Lamentations (Bible #25), ESV

Bible #25

by Anonymous

The book has no illustrations or index. Purchasers are entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge.
Subjects: Bible; Religion / Christian Theology / General; Bibles / Other Translations / General; Bibles / King James Version / General; Religion / Biblical Reference / Language Study; Religion / Bibles / King James;

Genres: Religion, Christian, Nonfiction, Poetry, Audiobook, Scripture, Old Testament

Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 521

About the author

Books can be attributed to "Anonymous" for several reasons:

* They are officially published under that name
* They are traditional stories not attributed to a specific author
* They are religious texts not generally attributed to a specific author

Books whose authorship is merely uncertain should be attributed to Unknown.

See also: Anonymous

Reviews

[KamRun · Rating 4 out of 5]

چشمان ما در انتظارِ اعانتِ باطلِ ما كاهيده شد. بر ديده‌بان‌های خود انتظار كشيديم، برای امتی كه نجات نمی‌توان داد. برای چه ما را مدت مدیدی ما را ترک نموده و تا به ابد فراموش كرده‌ای؟ ای يهوه، ما را بسوی خود برگردان و ما بازگشت خواهيم كرد

سوگ‌نامه‌ی نبیِ گریان

اورشلیم در سال 586 پیش از میلاد مورد تاخت و تاز سپاهیان بابلی قرار گرفت و نابود شد. در طی این شکست، بسیاری از یهودیان کشته و تعداد بیشتری به اسارت گرفته شدند و اندکی نیز در اورشلیم ماندند. ارمیا یکی از این بازماندگان اورشلیم است که در باب رنج مردم قوم خود مرثیه‌سرایی می‌کند.
اگرچه این کتاب شامل مرثیه‌های خاصِ قوم یهود (یکی از کتبی است که هر هفته در کناب دیوار غربی اورشلیم قدیم - ندبه یا ماتم - خوانده می‌شود) و مشمول در کتاب‌مقدس مسیحیان است (مسیحیان تاویل‌های بخصوص خود را از آن دارند)، با این وجود صرفا خواندنش به عنوان یک کتاب خالی از لطف نیست؛ جدا از ارزش باستانی (طومارِ کتاب 2500 سال قدمت دارد) و ادبی (کتاب سرشار از آرایه‌های ادبی و تصویر‌سازی‌ست) می‌تواند به‌عنوان خوانشی از درد و دل‌های یک شکسته‌دل (ارمیا به نبی گریان معروف است) هم مورد توجه قرار بگیرد

خلاصه‌ی کلام ارمیا در مراثی

ما به خاک سیاه نشسته‌ایم. این اتفاق مکافات خدا به‌سبب گناه قوم است. با این وجود خدا رحیم است و وعده‌ی خود را فراموش نخواهد کرد، پس روزی دوباره قوم یهود را سرافراز خواهد کرد و دشمنانش را به خاک خواهد انداخت

چند نکته درباره‌ی کتاب

کتاب را مراثی نامیده‌اند از این جهت که
یک - عنوان عبری کتاب איכה ایکاه ، به معنی "چگونه" است که از آیات اول باب 1، 2 و 4 گرفته شده است: چگونه شهری كه پر از مخلوق بود منفرد نشسته است. چگونه آنكه در ميان امت‌ها بزرگ بود مثل بيوه زن شده است، چگونه آنكه در ميان كشورها ملكه بود خراج‌گذار گرديده است (آیه نخست از باب اول). چگونه خداوند از غضب خود، دختر صهيون را به ظلمت پوشانيده و جلال اسرائيل را از آسمان به زمين افكنده و قدمگاه خويش را در روز خشم خود به ياد نياورده است (آیه نخست از باب دوم). چگونه طلا زنگ گرفته و زر خالص منقلب گرديده است؟ سنگ‌های قدس به سر هر كوچه ريخته شده است (آیه نخست از باب چهارم). تمام این پرسش‌ها به بدبختی و مصایب قوم یهود، آن هم با زبانی سوزناک و آوازین اشاره دارد

