The Prophets · Old Testament

Lamentations 1

Lamentations 1: the city sits solitary, and there is none to comfort her

General context

The poem opens by asking how the city once full of people sits solitary, become as a widow and tributary. She weeps in the night; none of her lovers comfort her and her friends have become enemies. Judah has gone into captivity and finds no rest. The ways of Zion mourn because none come to the feasts; her gates are desolate, her priests sigh, her virgins are afflicted. Her enemies prosper, for the Lord has afflicted her for her many transgressions, and her children have gone captive. Jerusalem remembers her pleasant things of old; she has grievously sinned, those who honoured her despise her nakedness, and she had no comforter. A first-person cry breaks in: O Lord, behold my affliction. The heathen have entered her sanctuary, and her people give their pleasant things for bread. From verse 12 the city speaks: is it nothing to those who pass by, is there any sorrow like hers, which the Lord inflicted in his fierce anger; he sent fire into her bones, spread a net for her feet, bound the yoke of her transgressions on her neck, trod her mighty men under foot, called an assembly to crush her young men, and trod the virgin daughter of Judah as in a winepress. For these things she weeps, her comforter far off. Zion spreads her hands and none comfort her. The Lord is righteous, she says, for she has rebelled; her young people are captive, her lovers deceived her, her priests and elders died seeking food; abroad the sword bereaves and at home is death. Her enemies are glad the Lord has done it, and she asks him to do to them as he has done to her.

Cited passages: Lamentations 1:1, Lamentations 1:2, Lamentations 1:3, Lamentations 1:4, Lamentations 1:5, Lamentations 1:6, Lamentations 1:7, Lamentations 1:8, Lamentations 1:9, Lamentations 1:10, Lamentations 1:11, Lamentations 1:12, Lamentations 1:13, Lamentations 1:14, Lamentations 1:15, Lamentations 1:16, Lamentations 1:17, Lamentations 1:18, Lamentations 1:19, Lamentations 1:20, Lamentations 1:21, Lamentations 1:22

Lamentations 1 (KJV)

¹How doth the city sit solitary, that was full of people! how is she become as a widow! she that was great among the nations, and princess among the provinces, how is she become tributary!

²She weepeth sore in the night, and her tears are on her cheeks: among all her lovers she hath none to comfort her: all her friends have dealt treacherously with her, they are become her enemies.

³Judah is gone into captivity because of affliction, and because of great servitude: she dwelleth among the heathen, she findeth no rest: all her persecutors overtook her between the straits.

⁴The ways of Zion do mourn, because none come to the solemn feasts: all her gates are desolate: her priests sigh, her virgins are afflicted, and she is in bitterness.

⁵Her adversaries are the chief, her enemies prosper; for the Lord hath afflicted her for the multitude of her transgressions: her children are gone into captivity before the enemy.

⁶And from the daughter of Zion all her beauty is departed: her princes are become like harts that find no pasture, and they are gone without strength before the pursuer.

⁷Jerusalem remembered in the days of her affliction and of her miseries all her pleasant things that she had in the days of old, when her people fell into the hand of the enemy, and none did help her: the adversaries saw her, and did mock at her sabbaths.

⁸Jerusalem hath grievously sinned; therefore she is removed: all that honoured her despise her, because they have seen her nakedness: yea, she sigheth, and turneth backward.

⁹Her filthiness is in her skirts; she remembereth not her last end; therefore she came down wonderfully: she had no comforter. O Lord, behold my affliction: for the enemy hath magnified himself.

¹⁰The adversary hath spread out his hand upon all her pleasant things: for she hath seen that the heathen entered into her sanctuary, whom thou didst command that they should not enter into thy congregation.

¹¹All her people sigh, they seek bread; they have given their pleasant things for meat to relieve the soul: see, O Lord, and consider; for I am become vile.

¹²Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by? behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow, which is done unto me, wherewith the Lord hath afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger.

¹³From above hath he sent fire into my bones, and it prevaileth against them: he hath spread a net for my feet, he hath turned me back: he hath made me desolate and faint all the day.

¹⁴The yoke of my transgressions is bound by his hand: they are wreathed, and come up upon my neck: he hath made my strength to fall, the Lord hath delivered me into their hands, from whom I am not able to rise up.

¹⁵The Lord hath trodden under foot all my mighty men in the midst of me: he hath called an assembly against me to crush my young men: the Lord hath trodden the virgin, the daughter of Judah, as in a winepress.

¹⁶For these things I weep; mine eye, mine eye runneth down with water, because the comforter that should relieve my soul is far from me: my children are desolate, because the enemy prevailed.

