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Lamentations
Chapter One
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO LAMENTATIONS 1
This
chapter contains a complaint of the miseries of the city of Jerusalem
and the
nation of the Jews; first by the Prophet Jeremiah
then by the Jewish people;
and is concluded with a prayer of theirs. The prophet deplores the state of the
city
now depopulated and become tributary
which had been full of people
and
ruled over others; but now in a very mournful condition
and forsaken and ill
used by her lovers and friends
turned her enemies
Lamentations 1:1;
and next the state of the whole nation; being carried captive for their sins
among the Heathens; having no rest
being overtaken by their persecutors
Lamentations 1:3;
but what most of all afflicted him was the state of Zion; her ways mourning;
her solemn feasts neglected; her gates desolate; her priests sighing
and
virgins afflicted; her adversaries prosperous; her beauty departed; her
sabbaths mocked; her nakedness seen; and all her pleasant things in the
sanctuary seized on by the adversary; and all this because of her many
transgressions
grievous sins
and great pollution and vileness
which are
confessed
Lamentations 1:4;
then the people themselves
or the prophet representing them
lament their
case
and call upon others to sympathize with them
Lamentations 1:12;
observing the sad desolation made by the hand of the Lord upon them for their
iniquities
Lamentations 1:13;
on account of which great sorrow is expressed; and their case is represented as
the more distressing
that they had no comforter
Lamentations 1:16;
then follows a prayer to God
in which his righteousness in doing or suffering
all this is acknowledged
and mercy is entreated for themselves
and judgments
on their enemies
Lamentations 1:18.
Lamentations 1:1 How
lonely sits the city That was full of people! How like a widow is
she
Who was great among the nations! The princess among the provinces Has
become a slave!
YLT
1How hath she sat alone
The
city abounding with people! She hath been as a widow
The mighty among nations!
Princes among provinces
She hath become tributary!
How doth the city sit solitary
that was full of people!.... These are
the words of Jeremiah; so the Targum introduces them
"Jeremiah
the prophet and high priest said;'
and
began thus
"how"; not inquiring the reasons of this distress and
ruin; but as amazed and astonished at it; and commiserating the sad case of the
city of Jerusalem
which a little time ago was exceeding populous; had
thousands of inhabitants in it; besides those that came from other parts to see
it
or trade with it: and especially when the king of Babylon had invaded the land
which drove vast numbers to Jerusalem for safety; and which was the case
afterwards when besieged by the Romans; at which time
as JosephusF6De
Bello Jud. l. 6. c. 9. sect. 3. relates
there were eleven hundred thousand
persons; and very probably a like number was in it before the destruction of it
by the Chaldeans
who all perished through famine
pestilence
and the sword;
or were carried captive; or made their escape; so that the city
as was
foretold it should
came to be without any inhabitant; and therefore is
represented as "sitting"
which is the posture of mourners; and as
"solitary"
or "alone"F7בדד
"sola"
V. L. Montanus.
like a menstruous woman in her separation
to which it is compared
Lamentations 1:17;
or as a leper removed from the society of men; so the Targum
"as
a man that has the plague of leprosy on his flesh
that dwells alone;'
or
rather as a woman deprived of her husband and children; as follows:
how is she become as a widow! her king
that was her head and husband
being taken from her
and carried captive; and
God
who was the husband also of the Jewish people
having departed from them
and so left in a state of widowhood. JarchiF8E Talmud Bab.
Sanhedrin. fol. 104. 1. & Taanith
fol. 20. 1. observes
that it is not
said a widow simply
but as a widow
because her husband would return again;
and therefore only during this state of captivity she was like one; but
Broughton takes the "caph" not to be a note of similitude
but of
reality; and renders it
"she is become a very widow". Vespasian
when he had conquered Judea
struck a medal
on one side of which was a woman
sitting under a palm tree in a plaintive and pensive posture
with this
inscription
"Judea Capta"
as Grotius observes:
she that was great among the nations
and princess among
the provinces
how is she become tributary! that ruled
over many nations
having subdued them
and to whom they paid tribute
as the
Philistines
Moabites
Syrians
and Edomites
in the times of David and
Solomon; but since obliged to pay tribute herself
first to Pharaohnecho
king
of Egypt; then to the king of Babylon in the times of Jehoiakim; and last of
all in the times of Zedekiah; so the Targum
"she
that was great among the people
and ruled over the provinces that paid tribute
to her
returns to be depressed; and after this to give tribute to them.'
Lamentations 1:2 2 She weeps bitterly in the
night
Her tears are on her cheeks; Among all her lovers She has none to
comfort her. All her friends have dealt treacherously with her; They
have become her enemies.
YLT
2She weepeth sore in the
night
And her tear [is] on her cheeks
There is no comforter for her out of
all her lovers
All her friends dealt treacherously by her
They have been to
her for enemies.
She weepeth sore in the night
.... Or
"weeping
weeps"F9בכה תבכה
"plorando plorat"
Vatablus; "plorando plorabit"
Pagninus
Montanus. ; two weepings
one for the first
the other for the second templesF11T.
Sanhedr. ib. col. 2. ; and while others are taking their sleep and rest; a
season fit for mourners
when they can give their grief the greater vent
without any interruption from others; and it being now a night of affliction
with her
which occasioned this sore weeping. Jarchi observes
that it was in
the night that the temple was burnt:
and her tears are on her cheeks; continue
there
being always flowing
and never wholly dried up; which shows how great
her grief was
and that her weeping was without intermission; or otherwise
tears do not lie long
but are soon dried up
or wiped off:
among all her lovers she hath none to comfort her; as the
Assyrians formerly were
Ezekiel 23:5; and
more lately the Egyptians her allies and confederates
in whom she trusted; but
these gave her no assistance; nor yielded her any relief in her distress; nor
so much as spoke one word of comfort to her:
all her friends have dealt treacherously with her
they are become
her enemies; those who pretended great friendship to her
and were in strict
alliance with her
acted the treacherous part
and withdrew from her
leaving
her to the common enemy; and not only so
but behaved towards her in a hostile
manner themselves; for "the children of Noph and Tahapanes"
places
in Egypt confederate with the Jews
are said to "have broken the crown of
their head"
Jeremiah 2:16. The
Targum interprets the "lovers" of the "idols" she loved to
follow
who now could be of no use unto her by way of comfort.