دوم - کتاب به سبک نوحه‌ی یهودیان باستان سرائیده شده است (4 باب از 5 باب مراثی در ژانر اشعار توشیحی قرار دارد). این 4 نوحه ساختار الفبایی و عددی بخصوصی دارد: هر آیه با یکی از حروف عبری آغاز می‌شود، الفبای عبری 22 حرف دارد و باب یک، دو، چهار و پنج نیز هر کدام 22 آیه دارند. باب سوم 66 آیه دارد که مضربی از 22 است. از ساختار مذکور عموما جهت سهولت در بخاطر سپردن متون استفاده می‌شده. مشخص است که نویسنده‌ی مراثی نیز چنین انگیزه‌ای در سر داشته (احتمالا قصد داشته یهودیان تبعیدی این سرودها را به راحتی از بر کنند).

نویسنده‌ی کتاب را ارمیا معرفی کرده‌اند به این دلایل
اول- سنت
دوم- می‌توان آن را ادامه یا ضمیمه‌ای از کتاب اصلی ارمیا دانست. در نسخه‌ی هفتادگانه (یکی از نسخه‌های باستانی معروف و نسبتا قابل استناد کتاب‌مقدس به زبان یونانی) مراثی با کتاب ارمیا تجمیع شده است
سوم - کتاب ارمیا و مراثی علاوه بر تشابه واژگان و عبارات به کار برده شده، به موضوع واحدی هم می‌پردازند، یعنی ویرانی اورشلیم. تفاوت کتاب‌ها (بجز زمان نگارش)، نظرگاه آن‌هاست: یکی به آینده می‌پردازد و دیگری به گذشته. کتاب ارمیا ویرانی اورشلیم را پیشگویی می‌کند و مراثی ارمیا به تحقق آن در گذشته می‌نگرد
چهارم - زمان نگارش طومارهای ارمیا و مراثی بسیار نزدیک بهم است

سخنی در باب ترجمه‌های موجود

مراثی ارمیا یکی از 39 کتاب عهد عتیق و 66 کتابِ کتاب‌مقدس است. در حال حاضر تنها یک ترجمه مجاز در داخل ایران رسما موجود است: ترجمه پیروز سیار. کلیسا عموما به این ترجمه نظری ندارد و ترجمه‌هایی که توسط انجمن کتاب‌مقدس به فارسی صورت گرفته را به رسمیت می‌شناسد، یعنی: ترجمه تحت‌اللفظی (قدیم)، ترجمه تفسیری، ترجمه هزاره نو و ترجمه مژده برای عصر جدید. این ترجمه‌های معتبر چاپ خارج از کشور هستند و به سختی در بازار یافت می‌شوند، آن هم به بهایی گزاف. (عموما نسخه‌های الکترونیک ان‌ها به سادگی با یک جستجو یافت می‌شود). از میان این‌ها، نسخه تفسیری آسان‌ترین و نسخه تحت‌اللفظی (قدیم) دشوار‌ترین و در عین حال شاعرانه‌ترین و ادبی‌ترین ترجمه است. ترجمه‌های مژده و هزاره هم از ترجمه قدیم روان‌تر بوده و از ترجمه تفسیری دقت بیشتری دارند

[فؤاد · Rating 4 out of 5]

سرزمين اسرائيليان بارها از سوى همسايگان قدرتمندشان مورد تهاجم قرار گرفت، اما سه حمله از اين ميان ويران كننده تر بود:

نخست: تهاجم آشوريان به سركردگى سناخريب. در اين زمان اسرائيل به دو قلمروى شمالى و جنوبى تقسيم شده بود، كه پايتخت قلمروى ثروتمند شمالى (كه ده قبيله از دوازده قبيله ى اسرائيل در آن ساكن بودند و به گوساله پرستى بازگشته بودند) شهر سامره و پايتخت قلمروى جنوبى (كه دو قبيله ى لاوى و بنيامين ساكن آن بوده، دين يهوه را حفظ كرده بودند) اورشليم بود.
سناخريب به دليل اتحاد قلمروى شمالى با مصريان (؟) بر آن تاخت و آن را به كلى ويران نمود، و از آن تاريخ ده قبيله از دوازده قبيله ى اسرائيل به كلى گم (و احتمالاً نابود) شدند.