¹⁷Zion spreadeth forth her hands, and there is none to comfort her: the Lord hath commanded concerning Jacob, that his adversaries should be round about him: Jerusalem is as a menstruous woman among them.

¹⁸The Lord is righteous; for I have rebelled against his commandment: hear, I pray you, all people, and behold my sorrow: my virgins and my young men are gone into captivity.

¹⁹I called for my lovers, but they deceived me: my priests and mine elders gave up the ghost in the city, while they sought their meat to relieve their souls.

²⁰Behold, O Lord; for I am in distress: my bowels are troubled; mine heart is turned within me; for I have grievously rebelled: abroad the sword bereaveth, at home there is as death.

²¹They have heard that I sigh: there is none to comfort me: all mine enemies have heard of my trouble; they are glad that thou hast done it: thou wilt bring the day that thou hast called, and they shall be like unto me.

²²Let all their wickedness come before thee; and do unto them, as thou hast done unto me for all my transgressions: for my sighs are many, and my heart is faint.

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Historical context

The chapter has twenty-two verses and names no author; the guide does not assign one. The voice changes inside the chapter. Verses 1 to 11 speak of the city in the third person as she, naming her as Judah, Zion, the daughter of Zion and Jerusalem, and twice a first-person cry interrupts, O Lord, behold my affliction and see, O Lord, and consider; for I am become vile. From verse 12 to the end the city speaks as I, calling her own the mighty men, young men, virgins, priests, elders and children. The enemy is never named; the text says the heathen, the enemy, the adversary and her persecutors. No king, date or battle is given. The events stated are captivity for Judah and her children, feasts without pilgrims, the heathen entering the sanctuary, people trading pleasant things for bread, priests and elders dying in the city while seeking food, the sword outside and death within. The cause is stated repeatedly in the text's own words: the multitude of her transgressions, Jerusalem hath grievously sinned, I have rebelled against his commandment. Her lovers and friends who failed her are not identified, and the command that the heathen should not enter the congregation is cited without naming its source. The day that thou hast called in verse 21 is not explained.

Cited passages: Lamentations 1:3, Lamentations 1:6, Lamentations 1:9, Lamentations 1:11, Lamentations 1:15, Lamentations 1:18, Lamentations 1:10, Lamentations 1:19, Lamentations 1:20, Lamentations 1:5, Lamentations 1:8, Lamentations 1:2, Lamentations 1:21

Literary context

The poem opens on the word how and an image of a widow, and it returns five times to the absence of a comforter: none to comfort her, she had no comforter, the comforter is far from me, there is none to comfort her, there is none to comfort me. The description of the city as she gives way to her own voice, first in two brief interruptions and then wholly from verse 12, where she turns to the passers-by, then to all people, then to the Lord. The Lord is the agent of the violence in her account: he hath afflicted, he sent fire, he spread a net, he trodden under foot, he called an assembly, he trodden the virgin as in a winepress. The suffering is set in the body, fire in bones, a net for feet, a yoke on the neck, an eye running with water, bowels troubled and a heart turned. Confession and complaint sit together, the Lord is righteous beside is there any sorrow like unto my sorrow, and the poem ends by asking that the enemies who are glad be made like her. The remembered pleasant things of the days of old are answered at the end of the book by a plea to renew our days as of old.

Cited passages: Lamentations 1:1, Lamentations 1:2, Lamentations 1:9, Lamentations 1:16, Lamentations 1:17, Lamentations 1:21, Lamentations 1:12, Lamentations 1:18, Lamentations 1:13, Lamentations 1:15, Lamentations 1:20, Lamentations 1:22, Lamentations 1:7, Lamentations 5:21

Key moments

The city sits solitary (Lamentations 1:1). The poem opens with the once-crowded city sitting alone like a widow.
None to comfort her (Lamentations 1:2). She weeps in the night, and her lovers and friends have become enemies.
The Lord hath afflicted her (Lamentations 1:5). Her enemies prosper because the Lord afflicted her for her transgressions.
The heathen in the sanctuary (Lamentations 1:10). The adversary seizes her pleasant things and the heathen enter her sanctuary.
Is it nothing to you? (Lamentations 1:12). The city addresses passers-by and asks if any sorrow is like hers.
Trodden as in a winepress (Lamentations 1:15). The Lord treads down her mighty men and the virgin daughter of Judah.
The Lord is righteous (Lamentations 1:18). The city confesses her rebellion and calls all people to see her sorrow.
Do unto them (Lamentations 1:22). The chapter ends with a plea that the enemies' wickedness be repaid as hers was.

For reflection

The city says the Lord is righteous, for I have rebelled, and then asks him to do to her enemies what he has done to her. How does the poem hold together a confession of guilt and a demand that others suffer the same?