Lamentations 1:3 3 Judah has gone into
captivity
Under affliction and hard servitude; She dwells among the nations
She
finds no rest; All her persecutors overtake her in dire straits.
YLT
3Removed hath Judah because
of affliction
And because of the abundance of her service; She hath dwelt
among nations
She hath not found rest
All her pursuers have overtaken her
between the straits.
Judah is gone into captivity
.... Not only Jerusalem
the metropolis of Judea was destroyed
but the whole country was ravaged
and
the inhabitants of it carried captive into Babylon:
because of affliction
and because of great servitude; because of
their sins in oppressing and afflicting their poor brethren
and retaining them
in a state of bondage after their seven years' servitude
contrary to the law
of God; for which they were threatened with captivity
Jeremiah 34:13; so
the Targum
"the
house of Judah went into captivity
because they afflicted the fatherless and
the widows; and because of the multitude of service which they caused their
brethren the children of Israel to serve
who were sold unto them; and they did
not proclaim liberty to their servants and maidens
who were of the seed of
Israel:'
or
"through affliction
and through great servitude"F12מעני "per afflictionem"; ט
"hic
non prae
sed per significat"
Grotius; "vel
prae afflictione
sub. a Chaldaeis perpessa"; so some in Vatablus.
; that is
through the affliction and servitude they suffered by the Chaldeans
into whose hands they fell; though some understand it of the Jews
who
to
escape the affliction and servitude of the Chaldeans
went into a kind of
voluntary captivity
fleeing to the countries of Moab
Ammon
and Edom
during
the siege of Jerusalem by the Chaldeans; see Jeremiah 40:11;
she dwelleth among the Heathen; the uncircumcised and the unclean; and so was
deprived of both her civil and religious liberties; having no opportunity of
worshipping God
and enjoying him in his courts
as formerly; and which must be
very uncomfortable living
especially to those who were truly gracious:
she findeth no rest. The Targum adds
"because
of the hard service to which they subjected her;'
she
found no natural rest
being carried from place to place; nor civil rest
being
kept in hard bondage; nor spiritual rest
being deprived of the worship and
ordinances of God; and being conscious of her sins
which had brought all this
misery on her:
all her persecutors overtook her between the straits; having hunted
her as men hunt wild beasts
and get them into some strait and difficult place
and then seize on them. The Targum interprets it
between the borders; or
between the hedges
as Ben Melech; and so Jarchi
of the borders of a field and
vineyard; and of a ditch on the one side and the other
that there is no room
to escape; and who makes mention of a Midrash
that explains it not of place
but time
between the seventeenth day of Tammuz
and the ninth of Ab; see Jeremiah 52:7.
Lamentations 1:4 4 The roads to Zion mourn Because
no one comes to the set feasts. All her gates are desolate; Her priests sigh
Her
virgins are afflicted
And she is in bitterness.
YLT
4The ways of Zion are
mourning
Without any coming at the appointed time
All her gates are desolate
her priests sigh
Her virgins are afflicted -- and she hath bitterness.
The ways of Zion do mourn
.... Being unoccupied
as
in Judges 5:6; or
unfrequented: this is said by a rhetorical figure; as ways may be said to
rejoice
or look pleasant and cheerful
when there are many passengers in them
going to and fro; so they may be said to mourn
or to look dull and melancholy
when no person is met with
or seen in them; thus Jerusalem and the temple
being destroyed
the ways which led from the one to the other
and in which
used to be seen great numbers going up to the worship of God
which was
pleasant to behold
Psalm 42:4; now not
one walking in them
and all overgrown with grass; and those roads which led
from the several parts of the land to Jerusalem
whither the ten tribes went up
to worship three times in the year
and used to travel in companies
which made
it delightful and comfortable
and pleasant to look at
now none to be seen
upon them; which was matter of grief to those that wished well to Zion; as it
is to all truly godly persons to observe that the ways and worship of God are
not frequented; that there are few inquiring the way to Zion above
or
travelling in the road to heaven; as also when there are few that worship God
in Zion below
or ask the way unto it
or walk in the ordinances of it:
because none come to the solemn feasts. Aben Ezra
understands this of the sanctuary itself; which sense Abendana mentions;
expressed by the word here used; and so called
because all Israel were
convened here; but the Targum and Jarchi more rightly interpret it of the
feasts
the three solemn feasts of the passover
pentecost
and tabernacles
at
which all the males in Israel were obliged to appear; but now
the temple and
city being in ruins
none came to them
which was a very distressing case; as
it is to good men
when upon whatever occasion
either through persecution
or
through sloth and negligence
the ministry of the word
and the administration
of ordinances
particularly the Lord's supper
the solemn feasts under the
Gospel dispensation
are not attended to:
all her gates are desolate; the gates of the temple;
none passing through them into it to worship God
pray unto him
praise him
or
offer sacrifice; or the gates of the city
none going to and fro in them; nor
the elders sitting there in council
as in courts of judicature
to try causes
and do justice and judgment:
her priests sigh; the temple burnt; altars destroyed
and no
sacrifices brought to be offered; and so no employment for them
and
consequently no bread; but utterly deprived of their livelihood
and had good
reason to sigh. The Targum adds
"because
the offerings ceased:'
her virgins are afflicted; or
"are
sorrowful"F13נוגות
"moestae"
Junius & Tremellius
Michaelis; "moerent"
Piscator; "moestitia affectae sunt"
Cocceius. ; are in grief and
mourning
that used to be brisk and gay
and to play with timbrels at their
festivals; so the Targum paraphrases it
"the
virgins mourn because they cease to go out on the fifteenth of Ab
and on the
day of atonement
which was the tenth of Tisri
to dance in the dances:'
and she is in bitterness; that is
Zion; or the
congregation of Israel is in bitterness of spirit
in great affliction and
distress; her name might be rightly called Marah; see 1:20.