دوم و سوم: پس از مرگ سناخريب امپراتورى آشور از هم پاشيد، و امپراتورى بابل با رهبرى بختنصر به قدرت رسيد. آن چه از اسرائيل باقى مانده بود (قلمروى جنوبى به پايتختى اورشليم) اعلام استقلال كرد. بختنصر بر اورشليم تاخت و آن را تصرف كرده، ده هزار تن را به اسيرى گرفت، و يكى از يهوديان مورد تأييد خود را به عنوان حاكم اورشليم انتخاب كرد. اما حاكم جديد نيز به زودى اعلام استقلال كرد. پس بختنصر بازگشت و اورشليم را به كلى ويران كرد، تعداد زيادى از يهوديان را به وضعى فجيع قتل عام نمود و تعداد زيادى را به اسيرى به بابل برد و پنجاه سال به اسارت نگه داشت. در این دوران، پيامبرانى همچون ارميا و حزقيال میان اسرائیلیان ظهور کردند و اين مصايب را نتيجه ى گناهان و شرك آن ها دانستند.

این کتاب، کتاب "مراثی" ارمیاست که در همین دوران ویرانی سروده شده است. اشعار این کتاب بسیار تأثیرگذار است و شرح مصایب مردم اورشلیم ویران شده را بازگو می کند.

خدا مرا به اعماق تاریکی کشانده است.

او پوست بدنم را فرسوده و استخوان هایم را شکسته است.

جان مرا با تلخی و مشقت پوشانده است.

مرا مانند کسی که سال هاست مرده، در تاریکی نشانده است.

با زنجیرهای سنگین مرا بسته و دورم را حصار کشیده است تا نتوانم فرار کنم.

فریاد بر می آورم و کمک می طلبم، ولی او به دادم نمی رسد.

و خود را میان ابرها پوشانده است تا دعاهای من به او نرسد.

[Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library) · Rating 4 out of 5]

As its name would suggest, Lamentations is a rather emotionally charged Bible book; it may be hard for some to read, especially those who have recently experienced personal tragedy. Still, if the sadness contained within isn't too much for you to handle, it's definitely worth reading.

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I hope in Him!” The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, To the soul who seeks Him.”

“Let us search out and examine our ways, And turn back to the Lord; Let us lift our hearts and hands To God in heaven.”
‭‭Lamentations‬ ‭3‬:‭22‬-‭25‬, ‭40‬-‭41‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

[Andy Zach · Rating 5 out of 5]

This most recent re-read of Jeremiah's book of Lamentations was by audio Bible, the Good News Translation. His descriptions of the seige of Jerusalem and the suffering of its people were more poignant than ever, vividly described.

Then a year later, 2021, I listened in New American Standard version, with the Bible Project commentary on Youtube.

Yet for all the suffering, the book contains hope. Some of the Bible's most famous verses are in chapter 3:22

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.
23 They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.”

I recommend the book for anyone who wants to know what a two-year siege is like, for anyone interested in Biblical history, and for those who need hope in their lives.

A word to the wise: a lamentation is a whole genre of Hebrew literature, the like of which doesn't exist in modern literature. The goal is to express one's grief over calamity without holding back.

New learning from the Bible Project: Chapters 1-4 are all acrostic chapters, where the verses are in alphabetical order in Hebrew. Chapter 3 is a double acrostic: the alphabet is repeated. Chapter 5 breaks the pattern as a non-acrostic.

[Alex]

This is the aftermath of Babylon's destruction of the Jerusalem, the central catastrophe of the Old Testament, but one that was called out upon after centuries of stubborn sinfulness, going back all the way to the Exodus.

A personified Israel says “I cried out to my lovers, but they failed me.” Following a very common motif, the lovers could be foreign idols, or it could be the foreign alliances the Jewish people had made, but which failed to save them. When we become worldly minded and make any secular object a part of our ends, eventually it fails us.

