Lamentations - Second Lament

THE BOOK OF LAMENTATIONS
LESSON 3
CHAPTER 2: THE SECOND LAMENT
YAHWEH'S RIGHTEOUS ANGER (2:1-22)

(The false prophets) ... do not tell you the truth by which you would recognize your sins and repent [...]. On the contrary, they read you false prophecies and use vain arguments to drive you further from God.
Olympiodorus, Fragmenta in Lamentations, 2

The second lamentation begins and ends with references to the reason for Jerusalem and Judah's misfortune "the righteous anger of the Lord (verses 1 and 22). However, between verses 1 and 22, a meditation reflects on the possibility of repentance and conversion. The inspired writer refers to Jerusalem as "Zion" in verses 1, 4, 6, 8, 10, 13, and 18. 1 Kings 8:1 and 2 Chronicles 5:2 identify Zion as synonymous with "the city of David," whereas 2 Samuel 5:7 and 1 Chronicles 11:5 refer to "the citadel of Zion," the hill south of the Temple mount of Mt. Moriah (2 Chronicles 3:1). Some Biblical scholars identify Zion and the original city of King David with the citadel of the eastern hill of Jerusalem but others with the entire walled area of the old city. However, Zion can also be identified with the land of Israel as a whole and theologically with God's chosen covenant people. See the document "Zion and the Presence of God."

There are two parts to the second poem. In the first part, the inspired writer laments the disgrace of the destruction of the holy city of Jerusalem (verses 1-7), and in the second part, there is a plea for God's mercy. Words within brackets are the literal Hebrew translation. See the answers to the questions at the end of the lesson.

The Second Lament Part I ~ Jerusalem's Disgrace (verses 1-7)
Alph 1 In his anger, with what darkness has he Lord enveloped the daughter of Zion! He has flung the beauty of Israel from heaven to the ground, without regard for his footstool on the day of his anger.

Bet 2 The Lord pitilessly engulfed all the homes of Jacob; in his fury he torn down the fortresses of the daughter of Judah; he threw to the ground, he desecrated the kingdom of its princes.

Gimel 3 In his burning anger he broke all the might of Israel, withdrew his protecting right hand at the coming of the enemy, and blazed against Jacob like a fire that burns up everything near it.

Dalet 4 Like an enemy he bent his bow, and his right hand held firm; like a foe he slaughtered all those who were a delight to see; on the tent of the daughter of Zion he poured out his fury like fire.

He 5 The Lord behaved like an enemy; he engulfed [the horn of] Israel, he engulfed all its citadels, he destroyed its fortresses and for the daughter of Judah multiplied weeping on wailing.

Waw 6 He wreaked his domain [booth] like a garden, destroyed his assembly-points [shrine], Yahweh erased the memory of festivals and Sabbaths in Zion; in the heat of his anger he treated king and priest with contempt.

Zain 7 The Lord has rejected his altar, he has come to loathe his sanctuary and has given her palace walls into the clutches of the enemy; from the uproar they made in Yahweh's temple it might have been a festival day!

Verses 1-9 describe Jerusalem's fall to the Babylonians. The inspired writer describes the defeat of Judah and the destruction of Jerusalem and her Temple as carried out by the Babylonians but directed by Yahweh, who "behaved like an enemy" to Israel (verse 5), rejecting His holy altar of sacrifice and sanctuary because of the covenant people's many sins. Also, see Jeremiah 12:7 and 30:14), where Yahweh is presented as His people's enemy.

Question #1: Why did Yahweh punish the citizens of Judah and Jerusalem so severely for their unrepented sins?
The answer to question 1 is at the end of the lesson.

In verse 1, the "beauty of Israel" is the Jerusalem Temple, and Yahweh's "footstool" is the Ark of the Covenant (see 1 Chronicles 28:2; Psalm 99:5; 132:7 and Ezekiel 43:6-7a), where God's Divine Presence dwelt among His people:

Exalt Yahweh our God, bow down at his footstool; holy is he! (Psalm 99:5).
Let us go up to his dwelling-place, and worship at his footstool (Psalm 132:7).
And I heard someone speaking to me from the Temple ... He said, "Son of man, this is the dais of my throne, the step on which I rest my feet (Ezekiel 43:6-7a).