Lamentations 1:5 5 Her adversaries have
become the master
Her enemies prosper; For the Lord has afflicted
her Because of the multitude of her transgressions. Her children have gone into
captivity before the enemy.
YLT
5Her adversaries have become
chief
Her enemies have been at ease
For Jehovah hath afflicted her
For the
abundance of her transgressions
Her infants have gone captive before the
adversary.
Her adversaries are the chief
.... Or
"for the
head"F14לראש "in caput"
Vatablus
Junius & Tremellius
Piscator; "facti sunt caput"
Cocceius. ; or are the head
as was threatened
Deuteronomy 28:44;
and now fulfilled; the Chaldeans having got the dominion over the Jews
and
obliged them to be subject to them:
her enemies prosper; in wealth and riches
in
grandeur and glory; live in ease and tranquillity
enjoying all outward
felicity and happiness; while Zion was in distress; which was an aggravation of
it; and yet this was but righteous judgment:
for the Lord hath afflicted her; who is righteous in all
his ways: the Chaldeans were but instruments; the evil was from the Lord
according to his will and righteous determination
as appears by what follows:
for the multitude of her transgressions: her children are gone
into captivity before the enemy; that is
the inhabitants of Jerusalem and
Judea were carried captive by the enemy
and drove before them as a flock of
sheep
and that for the sins of the nation; and these not a few
but were very
numerous
as Mordecai and Ezekiel
and others
who were carried captive young
with Jeconiah
as well as many now.
Lamentations 1:6 6 And from the daughter of
Zion All her splendor has departed. Her princes have become like deer That
find no pasture
That flee without strength Before the pursuer.
YLT
6And go out from the
daughter of Zion doth all her honour
Her princes have been as harts -- They
have not found pasture
And they go powerless before a pursuer.
And from the daughter of Zion all her beauty is departed
.... The
kingdom removed; the priesthood ceased; the temple
their beautiful house
burnt; the palaces of their king and nobles demolished; and everything in church
and state that was glorious were now no more:
her princes are become like harts that find no pasture; that are
heartless and without courage
fearful and timorous
as harts are
especially
when destitute of food. The Targum is
"her
princes run about for food
as harts run about in the wilderness
and find no
place fit for pasture:'
and they are gone without strength before the pursuer; having no
spirit nor courage to oppose the enemy
nor strength to flee from him
they
fell into his hands
and so were carried captive; see Jeremiah 52:8.
Jarchi observes
that the word for "pursuer" has here all its
letters
and nowhere else; and so denotes the full pursuit of the enemy
and
the complete victory obtained by him.
Lamentations 1:7 7 In the days of her
affliction and roaming
Jerusalem remembers all her pleasant things That she
had in the days of old. When her people fell into the hand of the enemy
With
no one to help her
The adversaries saw her And mocked at her downfall.[a]
YLT
7Remembered hath Jerusalem
[In] the days of her affliction and her mournings
all her desirable things
that were from the days of old
In the falling of her people into the hand of
an adversary
And she hath no helper; Seen her have adversaries
They have
laughed at her cessation.
Jerusalem remembered in the days of her affliction and of her
miseries
.... When carried captive
and in exile in a foreign land; when
surrounded with distresses and calamities of various kinds; which are a means
sometimes of rubbing up and refreshing the memories of persons with those good
things they take little notice of in the times of prosperity; the worth of such
things being best known and prized by the want of them: even
all her pleasant things that she had in the days of old; her civil and
religious liberties; the word
worship
and ordinances of God; the temple
altars
and courts of the Lord; the ark of the testimony
the symbol of the
divine Presence; and the revelation of the will of God by the prophets; their
peace
prosperity
and enjoyment of all good things: these were remembered
when her people fell into the hand of the enemy; the
Chaldeans. The Targum is
"into
the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the wicked
and he oppressed them:'
and none did help her; not the Egyptians
her
allies and confederates
in whom she trusted:
her adversaries saw her
and did mock at her sabbaths; as the
Heathens used to do; calling the Jews SabbatariansF15"Quod
jejunia sabbatariorum". Martial. l. 4. Epigr. 4. ; by way of derision;
representing them as an idle lazy people
who observed a seventh day merely out
of sloth
and so lost a seventh part of timeF16"----Cui septima
quaeque fuit lux Ignava
et partem vitae non attigit ullam". Juvenal.
Satyr. 5. ; or they mocked at them for keeping them in vain; since
notwithstanding their religious observance of them
they were suffered to be
carried captive out of their land; or
as Jarchi thinks
the Chaldeans mocked
at them for keeping their sabbaths strictly
now they were in other lands
when
they neglected them in their own country; or they jeered them with their weekly
and yearly sabbaths; suggesting to them that now they had leisure enough to
observe them; and that their land ceased from tillage with a witness now: some
think
that because of the observance of a sabbath
they were obliged to by
their law
therefore the Heathens made them work the harder
and imposed
greater tasks upon them on that day than on others
like the Egyptians of old;
though the words may be rendered
"they mocked at her cessations"F17שחקו על משבתיה
"irrident cessationes ejus"
Junius & Tremellius; "rident
propter cesstiones"
Piscator. ; from joy and pleasure
peace and comfort
and the enjoyment of all good things; so the Targum
"the
enemies saw her when she went into captivity; and they mocked at the good
things which ceased out of the midst of her.'
Lamentations 1:8 8 Jerusalem has sinned
gravely
Therefore she has become vile.[b] All who
honored her despise her Because they have seen her nakedness; Yes
she sighs
and turns away.
YLT
8A sin hath Jerusalem
sinned
Therefore impure she hath become
All who honoured her have esteemed
her lightly
For they have seen her nakedness
Yea
she herself hath sighed and
turneth backward.