I find it curious that even as the personified Israel lies in humiliation, surrounded by mocking enemies, she finds time to condemn them and hopes to God for “the day you have proclaimed, that they may be even as I. Let all their evil come before you, deal with them as you have dealt with me for all my sins”
It sounds a little out of place, but even here is a valid point, just because the persecutor carries out God's justice, does not make the persecutor virtuous. The Jews were given the commission by God to take the Promised Land from the Canaanites who had long succumbed the worst of sins, but permission to take the nation was not equivalent to a virtuous life, and through their neglect of the latter, Israel soon called upon herself the same consequences of destruction. Assyria and Babylon had no such divine commission to capture Palestine, but in their secular, wicked pursuits they still served the ends of God, and justice would not evade them in the long term either.

Israel had formerly been so rich and ambitious. “Brighter than snow were her princes, whiter than milk, More ruddy than coral, more precious than sapphire. Now their appearance is blacker than soot, they are unrecognized on the streets; Their skin shrinks on their bones, as dry as wood.”

“The kings of the Earth did not believe nor any of the world's inhabitants, that enemy or foe could enter the gates of Jerusalem.” This is hyperbole, but decadence always invites the definitive disaster. The age of Pericles blends into a Peloponnesian War; the Revolution is preceded by a Sun King, the War is preceded by a Belle Époque of unparalleled worldwide influence.

There is ghastly, verse after verse highlighting the suffering wrought on Israel, most poignantly through the sufferings of the most vulnerable. Children starving or being eaten by their parents is hardly unique to this siege, but that doesn't make it any less tragic. Truly it can be said that “you summoned as for a feast day terrors against me from all sides.”

“He has broken my teeth with gravel, pressed my face in the dust; my soul is deprived of peace, I have forgotten what happiness is; I tell myself my future is lost, all that I hoped for from the Lord.” Earlier it is said that “even when I cry out for help, he stops my prayer.” Perhaps the person tries to pray for help, but the despair is too strong, and they can't continue.

I think the latter verses are relevant to anyone going through extreme hardship, whose purpose can seem baffling. During those times one is called to empty their mind of worldly concerns and seek God in order to be able to find a meaning to it all. “Let us search and examine our ways that we may return to the Lord! Let us reach out our hearts toward God in Heaven. We have sinned and rebelled; you have not forgiven us!”

But He will. “The favors of the Lord are not exhausted, his mercies are not spent..Good is the Lord to one who waits for him, to the soul that seeks him” These chastisements cannot deprive anyone of God, but they do highlight the vanity of seeking ultimate fulfillment in anything other than Him.

“You, O Lord, are enthroned forever; your throne stands from age to age.” People may die, cities may be destroyed, temples may burn down, but to confuse that with an overthrow of anything divine is beyond pathetic. Nothing can happen without God allowing it, He remains forever untouched, powerful, and willing to help those who seek him.

[Rebecca Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a poem of howling sorrow.

Jeremiah writes in present, graphic detail about the destruction and siege of Jerusalem in 587 BC. Children are being raped and citizens are starving to death in the streets, their houses burned to the ground. The suffering is incalculable and the people have resorted to cannibalism:

Those killed by the sword are better off than those who die of famine; racked with hunger, they waste away for lack of food from the field. With their own hands compassionate women have cooked their own children, who became their food when my people were destroyed. 4:9-10

In the midst of the horror, Jeremiah tries to rationalize it all: We deserved this; we're being punished. This isn't chaos and butchery, it's part of our god's plan for us. And he warned us that it might happen. There's a brief aside about god's compassion, but it feels like a weak attempt at self-convincing.

2500 years after the fact, Jeremiah's Lamentations are, to me, an early poet's attempt to find hope in THE MOST DESPERATE SITUATION IMAGINABLE via the act of creation. The poem isn't hopeful! It's full of unrelenting despair. But that he wrote it at all is pretty damn audacious.

Because it's December 2016, I'm thinking about Aleppo. I wonder about the art that is being created at this very moment by people in fairly similar circumstances in the same part of the world, and about how they're trying to rationalize their own suffering.

[Nathan C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

The two Falls of Jerusalem are not just historical facts; they stand out as two of the most violent, horrific, devastating sieges and conquests in human history. This author's conclusion is that God Himself brought about tragedies in response to His people's brazen unfaithfulness and wickedness.