The "fortress of the daughter of Judah" (verse 2) was the holy city of Jerusalem. It was the one place on earth where Yahweh dwelled among His people in His holy Sanctuary (Dt 12:8-14), where twice daily liturgical worship (Ex 29:36-42) and sacrifices could be offered for the forgiveness of unintentional sins (Numbers 15:27-31), and where communion with the Lord was celebrated in the sacred meal of the Toda ("thanksgiving"), where the unblemished sacrifice was eaten with unleavened bread and red wine (Leviticus 7:1/11-7/17; 19:5-8; 22:21-25).

Verse 3 refers to God's power and strength. The literal Hebrew reads "the horn of Israel" (cf. 2 Samuel 2:1, 10; Psalm 89:18, 25; 92:11; 112:9).

In the literal Hebrew translation of verse 3, "booth" and "shrine" are synonyms for the Temple (cf. Psalm 27:5; 74:4, 8). The Hebrew term for "shrine" is mo'ed and figures prominently in the Pentateuch for the expression "tent of meeting" [ohel mo'ed].

The inspired writer uses "daughter of Zion/Judah" (verses 1, 2, 4, 5) and the name "Israel" to define the covenant people originally called by Yahweh as His chosen covenant people out of all the nations on earth. The Northern Kingdom of Israel no longer existed, having been destroyed by the Assyrians in 721 BC; therefore, Judah, in 587 BC, was the remaining remnant of the chosen people. They violated Yahweh's Temple and rituals of worship (verses 6-7). The "tent" of the daughter of Zion is the Jerusalem Temple, first established as a tented sanctuary in Exodus 26. The permanent structure of the Jerusalem Temple was not built until the reign of King Solomon (cf. 1 Kings 6:37-38).

Question #2: When God established His covenant with Israel at Mt. Sinai and told them about His requirements in Exodus 23:20-33, what was the people's response in Exodus 24:3-7?
The answer to question 2 is at the end of the lesson.

The covenant obligation of the Israelites was obedience, and in exchange, God promised to bless and protect them. Unfortunately, as time passed, the people did not have righteous kings, prophets, or priests to guide them. While the fall of the Northern Kingdom of Israel to the Assyrians caused the Southern Kingdom to repent and return to God, after a time, they fell into many sins again, including worshipping false gods and offering their children in sacrifice to those gods (2 Kings 21:1-18). The "uproar" in verse 7 was like the loud voices of the people crying out in gladness on a festival day but was instead the enemy's war cries.

Verses 6-7 identify Yahweh, not the Babylonians, as the destroyer of Judah, Jerusalem, and His holy Temple. The Babylonians were the instruments of His judgment. Sent into exile in Babylon, the covenant people were unable to offer worship to Yahweh or celebrate their God-ordained sacred feasts. See the document on theSacred Feasts of the Old Covenant.

The Second Lament Part II ~ A Plea for God's Mercy (verses 8-22)
Het 8 Yahweh has resolved to destroy the walls of the daughter of Zion, stretching out the [measuring] line, not staying his hand until he has engulfed everything, thus bringing mourning on wall and rampart; alike they crumbled.

Tet 9 Her gates have sunk into the ground; he has broken and shattered their bars. Her king and her princes are among the Gentiles, there is no instruction, furthermore, her prophets cannot find any vision from Yahweh.

Yod 10 Mute, they sit on the ground, the elders of the daughter of Zion; they have put dust on their heads and wrapped themselves in sackcloth. The young girls of Jerusalem bow their heads to the ground.

Kaph 11 My eyes are worn out with weeping, my inmost being is in ferment, my heart plummets at the destruction of my young people, as the children and babies grow faint in the streets of the city.

Lamed 12 They keep saying to their mothers, "Where is some food?" as they faint like wounded men in the streets of the city, as they breathe their last on their mothers' breasts.

Mem 13 To what can I compare or liken you, daughter of Jerusalem? Who can rescue and comfort you, young daughter of Zion? For huge as the sea is your ruin: who can heal you?

Nun 14 The visions your prophets had for you were deceptive whitewash; they did not lay bare your guilt so as to change your fortunes: the visions they told you were deceptive.

Samek 15 All who pass your way clap their hands at the sight; they whistle and shake their heads over the daughter of Jerusalem, "Is this the city they call Perfection of Beauty, the joy of the whole world?"