Jerusalem hath grievously sinned
.... Or
"hath
sinned a sin"F18חטא חטאה "peccatum peccavit"
V. L. Pagninus
Montanus
Vatablus. ; a great sin
as the Targum; the sin of idolatry
according to some; or of covenant breaking
as others; though perhaps no
particular sin is meant
but many grievous sins; since she was guilty of a
multitude of them
as in Lamentations 1:5;
therefore she is removed; out of her own land
and
carried captive into another: or
is "for commotion"F19לנידה "in commotionem"
Montanus
Vatablus
Calvin. ; for scorn and derision; the head being moved and shook at her by way
of contempt: or rather
"for separation"F20"Ut
separata"
Grotius; "tanquam ex immunditia separata est"
Junius
& Tremellius. ; she being like a menstruous woman
defiled and separate
from society:
all that honoured her despise her; they that courted her
friendship and alliance in the time of her prosperity
as the Egyptians
now
neglected her
and treated her with the utmost contempt
being in adversity:
because they have seen her nakedness; being
stripped of all her good things she before enjoyed; and both her weakness and
her wickedness being exposed to public view. The allusion is either to harlots
or rather to modest women
when taken captive
whose nakedness is uncovered by
the brutish and inhuman soldiers:
yea
she sigheth
and turneth backward; being covered
with shame
because of the ill usage of her
as modest women will
being so
used.
Lamentations 1:9 9 Her uncleanness is
in her skirts; She did not consider her destiny; Therefore her collapse was
awesome; She had no comforter. “O Lord
behold my affliction
For
the enemy is exalted!”
YLT
9Her uncleanness [is] in her
skirts
She hath not remembered her latter end
And she cometh down
wonderfully
There is no comforter for her. See
O Jehovah
mine affliction
For exerted himself hath an enemy.
Her filthiness is in her skirts
.... Her sin
is manifest to all
being to be seen in her punishment. The allusion is to a
menstruous woman
to whom she is compared
both before and after; whose blood
flows down to the skirts of her garments
and there seen; by which it is known
that she is in her separation. So the Targum
"the
filthiness of the blood of her separation is in her skirts; she is not cleansed
from it
nor does she repent of her sins:'
she remembereth not her last end; she did not consider in
the time of her prosperity what her sins would bring her to; what would be the
issue of them; nay
though she was warned by the prophet
and was told what
things would come to at last
yet she laid it not to heart; nor did she lay it
up in her mind
or reflect upon it; but went on in her sinful courses:
therefore she came down wonderfully; or
"with
wonders"F21פלאים
"mirabiliter"
Montanus
Vatablus. ; from a very exalted estate to a
very low one; from the height of honour and prosperity to the depth of distress
and misery; to the astonishment and wonder of all about her
that so
flourishing a city and kingdom should be brought to ruin at once
in so strange
a manner; see Daniel 8:24;
she had no comforter; as none to help her
against her enemies
Lamentations 1:7;
and to prevent her ruin; so none to pity her
and have compassion upon her
and
speak a comfortable word to her now she was in it:
O Lord
behold my affliction: not with his eye of
omniscience only
which he did
and
of which she had no doubt; but with an eye
of pity and compassion: thus Zion is at once and suddenly introduced
breaking
out in this pathetic manner
being in great affliction and distress
having none
else to apply to; and the enemy bearing hard upon her
and behaving in a very
insolent and audacious manner
transgressing all bounds of humanity and
decency; and therefore hoped the Lord would have compassion on her
though she
had sinned against him:
for the enemy hath magnified himself; behaved
haughtily both against God and his people; attributing great things to himself;
magnifying his own power and wisdom.
Lamentations 1:10 10 The adversary has spread
his hand Over all her pleasant things; For she has seen the nations enter her
sanctuary
Those whom You commanded Not to enter Your assembly.
YLT
10His hand spread out hath an
adversary On all her desirable things
For she hath seen -- Nations have
entered her sanctuary
Concerning which Thou didst command
`They do not come
into the assembly to thee.'
The enemy hath spread out his hands on all her pleasant things
.... Meaning
not the wealth and riches
the goods and substance
or the rich furniture in
their own houses; but the precious things in the house of God
the ark
the
table
the altar
the priests garments
and vessels of the sanctuary
and the
gifts of the temple
and everything valuable in it; these the enemy stretched
out his hands and seized upon
and claimed them as his own; took them as a
booty
prey
and plunder. JarchiF23E Talmud. Bab. Yebamot
fol 16.
2. interprets the enemy of the Moabites and Ammonites
who seized upon the
books of the law
in which are things more desirable than gold and silver
and
burnt them; because there was a law in them that forbid them entering into the
congregation of Israel; but the Targum better explains it of Nebuchadnezzar the
wicked; for he and the Chaldean army are doubtless meant; who plundered and
ransacked the temple of all its pleasant
precious
and valuable things:
for she hath seen that the Heathen entered into her
sanctuary; not into the land of Israel only
the holy land; but into the
temple
the sanctuary of the Lord; but called hers
because it was built for
her use
that the congregation of Israel might worship the Lord in it; into
this with her own eyes
though forced to it
and sore against her will
and to
her great grief and trouble
she saw the Chaldeans enter
and ravage and spoil
it:
whom thou didst command that they should not enter into thy
congregation; these Jarchi interprets of the Moabites and Ammonites again; and
so does the Targum here; paraphrasing them thus
"whom
thou didst command by the hand of Moses the prophet
concerning Ammon and Moab
that they were not worthy to enter into thy congregation;'
and
concerning whom there is an express law forbidding it
Deuteronomy 23:1;
and it may be there were Moabites and Ammonites in the Chaldean army
assisting
in the taking of Jerusalem; and who entered into the temple when it was taken.
Lamentations 1:11 11 All her people sigh
They
seek bread; They have given their valuables for food to restore life. “See
O Lord
and consider
For I am scorned.”
YLT
11All her people are sighing
-- seeking bread
They have given their desirable things For food to refresh
the body; See
O Jehovah
and behold attentively
For I have been lightly
esteemed.