Why should a living man weep? He should weep not for the tragedies that have overtaken him, but for his sin, that caused the tragedies in the first place. The spiritual reality of his sin is far more horrible than his present physical suffering.

But even through the worst of it, he says, "The mercies of YHVH never failed."

He ends the book with this: "You, oh YHVH, will endure forever. Turn us towards You, and we will turn; renew our days as in the beginning."

[Aaron White · Rating 5 out of 5]

a formal, faithful complaint from Israel to her God. The problem is laid out, the sin is acknowledged, and the request is made that Israel be restored to God. I felt this deeply, the pain and fear of it, and also the stirring hope in chapter three that God’s mercies are fresh every morning. I felt it on behalf of Israel, and on behalf of Jewish people throughout the ages, and on behalf of Palestinian people now, and all oppressed people. Lord, deliver!

[Jules · Rating 4 out of 5]

In January 2015 I set myself the challenge to read the complete Bible within a year. I discovered that was an unrealistic challenge, and decided to pick up my Bible as and when I felt ready to read more of it. Yesterday, I picked it up for the first time in almost 6 months, but I spent a couple of hours reading it, so I'm getting there.

The best way to describe Lamentations is sad poetry.

[#DÏ4B7Ø Chinnamasta-Bhairav]

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To SEE a WORLD in a Grain of Sand,
And a HEAVEN in a Wild Flower,
Hold INFINITY in the palm of your hand
And ETERNITY in an Hour"
~ William Blake ~

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“Wisdom tells me I am nothing. Love tells me I am everything. And between the two my life flows.” Nisargadatta Maharaj

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Form is Emptiness; Emptiness is form.
Form is not different than Emptiness;
Emptiness is not different than form
~ Heart Sutra ~

Like the ocean and its waves,
inseparable yet distinct

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" I and The Father are one,
I am The Truth,
The Life and The Path.”

Like a river flowing from its source,
connected and continuous

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Thy kingdom come.
Let the reign of divine
Truth, Life, and Love
be established in me,
and rule out of me all sin;
and may Thy Word
enrich the affections of all mankind

A mighty oak tree standing firm against the storm,
As sunlight scatters the shadows of night
A river nourishing the land it flows through

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[Sean Chick · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is part of a series where I am reading the Bible in chronological order. I am not doing this for reasons of faith, as I am agnostic, but because of my interest in mythology, ancient literature, and history. I chose the NRSV because I used to be Catholic and still have sympathies there. More importantly, this version seeks a balance between an accurate translation and the literary qualities of the King James Bible. So it seems you get the best of two worlds.

A collection of poems about loss, anguish, fear, and resignation. This is among the best and most evocative chapters of The Bible.

[Bo Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I am the man who has seen affliction under the rod of his wrath; he has driven and brought me into darkness without any light; surely against me he turns his hand again and again the whole day long.”

“The Lord is my portion, says my soul, therefore I will hope in him.”

[Miriam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lamentations 3 is my favourite. God‘s Mercies are new every morning. Read in the Berean Bible on the bedtime Bible app.

[Sof (Jesus' version) M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

oh... so there are cannibals in the bible...
Poor Jeremiah

[Hawley Stewart · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.””
‭‭Lamentations‬ ‭3‬:‭22‬-‭24‬ ‭ESV‬‬

[Katja Labonté · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a book.

Chapter One: Jeremiah sadly ponders the heart-breaking condition of Israel, how broken and dirty she is. And yet he also remembers why this happened: “The Lord is righteous; for I have rebelled against his commandment.” While he is broken by the condition of his people, he knows that it is only justice.

Chapter Two: Jeremiah continues to weep over and deplore the condition of Israel. He cries out to God for deliverance.

Chapter Three: Who doesn’t know Lamentations 3:21-23? But reading it this time, I found so much surrounding it. Verses 1-20—Jeremiah struggles deeply with depression. “And thou hast removed my soul far off from peace: I forgat prosperity. And I said, My strength and my hope is perished from the Lord: Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall.”
And yet immediately he strengthens himself: “This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord. For the Lord will not cast off for ever: But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies. For he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men.”
He remembers why they are in the current situation, and what they should do about it: “Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it not? Out of the mouth of the most High proceedeth not evil and good? Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins? Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the Lord. Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens.” Again he cries out to God for mercy.