Pe 16 Your enemies open their mouths in chorus against you; they whistle and grind their teeth; they say, "We have swallowed her up. This is the day we were waiting for; at last we have seen it!"

Ain 17 Yahweh has done what he planned, has carried out his threat, as he ordained long ago: he has destroyed without pity, increasing the might of you foes "and letting your foes get the credit.

Zade 18 Cry then to the Lord, rampart of the daughter of Zion; let your tears flow like a torrent, day and night; allow yourself no respite, give your eyes no rest!

Qoph 19 Up, cry out in the night-time as each watch begins! Pour your heart out like water in Yahweh's presence! Raise your hands to him for the lives of your children (who faint with hunger at the end of every street)!

Resh 20 "Look, Yahweh, and consider: whom have you ever treated like this? Should women eat their little ones, the children they have nursed? Should priest and prophet be slaughtered in the Lord's sanctuary?"

Shin 21 "Children and old people are lying on the ground in the streets; my young men and young girls have fallen by the sword; you have killed them, on the day of your anger, you have slaughtered them pitilessly."

Taw 22 "As though to a festival you called together terrors from all sides, so that, on the day of Yahweh's anger, none escaped and none survived. Those whom I had nursed and reared, my enemy has annihilated them all."

In the poem's second part, the speaker offers a compelling statement of hope in God's ultimate mercy. In verses 1-12, the poet describes the wretched fate of Judah's kings, priests, prophets, elders, men, women, and children. Then, he addresses "Zion" in verses 13-17, reminding her how the false prophets have lied and misled the people, and urges her to cry out to God (verses 18-22).

The reference to the "measuring line" in verse 8 usually refers to a line used for building, but here, ironically, it relates to an instrument of destruction (cf. Isaiah 34:11; 2 Kings 21:13).¹

Verses 8-9 describe the destruction of Jerusalem's defensive walls and gates and refer to the king's capture.

Question #3: What happened to Judah's King Zedakiah? See 2 Kings 25:1-7 and Jeremiah 39:4-7.
The answer to question 3 is at the end of the lesson.

... they have put dust on their heads and wrapped themselves in sackcloth in verse 10 refers to acts of mourning (cf. Joshua 7:6; Job 2:12; Ezekiel 27:30).

After describing the city's dismantling by the Babylonians in verses 5-9, the poet turns to the distress of the inhabitants in verses 10-12. In verse 11, the writer uses Zion's emotional language in verses 16 and 20 to express both anguish and commitment to her cause.

"To what can I compare or liken you, daughter of Jerusalem?" The writer struggles to find language that adequately conveys the atrocities and suffering experienced by "daughter Zion" and attempts to offer some form of comfort.

The emotional description of women and children dying in the streets finally brings about what is probably the poet's emotional breakdown, as it did for Zion in 1:16. In verse 19, he urges Zion to appeal to the Lord once more on behalf of her dying "children" (young and old, priest and laity). The poet hopes that such a distressing image will move the Lord to respond with mercy.

Verse 20: "Should women eat their little ones, the children they have nursed? Should priest and prophet be slaughtered in the Lord's sanctuary?" Famine in a besieged city sometimes led to cannibalism (Lamentations 4:10; Deuteronomy 28:53; 2 Kings 6:28-29; Baruch 2:3; Ezekiel 5:10), and the deaths of the men God anointed to guide His people.²

The covenant people failed to uphold the city's defenses (verses 8-9). Jerusalem was no longer Yahweh's holy city; it became a city of no laws, no princes, no prophets (verse 9), and no food (verses 11-12). Jerusalem became a city of weeping and silence (verses 10-11). For these reasons, the writer accuses the citizens on several counts in verses 13-19. He denounces the apathy of its prophets and gives them the most severe reproach since they have lulled the people into a false sense of security instead of warning them to come to repentance and conversion (verse 14; see Jeremiah 28:1-4).

Question #4: What is the answer to the question in verse 13: "Who can rescue and comfort you, young daughter of Zion?" See the Apostles' Creed and 1 Peter 3:18-22. In Luke 16:19-31, Jesus told the Parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man, explaining the conditions in Sheol/Hades, the abode of the dead. Also, see Catechism # 633.
The answer to question 4 is at the end of the lesson.