All her people sigh
.... Not her priests
only
Lamentations 1:4;
but all the common people
because of their affliction
particularly for want
of bread. So the Targum
"all
the people of Jerusalem sigh because of the famine;'
for
it follows:
they seek bread; to eat
as the Targum; inquire where it is
to be had
but in vain:
they have given their pleasant things for meat to relieve the soul: or
"to
cause the soul to return"F24להשיב נפש "ad reducendum animam"
Montanus
Piscator. ;
to fetch it back when fainting and swooning away through famine; and therefore
would give anything for food; part with their rich clothes
jewels
and
precious stones; with whatsoever they had that was valuable in their cabinets
or coffers
that they might have meat to keep from fainting and dying; to
refresh and recruit their spirits spent with hunger:
see
O Lord
and consider; for I am become vile; mean
base
and contemptible
in the eyes of men
through penury and want of food; through
poverty
affliction
and distress; and therefore desires the Lord would
consider her case
and look with pity and compassion on her.
Lamentations 1:12 12 “Is it nothing to
you
all you who pass by? Behold and see If there is any sorrow like my sorrow
Which has been brought on me
Which the Lord has inflicted In the day
of His fierce anger.
YLT
12[Is it] nothing to you
all
ye passing by the way? Look attentively
and see
If there is any pain like my
pain
That He is rolling to me? Whom Jehovah hath afflicted In the day of the
fierceness of His anger.
Is it nothing to
you
all ye that pass by?.... O ye strangers and travellers that pass by
and see my
distress
does it not at all concern you? does it not in the least affect you?
can you look upon it
and have no commiseration? or is there nothing to be
learned from hence by you
that may be instructive and useful to you? Some
consider the words as deprecating; may the like things never befall you that
have befallen me
O ye passengers; be ye who ye will; I can never wish the
greatest stranger
much less a friend
to suffer what I do; nay
I pray God
they never may: others
as adjuring. So the Targum
"I
adjure you
all ye that pass by the way
turn aside hither:'
or
as calling; so the words may be rendered
"O all ye that pass by"F25לוא אליכם כל
"O vos omnes"
V. L. ; and Sanctius thinks it is an allusion to
epitaphs on tombs
which call upon travellers to stop and read the character of
the deceased; what were his troubles
and how he came to his end; and so what
follows is Jerusalem's epitaph:
behold
and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow
which
is done unto me; as it is natural for everyone to think their own affliction
greatest
and that none have that occasion of grief and sorrow as they have;
though there is no affliction befalls us but what is common unto men; and when
it comes to be compared with others
perhaps will appear lighter than theirs:
wherewith the Lord hath afflicted me
in the day of his fierce
anger; signifying
that her affliction was not a common one; it was not
from the hand of man only
but from the hand of God; and not in the ordinary
way of his providence; but as the effect of his wrath and fury
in all the
fierceness of it.
Lamentations 1:13 13 “From above He has sent
fire into my bones
And it overpowered them; He has spread a net for my feet And
turned me back; He has made me desolate And faint all the day.
YLT
13From above He hath sent
fire into my bone
And it subdueth it
He hath spread a net for my feet
He
hath turned me backward
He hath made me desolate -- all the day sick.
From above hath he sent fire into my bones
.... Which the
Targum interprets of her fortified cities
towns
or castles; as Jerusalem
more especially the temple
and the palaces of the king and nobles in it;
which
though burnt by the fire of the Chaldeans
yet
this being according to
the determination and by the direction of the Lord
is said to be sent from
above
from heaven; so that they seemed to be as it were struck with lightning
from heaven; unless it should be thought rather to be understood of the fire of
divine wrath
of which the people of the Jews had a quick sense
and was like a
burning fever in them:
and it prevails against them; or "it"F26וירדנה "et desaeviit in ea"
Munster
Tigurine
version; "et contrivit ipsum"; so some in Vatablus. ; that is
the
fire prevails against or rules over everyone of the bones
to the consumption
of them: or rather
"he rules over it"F1"Et dominatus
est ea"
Montanus
Vatablus
Piscator. ; that is
God rules over the fire;
directs it
and disposes of it
according to his sovereign will and pleasure
to the destruction of the strength of the Jewish nation:
he hath spread a net for my feet; in which she was entangled
so that she could not flee from the fire
and escape it
if she would. The
allusion is to the taking of birds and wild beasts in nets; if God had not
spread a net for the Jews
the Chaldeans could never have taken them; see Ezekiel 12:13;
he hath turned me back; her feet being taken in
the net
she could not go forward
but was obliged to turn back
or continue in
the net
not being able to extricate her feet: or
"turned me upon my
back"; as the Arabic version; laid me prostrate
and so an easy prey to
the enemy; or
as the Targum
"he
hath caused me to turn the back to mine enemies:'
he hath made me desolate and faint all the day; the cities
being without inhabitants; the land uncultivated; the state in a sickly and
languishing condition; and which continued so to the end of the seventy years'
captivity.
Lamentations 1:14 14 “The yoke of my
transgressions was bound;[c] They were
woven together by His hands
And thrust upon my neck. He made my
strength fail; The Lord delivered me into the hands of those whom I am
not able to withstand.
YLT
14Bound hath been the yoke of
my transgressions by His hand
They are wrapped together
They have gone up on
my neck
He hath caused my power to stumble
The Lord hath given me into hands
I am not able to rise.
The yoke of my transgressions is bound by his hand
.... That is
the punishment of her sins was laid upon her by the Lord himself; his hand was
in it; it came from him; the Chaldeans were only instruments; and a heavy yoke
this was. So the Targum renders it
"the
yoke of my rebellions is made heavy by his hand:'
they are wreathed
and come upon my neck; or
"twisted together"F2ישתרגו
"involutae"
Vatablus; "perplexae"
Pagninus
Montanus
Calvin; "contortae"
Piscator
Grotius
Michaelis. ; as lines to make
a cord; or as several cords to make a rope; or as branches of trees or withes
are implicated and entwined; and so the Targum
"they
are twisted together as the branches of a vine.'
