11, LAMENT FOR THE EXILES

T

he aptly named Book of

Lamentations concerns the

destruction of Jerusalem

at God’s behest. The book is

traditionally attributed to Jeremiah,

known as the “Weeping Prophet,”

and it serves as a postscript to the

Book of Jeremiah. However, most

scholars believe that it is by an

anonymous source.

The book comprises five poems,

each arranged in a series of short,

rhymeless stanzas, describing

the state of Jerusalem after its

annihilation by the Babylonians

under Nebuchadnezzar II. The

prophet Jeremiah lived in Judah

during the Babylonian invasion,

which culminated in the siege

of the holy city in 586 bce.

Lamentations opens with the

foreboding words “How deserted

lies the city, once so full of people!”

From this gloomy start, the

narrative becomes progressively

darker, describing the Babylonian

army breaching the city walls of

Jerusalem, killing or enslaving

IN BRIEF

PA S SAGE

Lamentations 1–5

THEME

God suffers when His

people suffer

SETTING

586 bce, Jerusalem

KEY FIGURES

Narrator Widely believed to

be Jeremiah, the “Weeping

Prophet,” to whom the Book

of Lamentations is attributed.

The people of Jerusalem

Survivors of the Babylonian

invasion, desperately trying

to remain alive.

Nebuchadnezzar II King of

Babylon, who leads his army

in destroying the holy city of

Jerusalem and is supported

by God as punishment for the

Judeans’ unfaithful behavior.

By the Waters of Babylon (1882–1883),

an oil painting by Evelyn De Morgan,

depicts an exiled patriarch (under the

tree) with other exiles weeping over

the loss of their Promised Land.

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161

See also: Entering the Promised Land 96–97 ■ The Fall of Jerusalem 128–31 ■

The Prophet Jeremiah 156–59 ■ Daniel in Babylon 164–65

WISDOM AND PROPHETS

all the people, and burning the city

to the ground. The survivors are

described in detail, with harrowing

accounts of how mothers ate their

own children in order to survive,

children beg for bread but no one

gives them any, and young and

old lie in the dust of the streets

(Lamentations 2:20–21 and 4:4).

Terrible punishments

After the fall of Jerusalem, worldly

possessions and wealth now mean

nothing: Chapter 4:1 describes how

gold has lost its luster and precious

stones are scattered on every street

corner. It appears that all hope is

lost, such is the misery and despair

that is recounted. Nevertheless,

despite inflicting such a terrible

punishment on His people, Jeremiah

suggests that there is still reason to

hope: “For no one is cast off by the

Lord for ever. Though He brings

grief, He will show compassion, so

great is His unfailing love. For He

does not willingly bring affliction

or grief to anyone” (3:32–33).

Lamentations is full of references

to tears and crying, including the

agonizing and despair of Jeremiah

himself. Lamentations 4:6 states

that the punishment of the people

of Jerusalem is greater even than

that of the people of Sodom. The

extent of God’s wrath is made

abundantly clear as the narrative

unfolds. However, the underlying

tone throughout the book is that,

though His anger knows no limits,

God suffers Himself at having to

wreak such terrible carnage in

the first place.

At the heart of Lamentations

is an important message of peace

and reconciliation, which points

to the inexhaustible possibilities

for redemption and forgiveness if

the exiles maintain their faith in

God. He is angry—but He also

grieves that the longstanding

heinous behavior by the Israelite

people has forced Him to punish

them so harshly. The message of

Lamentations is clear: when God’s

people suffer, God suffers, too. ■

City of Babylon

Babylon, where the Israelites

were taken as slaves and

exiles, was the capital city of

Babylonia in southwest Asia,

now southern Iraq. The city sat

on the Euphrates River, north

of the modern town of Hillah.

The fall of the city, and

the end of the neo-Babylonian

empire with it, is predicted

by the prophets in Isaiah 14:4

and 21:9, as well as Jeremiah

50–51. The city was under

Babylonian control until 539

bce, when Cyrus the Great

of Persia invaded and killed

king Belshazzar. However,

Babylon was fairly unscathed

by the invasion and continued

to flourish under Persian rule.

Hosea 11:8

God cannot bear to

punish His people for

(^) rejecting Him.
Genesis 6:6:
God grieves over
the wickedness
of humankind.
Jeremiah 14:17
God’s eyes overflow
with tears for the
Israelites’ suffering.
God suffers
with His people.
Luke 19:41
Jesus weeps for the lost
souls of Jerusalem.
John 11:35
Jesus weeps when
He sees Mary grieving
over Lazarus.
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