Chapter Four: Once more thinking of the punishment Israel is submitted to for her sins.

Chapter Five: Crying out to God again for deliverance and mercy, reminding them what they’re dealing with and why they’re there. “The crown is fallen from our head: woe unto us, that we have sinned!”

And then the ending. A reminder that “Thou, O Lord, remainest for ever; thy throne from generation to generation” and a final plea: “Wherefore dost thou forget us for ever, and forsake us so long time? Turn thou us unto thee, O Lord, and we shall be turned; renew our days as of old. But thou hast utterly rejected us; thou art very wroth against us.”

It almost sounds like dejection. And yet it’s also an appeal. As if Jeremiah knows his people completely deserve what they’re getting, and that God is going to do what He said, but He still pleads with God to have mercy soon… and yet he knows that God’s justice must be served.

I’m not sure what to think of that ending, but it is very interesting.

[Ella あいみ M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has a lot of good insights, but it took a lot of effort to really dig deep into!

"21 This I recall to mind,
Therefore I have hope.

22 The Lord's loving kindness indeed never cease,
For His compassions never fail.

23 They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness, O Lord."
– Lamentations 3:21-23

It's amazing that even though Israel messed up so much, God still loved them so much and had so much compassion for them. He's always waiting for us to come back to Him, and He blesses those who seek Him (3:25).

I think my biggest takeaway from this book was that God is a just God and judges fairly in all things. Moreover, He always keeps His word. We always hear this, but I don't think we understand it well enough. We haven't even scratched the surface of knowing how righteous and just He is.

"Lord has done what he purposed;
He has accomplished His word
Which He commanded from days of old."
- Lamentations 2:17

[Wren (fablesandwren) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sidenote: The reason for such vague and short and "eh" words on each of these books, is because I wasn't challenging the study of the Bible when I read these. I was challenging myself to read the whole Bible in a year because I knew it would be discipline to keep at it daily. I do, however, plan to pick up a book and study what it is saying. Those will be longer reads and more notes.

So here is my review from my "Read the Bible in a Year" challenge. Usually just snippets of thoughts and random things I liked about the book itself. Nothing in-depth.

So here is my review of Lamentations.

This book just depressed me like... It was a sad little short book.

[Benjamin Bartels · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am currently working on reading the Bible through in a year and today I finished Lamentations. This is a fantastic poetry book that explores the questions of where God is in the midst of the Babylonian siege. Israel has turned on one another. And through the poetic nature of the construction of the book, we can see nothing is held back in the last chapter as the pattern is destroyed. This is a cry for help and a cry for healing, a cry of repentance, and a yearning for God. All together I believe it is solid Biblical Background for the Dark Night of the Soul theology. Amazing book, but hard to read if you don’t know what’s going on.

[Esther · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why read a book about a depressed prophet's laments during a tragic period of history? Because halfway through, Jeremiah comes to a realization that offers hope.

"My soul still remembers And sinks within me.

This I recall to mind. Therefore I have hope.

Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not.

They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.

'The Lord is my portion,' says my soul, 'Therefore I hope in Him!'

The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, To the soul who seeks Him."

~ Lamentations 3:20-25 NKJV

[Kristupas Vilmanas]

A group of extremely sad poems about the fall of Israel to Babylon during the reign of Zedekiah. Many scholars attribute authorship to the prophet Jeremiah. The first 4 poems are acrostic, meaning each verse starts with the next letter of the alphabet. Unfortunately, I don't read Hebrew, so I couldn't experience that part of it.

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Lamentations of Jeremiah over the destruction and deportation of Israel.

It’s sad reading, worse considering the prophets (including Jeremiah) had warned the Israelites of exactly what was coming.

[Maida]

Re-read May 11, 2015

[Kindle · Rating 1 out of 5]

Whine, whine, whine, bitch, bitch, bitch, moan, moan, moan. Blah blah blah. No point to this tiny book/chapter.

[Marlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

8/24/2024-8/25/2024 with The Bible Recap
8/25/2025-8/26/2025 with The Bible Recap

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't realize that Jeremiah's lamentations we're after the exile. He pours out the anguish of his heart like he did in the book bearing his name.

Our Bible study looked at each of the 5 chapters by the pronouns used in each one:
Chapter 1: She and her about Jerusalem's ruin
Chapter 2: He about God's judgement and wrath over sin
Chapter 3: I, me, my about Jeremiah's grief and hope
Chapter 4: They and their about the people's loss
Chapter 5: We and us about the people's and Jeremiah's prayers in their pain.

An often-quoted verse comes from Lamentations:

Lam 3: 22-23 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.

Lamentations shows how Jeremiah's focus changes from despair over the fall of Jerusalem, to how sin caused their downfall to the consequences of sin such as lack of hope, to their need for God to pardon and forgive, and to God as Jeremiah focuses on God and asks Him to hear Jeremiah's cry as He did in the past. It's a short look at the consequences of not hearing and heeding God's warnings to repent or His invitation to return to Him. He would have restored them, but they were unwilling. Yet Jeremiah still hopes God will hear, pardon, restore and renew them (Jeremiah 5: 21-22), though God doesn't do it in Jeremiah's lifetime.

[Dennis Brock · Rating 4 out of 5]

An utterly sad book, but still there is hope...

What I really like about this book is what God is signifying in the nature of the text. Here is a quote I found regarding Lamentations:

"Suffering in silence is just not a virtue in the book of Lamentations. God's people are not asked to deny their emotions, but to voice their protest, to vent their feelings, & pour it all out before God..."

Our emotional pain (even when caused by our own actions) matters so much to the creator of the universe. What our heart goes through is important to Him. He wants us to be real with Him in our pain & confusing. It's ok to vent to question Him. He can take it.

Another quote from someone smarter than myself:

"Lament, prayer, & grief are a crucial part of the journey of faith of God's people in a broken world."

My favorite verses revolve around the HOPE that remains in the midst of terrible suffering. Chapter 3 verses 21-23:

"Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: 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.

I say to myself, the LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him."

[Bookish · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the only book that contains five poems.IT IS A MOURNFUL POEM, IT SHOWS THE MOURNFUL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN GOD AND HIS PEOPLE. A DEEP RELATIONSHIP OF LOVE AND HOW WE CALL OUR SAVIOR IN TIMES OF DISTRESS AND PAIN AND SUFFERING. It describes how God can abandon his people. Poem Number 1 describes the city which is abandoned it was compared to a prostitute that has been deceived and left by her lovers. It describes how we are abandon by God in a way which we can sometimes feel. Poem number 2 is all about how God punishes us but because of GOD'S LOVE FOR HIS CREATION HE HAVE A BIG COMPASSION AND HE GIVES MERCY TO THOSE WHO HAVE SINNED AGAINST HIM. PEOPLE WHO DID NOT HEAR HIS WORD AND DID NOT DO HIS WORD. POEM NUMBER 3 SHOWS OUR ATTITUDE ON HOW WE TALK TO GOD WHEN WE FEEL ABANDONED. THE LAST POEM IS ALL ABOUT PRAISING GOD FROM HIS HOLY MOUNTAIN, IT IS THE PART WHEN THE PEOPLE CRY OUT AND PLEA TO FORGET THEIR SINS AND HELP THEM. To see the power of God in their lives and forget their sins to repair the relationship between the creator and his creations. A definitely must read in a deeper level. It can be read in one day.

[John Stanifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful book, considering its bittersweet subject matter. Imagine someone wrote a poem or series of poems in response to Pearl Harbor or 9/11. Imagine they were really well-written. The feeling you would have reading them might feel something like reading (or hearing) Lamentations felt to its original audience.

This isn't a happy little tale. There's hope, sure, but it's a response to what is essentially the lowest point in the history of the nation of Israel (up to that time, anyway).

"How she sits alone, the city once crowded with people . . . "

Even in this day and age, there will doubtless be those from war-torn and oppressed countries who can particularly relate to these words.

Timeless and terrifying.