It
denotes the complication of judgments upon the Jewish nation for their sins
with which they were holden as with cords; and which were like ropes about
their necks
very heavy and distressing to them
and from which they could not
deliver themselves. Mr. Broughton thinks the apostle has reference to this
passage; and explains it by the sin that easily besets
or cunningly wraps
about
Hebrews 12:1;
he hath made my strength to fall; by the weight of
punishment laid upon her
which she could not stand up under
but sunk and
fell: this may be understood of her strong and mighty men; her men of valour
and courage
who yet stumbled and fell:
the Lord hath delivered me into their hands
from whom
I am not able to rise up; meaning the Chaldeans; nor were the Jews at last delivered from
them by their own strength
but by the means of Cyrus the Persian conquering
Babylon.
Lamentations 1:15 15 “The Lord has trampled
underfoot all my mighty men in my midst; He has called an assembly
against me To crush my young men; The Lord trampled as in a winepress The
virgin daughter of Judah.
YLT
15Trodden down all my mighty
ones hath the Lord in my midst
He proclaimed against me an appointed time
To
destroy my young men
A wine-press hath the Lord trodden
To the virgin daughter
of Judah.
The Lord hath trodden under foot all my mighty men in the
midst of me
.... As a causeway is trodden; or as mire is trodden under foot
in the streets; so were the mighty and valiant men
the soldiers and men of
war
trodden under foot and destroyed by the Chaldeans in the streets of
Jerusalem
and in the midst of Judea; the Lord so permitting it:
he hath called an assembly against me to crush my young men; the army of
the Chaldeans
which were brought against Jerusalem by a divine appointment and
call; against whom the choicest and stoutest of them
even their young men
could not stand; but were crushed and broken to pieces by them. The word for
"assembly" sometimes signifies an appointed time; a time fixed for
solemn festivals
and for calling the people to them; and so the Targum here
"he
hath called or appointed a time to break the strength of my young men;'
the
time of Jerusalem's destruction by the Babylonians:
the Lord hath trodden the virgin
the daughter of Judah
as
in a winepress; in the winepress of his wrath; or however in the winepress of
the Babylonians
who are compared to one; into whose hands the Jews falling
were like grapes cast into a winepress
and there trodden by men
in order to
squeeze and get out the wine; and in like manner were their blood squeezed out
of them and shed. The Targum interprets it of the blood of virginity being
poured out
as wine in a press; the virgins of Judah being ravished and defiled
by the enemy.
Lamentations 1:16 16 “For these things I
weep; My eye
my eye overflows with water; Because the comforter
who should
restore my life
Is far from me. My children are desolate Because the enemy
prevailed.”
YLT
16For these I am weeping
My
eye
my eye
is running down with waters
For
far from me hath been a
comforter
Refreshing my soul
My sons have been desolate
For mighty hath been
an enemy.
For these things I weep
.... The congregation of
Judah
the godly among them
particularly Jeremiah
who represented them
wept
for the sins the people had been guilty of
and for the punishment inflicted on
them
or the sore calamities that were brought upon them. The Targum goes into
particulars
and paraphrases it thus
"for
the little ones that are dashed in pieces
and for the women big with child
whose bellies are ripped up
the congregation of Israel saith
I weep:'
mine eye
mine eye runneth down with water: which
doubling of the words seems to express the vehemency of her passion; the
greatness of the grief she was overwhelmed with. The Targum is
"my
both eyes flow with tears as a fountain of water:'
because the comforter that should relieve my soul is far from me; meaning God
himself
who is the principal comforter of his people: saints may be comforters
of one another
by relating to each other their gracious experiences; praying
with one another
and building up each other in their most holy faith; by
behaving in a kind
tender
and loving manner to each other; forgiving mutual
offences; and conversing together about the glories of heaven
and being for
ever with the Lord; but these sometimes are at a distance; or
like Job's
friends
are miserable comforters. Ministers of the Gospel are by their
character and office "Barnabases"
"sons of consolation";
are trained up
appointed
and sent by the Lord to comfort his people; which
they do by preaching the Gospel to them purely; by opening the Scriptures of
truth clearly; by administering ordinances faithfully
and in all directing to
Christ: but these sometimes are removed afar off by persecution or death; or
those who bear this name do not perform their work aright. God is the chief
comforter of his people; God
Father
Son
and Spirit: the Father comforts with
his gracious presence; with views of covenant interest
and of the firmness and
stability of it; with the precious promises of the word; with his everlasting
and unchangeable love; and with discoveries of his pardoning grace and mercy.
The Son is a comforter; one of the names of the Messiah with the JewsF3T.
Bab. Sanhedrin
fol. 98. 2. Echa Rabbati
fol. 50. 1. is "Menachem"
"the Comforter"; and who they say is here meant; and he is called the
Consolation of Israel
Luke 2:25; who
comforts by bringing near his righteousness and salvation; by his peace
speaking blood
and atoning sacrifice; by directing to his fulness
and
favouring with his presence. And the Holy Spirit is another comforter; who
comforts by taking of the things of God
Christ
and the Gospel
and showing
them to the saints; by opening and applying the promises to his people; by
being the spirit of adoption
and the seal
earnest
and pledge of eternal
glory: and thus
by being a comforter
the Lord "relieves the souls" of
his people
under the weight of sin
the temptations of Satan
and the various
afflictions of life; and prevents their fainting
and returns their souls
as
the wordF4משיב נפשי
"reducens animam meam"
V. L. Montanus; "qui restituat"
Tigurine version. signifies; or fetches them back
when fainting and swooning
away: but sometimes he withdraws himself
and stands at a distance
at least in
their apprehensions; and this is matter of great grief and sorrow to them;
which was the case of the church at this time:
my children are desolate: those which should help
and relieve her
and be a comfort to her
were destitute themselves: or
were
"destroyed"F5שוממים
"perditi"
V. L.
and were not; and which was the cause of her
disconsolate state
as was Rachel's
Jeremiah 31:15;
because the enemy prevailed; that is
over them
as
the Targum adds; over her children; and either put them to death or carried
them captive.