In verse 14, the prophets' "deceptive whitewash" is probably an allusion to Ezekiel 13:10-14. Ezekiel was a contemporary of Jeremiah, prophesizing to the covenant people in exile in Babylon (Ezekiel 1:1-3). Their failure to listen to Jeremiah or repent their sins resulted in their downfall and made them the object of mockery and the subject of the jeers of their enemies (verses 15-16).

Verse 21 lists the victims of the Babylonians that Yahweh has used as His instruments of justice. The guilty who perish deserve punishment, but the innocent who suffer are consecrated to their God, who loves them.

In verse 22, the writer compares the loud sounds of terror in Jerusalem to the joyous sounds of the people during the pilgrim feasts of Unleavened Bread, Weeks, and Shelters, when every man of the covenant had to present himself with sacrifices before Yahweh's holy altar (see Deuteronomy 16:16 and the document the Seven Sacred Feasts of the Old Covenant). The covenant people have traded the joyful sounds of their holy festivals for cries of anguish.

Question #5: Jeremiah was God's true prophet who continually warned the people about their coming judgment. However, the prophet Hananiah was a false prophet who told the people they had nothing to fear (Jeremiah 28:1-4). What did the priests and the false prophets do to Jeremiah? See Jeremiah 26:11-15; 38:1-6.
The answer to question 5 is at the end of the lesson.

The solution to their problem is to accept their just punishment and to be converted by repenting their sins and returning to their God. The inspired writer urges prayers for restoration in verses 18-19. In verses 20-22, he offers a prayer stressing that Israel/Judah is still Yahweh's chosen covenant people!

The Answers to the Questions:
The answer to question #1: Yahweh chose the descendants of Abraham's son Jacob to be His covenant people (Genesis 12:1-3; 28:10-22; Sirach 44:19/20-26; Hebrews 11:8-9). Israel/Judah's mission was to be Yahweh's witness to the world's other nations, and Jerusalem was the one place on earth where the people could worship God, who dwelt among His people above the Mercy Seat of the Ark of the Covenant (Exodus 25:22). Instead, she became a false witness, leading the Gentile people to continue their sinful lives and worship of false Gods. The ultimate goal of Israel/Judah's punishment using the Babylonians was to bring His people to repentance for their sins and return to their God who loves them and their mission of proclaiming Him to the other nations. After their return from the Babylonian exile in 539 BC (Ezra 1:1-4), they never again offered their children in sacrifice or worship false gods. They were able to prepare the way for the coming of the promised Redeemer Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth.

The answer to question #2: The Israelites swore an oath to obey all Yahweh's words and all His laws in Exodus 24:3 and 7. Israel/Judah's terrible fate is God's punishment for abandoning Him and the covenant He formed with them at Mt. Sinai. The punishment was intended to call them to repentance and to reestablish their covenant relationship with Him.

The answer to question #3: The Babylonians captured King Zedekiah and his sons. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had Zedekiah's sons slaughtered in front of their father, along with all the leading men of Judah. He then blinded Zedekiah and led him in chains to Babylon.

The answer to question #4: The answer to the rhetorical question in verse 13 is that no one can rescue them except their powerful and loving God, who can save them from the perils of evil in the world and offer them the future gift of eternal salvation. All who died in the time before the sacrifice of Jesus Christ went to Sheol/Hades, the abode of the dead, where, from the tomb, Jesus descended to rescue those who accepted Him as Lord and Savior. After Christ's descent into Sheol/Hades to rescue the righteous dead, see St. Paul's description of the purpose of Sheol/Hades after Christ's Resurrection when all souls who died in a state of grace went to Heaven, all who rejected Christ's gift of eternal salvation went to the Hell of the Damned, and all those destined for Heaven but in need of further purification by the fiery love of God went to Sheol/Hades, now called Purgatory, in 1 Corinthians 3:11-15 (also see CCC 679, 1030-32).

The answer to question #5: They threatened to kill Jeremiah and later threw him into a storage well, intending to leave him there to die.

Endnotes:
1. For other references to "measuring line (or reed)," see Jeremiah 31:39; Ezekiel 40:3, 5; 42:15, 16 (twice), 17, 18, 19; Zechariah 2:1.

2. See Josephus's account of the famine in Jerusalem that led to cannibalism in 70 AD, caused by the Roman siege of the city (The Wars of the Jews, 6.3.4-5).