Lamentations 1-3:36

[wolfpurplemoon]

It seems we are lamenting at the downfall of Jerusalem, and going on and on about just how destroyed the city is, and the horrible things that have happened to the people.

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[zteccc.livejournal.com]

Lamentations is attributed to the prophet Jeremiah. It is written in a different style from the book of Jeremiah, probably because this is the prophet's own composition rather than prophecy from God. Also because it is a set of five poems or songs of mourning (laments). This book is typically used as a source of prayer or poetry, not prophecy or history, the text is idealized along these lines.

The form of the first four chapters is that of acrostic poems. This means that each verse starts with a successive Hebrew letter (the third chapter has this tripled, so three consecutive verses begin with the same letter before moving to the next letter). This is a poetical style also found in many Psalms.

Chapter 1 consists of a dialog between The Prophet and a personification of Jerusalem. The prophet details the desolation of Jerusalem due to Jerusalem's disregard for the covenant and then Jerusalem bemoans its fate. Jerusalem admits that it acted wrongly and asks God to fulfill the promise to punish its enemies and return its people.

Chapter 2 is more dialog between The Prophet and Jerusalem. The prophet talks about the destruction of Jerusalem. The prophet says that God has kept the promise of the consequences for not following the covenant due to the continued disobedience of the people of Judah. Jerusalem responds effectively saying that it isn't fair.

Chapter 3:1-36
A monologue from The Prophet. The Prophet talks about how he too has suffered in the service of God, but that he has learned lessons as well.

-- Jeff