Lamentations 1:17 17 Zion spreads out her
hands
But no one comforts her; The Lord has commanded
concerning Jacob That those around him become his adversaries; Jerusalem
has become an unclean thing among them.
YLT
17Spread forth hath Zion her
hands
There is no comforter for her
Jehovah hath charged concerning Jacob
His neighbours [are] his adversaries
Jerusalem hath become impure among them.
Zion spreadeth forth her hands
.... Either as submitting
to the conqueror
and imploring mercy; or rather as calling to her friends to
help and relieve her. The Targum is
"Zion
spreadeth out her hands through distress
as a woman spreads out her hands upon
the seat to bring forth;'
see
Jeremiah 4:31. Some
render the words
"Zion breaks with her hands"F6פרשה ציון בידיה
"frangit Sion manibus suis"
sub. "panem"
Vatablus. ; that
is
breaks bread; and Joseph Kimchi observes
that it was the custom of
comforters to break bread to the mourner; but here she herself breaks it with
her hands
because there was none to comfort her:
and there is none to
comfort her; to speak a word of comfort to her
or to help her out of her
trouble; her children gone into captivity; her friends and lovers at a
distance; and God himself departed from her; See Gill on Lamentations 1:16;
the Lord hath commanded concerning Jacob
that his
adversaries should be round about him; that he should be
surrounded by them
and carried captive
and should be in the midst of them in
captivity: this was the decree and determination of God; and
agreeably to it
he ordered it in his providence that the Chaldeans should come against him
encompass him
and overcome him; and that because he had slighted and broken
the commandments of the Lord; and therefore was justly dealt with
as is
acknowledged in Lamentations 1:18.
So the Targum
"the
Lord gave to the house of Jacob commandments
and a law to keep
but they
transgressed the decree of his word; therefore his enemies encompassed the
house of Jacob round about:'
Jerusalem is as a menstruous woman among them; reckoned
filthy and unclean
abominable and nauseous; whom none cared to come near
but
shunned
despised
and abhorred; as the Jews separated from the Gentiles
and
would not converse with them; so neither now would the Chaldeans with the Jews;
but treat them as the offscouring of all things.
Lamentations 1:18 18 “The Lord is righteous
For
I rebelled against His commandment. Hear now
all peoples
And behold my
sorrow; My virgins and my young men Have gone into captivity.
YLT
18Righteous is Jehovah
For
His mouth I have provoked. Hear
I pray you
all ye peoples
and see my pain
My virgins and my young men have gone into captivity.
The Lord is righteous
.... Or
"righteous is
he the Lord"F7צדיק הוא יהוה "justus ipse est
Jehovah"
Cocceius. ; in all these dispensations of his providence
how
afflictive and severe soever they may seem to be; however the enemies of the
church and people of God might transgress just bounds
and act the cruel and
unrighteous part; yet good men will always own that God is righteous in all his
ways
and that there is no unrighteousness in him; though they sometimes know
not how to reconcile his providences to his promises
and especially to his
declared love and affection to them; see Jeremiah 12:1; the
reason
clearing God of all injustice
follows:
for I have rebelled against his commandment; or
"his
mouth"F8פיהו "ori ejus"
Pagninus
Montanus; Piscator
Cocceius. : the word of his mouth
which he
delivered by word of mouth at Mount Sinai
or by his prophets since; and
therefore was righteously dealt with
and justly chastised. The Targum makes
these to be the words of Josiah before his death
owning he had done wrong in
going out against Pharaohnecho
contrary to the word of the Lord; and the next
clause to be the lamentation of Jeremiah upon his death: though they are
manifestly the words of Jerusalem or Zion
whom the prophet personates
saying
hear
I pray you
all people
and behold my sorrow; directing
herself to all compassionate persons
to hearken and attend to her mournful
complaint
and to consider her sorrow
the nature and cause of it
and look
upon her with an eye of pity in her sorrowful circumstances:
my virgins and my young men are gone into captivity; in Babylon;
being taken and carried thither by the Chaldeans; had it been only her ancient
men and women
persons worn out with age
that could have been of little use
and at most but of a short continuance
the affliction had not been so great;
but her virgins and young men
the flower of the nation
and by whom it might
have been supported and increased; for these to be carried away into a strange
land must be matter of grief and sorrow.
Lamentations 1:19 19 “I called for my lovers
But
they deceived me; My priests and my elders Breathed their last in the city
While
they sought food To restore their life.
YLT
19I called for my lovers
they -- they have deceived me
My priests and my elders in the city have
expired; When they have sought food for themselves
Then they give back their
soul.
I called for my lovers
but they deceived me
.... Either
her idols
with whom she had committed spiritual adultery
that is
idolatry;
but these could not answer her expectations
and help her: or the Egyptians
that courted her friendship
and with whom she was in alliance
and in whom she
trusted; and these
in the times of her distress
she called upon to make good
their engagements
but they disappointed her
and stood not to their covenant
and promises
but left her to stand and fall by herself; this Jerusalem said
according to the Targum
when she was delivered into the hands of
Nebuchadnezzar; but these words
"they deceived me"
it makes to be
the Romans
that came with Titus and Vespasian
and built bulwarks against
Jerusalem:
my priests and mine elders gave up the ghost in the city; or died in
the city of Jerusalem; not by the sword of the enemy
but through famine; and
so
in the Arabic language
the wordF9"esurivit et fame ac
inedia laboravit"
Golius
Colossians 556.
signifies to labour under famine
and want of food
and perish through it; and
if this was the case of their priests that officiated in holy things
and of
their elders or civil magistrates
what must be the case of the common people?
while they sought their meat to relieve their souls; or
"fetchF11וישיבו את
נפשם "et reducerent animam suam"
Montanus.
them back"; which were just fainting and dying away through hunger;
and who did expire while they were begging their bread
or inquiring in one
place after another where they could get any
either freely or for money.
