Lamentations

Mourning the Destruction of Jerusalem

Since the southern kingdom, Judah, persisted in its sins of idolatry and social injustice, refusing to listen to the word of God through the prophets, eventually the judgment came.

The book of Lamentations is a collection of five heartrending songs that sorrowfully describe the terrible destruction of Jerusalem carried out by the Babylonians after they captured Jerusalem in 587/586 BC. A “lament” is a mournful, “blues”-type song used in the ancient world to express grief and sorrow, often at funerals. In a manner of speaking, the book of Lamentations is a collection of songs to be sung at the “funeral” of Jerusalem. Acknowledging and expressing grief in such a manner also implies repentance.

Who Wrote Lamentations?

In the Hebrew Bible, no authorship of Lamentations is stated. The book is placed in a unit along with Song of Songs, Ruth, Ecclesiastes, and Esther. In Jewish tradition these books were each read on special festivals or religious holidays. Lamentations was to be read on the Ninth of Ab, a special religious day that commemorated the destruction of Jerusalem.

In the early Greek translation of the Old Testament (called the Septuagint), however, Jeremiah is identified as the author, and the book of Lamentations follows right after Jeremiah. In this location (followed by our English Bibles), Lamentations not only mourns over the destruction of Jerusalem (i.e., the consequences of sin), but it also vindicates Jeremiah’s message, illustrating very clearly that the word of God delivered through Jeremiah was powerful and true.

The Poetic Structure of Lamentations

Lamentations is written in Hebrew poetry. Each chapter is a separate “lament” or sorrowful song. The first four laments (chapters 1, 2, 3, and 4) are also “acrostic” (alphabetic) songs. An acrostic is a literary technique that uses the order of the alphabet to structure its poetic lines. For example, in Lamentations 1, each verse has three lines of poetry. The first word of the first line in each verse starts with successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Thus the first word in 1:1 starts with aleph, the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The first word in 1:2 starts with bet, the second letter in the Hebrew alphabet, and so forth throughout the alphabet. Using the full range of the alphabet implies a complete expression of sorrow, grief, and repentance.

What Is the Message of Lamentations?

Lamentations 1 personifies Jerusalem and describes how the city weeps over what has happened to her. Amid the grief and weeping, the chapter contains confessions of her sin, but also stresses repeatedly that there is no one to comfort her in her grief (1:2, 9, 16, 17, 21), in contrast to Isaiah 40–66, for example, which promises that the coming Messiah will bring comfort. In Lamentations 1 the comfort is still future.

Lamentations 2 and most of chapter 3 poetically describe the wrath of God that fell on Jerusalem. Yet Lamentations 3 is not without hope beyond the judgment, for in 3:21–26 the song claims hope in God, due to his great love and compassion that are renewed every morning.

Lamentations 4 grimly returns to describing the terrible destruction of Jerusalem and the great suffering experienced in the aftermath. Lamentations 5 continues this theme, but the book ends with a humble prayer to God to remember them and to restore them to relationship with him.

Ancient clay tablet from Mesopotamia containing a poetic lament for the destruction of the city of Lagash.

So What? Applying Lamentations to Our Lives Today

Lamentations is a stark reminder to us of the serious consequences of sin and rebellion against God. Jeremiah preached and preached to Jerusalem, and no one listened. The people ignored God and hardened their hearts against God and his message. Thus, eventually, a terrible devastating judgment came. For us today this sobering reality is still true. Yes, we live in the era of the new covenant and wonderful forgiveness provided by Jesus Christ. But for those who reject this and who defy God and God’s gospel message, there awaits judgment, as heartbreaking, sad, and terrible as that described in Lamentations.

Lamentations 3:21–33 also reminds us of God’s great love and compassion on his people who trust in him. His “compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

Our Favorite Verses in Lamentations

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,

for his compassions never fail.

They are new every morning;

great is your faithfulness. (3:22–23)