Lamentations 1:20 20 “See
O Lord
that I am
in distress; My soul is troubled; My heart is overturned within me
For I have
been very rebellious. Outside the sword bereaves
At home it is like
death.
YLT
20See
O Jehovah
for
distress [is] to me
My bowels have been troubled
Turned hath been my heart in
my midst
For I have greatly provoked
From without bereaved hath the sword
In
the house [it is] as death.
Behold
O Lord
for I am in distress
.... Thus she
turns from one to another; sometimes she addresses strangers
people that pass
by; sometimes she calls to her lovers; and at other times to God
which is best
of all
to have pity and compassion on her in her distress; and from whom it
may be most expected
who is a God of grace and mercy:
my bowels are troubled; as the sea
agitated by
winds
which casts up mire and dirt; or as any waters
moved by anything
whatsoever
become thick and muddy; or like wine in fermentation; so the wordF12"fermentavit
commiscuit
alteravit
turbavique mentem"
Castel. col. 1294.
in
the Arabic language
signifies
expressive of great disturbance
confusion
and
uneasiness:
mine heart is turned within me; has no rest nor peace:
for I have grievously rebelled; against God and his
word; her sins were greatly aggravated
and these lay heavy on her mind and
conscience
and greatly distressed her:
abroad the sword bereaveth; this
and what follows
in the next clause
describe the state and condition of the Jews
while the
city was besieged; without it
the sword of the Chaldeans bereaved mothers of
their children
and children of their parents
and left them desolate:
at home there is as death; within the city
and in
the houses of it
the famine raged
which was as death
and worse than
immediate death; it was a lingering one: or
"in the house was
certain death"F13בבית כמות "in domo mors ipsa"
Munster; "plane
mors"; Junius & Tremellius. ; for the "caph" here is not a
mere note of similitude
but of certainty and reality; to abide at home was
sure and certain death
nothing else could be expected. The Targum is
"within
the famine kills like the destroying angel that is appointed over death;'
see
Hebrews 2:14; and
Jarchi interprets it of the fear of demons and noxious spirits
and the angels
of death.
Lamentations 1:21 21 “They have heard that I
sigh
But no one comforts me. All my enemies have heard of my trouble; They
are glad that You have done it. Bring on the day You have announced
That
they may become like me.
YLT
21They have heard that I have
sighed
There is no comforter for me
All my enemies have heard of my calamity
They have rejoiced that Thou hast done [it]
Thou hast brought in the day Thou
hast called
And they are like to me.
They have heard that I sigh: there is none to comfort me
.... That is
the nations
as the Targum; the neighbouring ones
those that were her
confederates and allies; the same with her lovers
as before
as Aben Ezra
observes; these being near her
knew full well her sorrowful and distressed
condition
being as it were within the hearing of her sighs and groans; and yet
none of them offered to help her
or so much as to speak a comfortable word to
her:
all mine enemies have heard of my trouble; not only her
friends
but foes; meaning the Tyrians
Edomites
Moabites
and Ammonites
and
as the following description of them shows; for it must design others from the
Chaldeans
that were the immediate cause of it:
they are glad that thou hast done it; brought all
this ruin and destruction on Jerusalem
which could never have been done
if
the Lord had not willed it; and at this the above mentioned nations rejoiced;
see Ezekiel 25:3; there
being a considerable stop on the word glad
it may be rendered
as by some
"they are glad; but thou hast done it"F14כי אתה עשית
"laetati sunt; sed tu fecisti"
Grotius. ; not they
but thou; and
therefore must be patiently bore
and quietly submitted to
it being the Lord's
doing:
thou wilt bring the day that thou hast called; the time of
he destruction of
he Chaldeans
who had the chief hand in the ruin of the
Jewish nation
and of those that rejoiced at it; which time was fixed by the
Lord
and proclaimed and published by his prophets
and would certainly and
exactly come
as and when it was pointed out: someF15"Utinam
induceres diem"
so some in Vatablus. take it to be a wish or prayer
that
God would bring it
as he had declared; though others interpret it in a quite
different sense
"thou hast brought the day"F16חבאת יום "adduxisti
diem"
V. L. Pagninus
Montanus; "induxisti aut inducis"
Vatablus. ; meaning on herself
the determined destruction; so the Targum
"thou
hast brought upon me the day of vengeance; thou hast called a time upon me to
my desolation:'
and they shall be like unto me; in the same distressed
desolate
and sorrowful condition
being brought to ruin and destruction; which
afterwards was the case of the Chaldeans
and all the other nations.
Lamentations 1:22 22 “Let all their wickedness
come before You
And do to them as You have done to me For all my
transgressions; For my sighs are many
And my heart is faint.”
YLT
22Come in doth all their evil
before Thee
And one is doing to them as Thou hast done to me
For all my
transgressions
For many [are] my sighs
and my heart [is] sick!
Let all their wickedness come before thee
.... The
Targum adds
"in
the day of the great judgment;'
but
it seems to refer to present time
at least to the time fixed by the Lord for
their ruin; and which the church imprecates
not from a spirit of revenge
but
from a holy zeal for the glory of God; desiring that the wickedness of her
enemies might be remembered by the Lord
so as to punish them in righteous
judgment for the same:
and do unto them as thou hast done unto me for all my
transgressions; she owns that what was done to her was for her sins
and
therefore could not charge God with injustice; only she desires the same might
be done to her enemies
who were equally guilty: some render it
"glean
them"F17עולל למו
επιφυλλισον αυτοις
Sept.
"vindemia"
V. L. Vatablus. ; or rather
"gather them as a
vintage"; or as grapes are gathered: "as thou hast gathered me";
as thou hast took me
and cast me into the winepress of thy wrath
and there
hast trodden and squeezed me; see Lamentations 1:15;
so do unto them:
for my sighs are many
and my heart is faint; her sighs
were many because of her afflictions
and her heart faint because of her
sighing.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)