The devastation of Jerusalem is described in this short acrostic poem of lament.
Lamentations 4:1-2, Children mere pots of clay
How the gold has lost its luster, the fine gold become dull!
The sacred gems are scattered at every street corner.
How the precious children of Zion, once worth their weight in gold,
are now considered as pots of clay, the work of a potter’s hands!
The sacred gems -- the valuable people, precious children of Jerusalem -- are now just debris.
The English word "How" is a translation of ’ê·ḵāh, which begins with the letter aleph. This word echoes laments of David, often beginning with "How long, O Lord?" (See Psalm 13:1-2, also Psalm 79:5, Psalm 89:46 and, in the New Testament, Revelation 6:10.)
Lamentations 4:3-4, Begging children
Even jackals offer their breasts to nurse their young,
but my people have become heartless like ostriches in the desert.
Because of thirst the infant’s tongue sticks to the roof of its mouth;
the children beg for bread, but no one gives it to them.
The children are dying of thirst and hunger. Even the wild jackals nurse their young but the starving people of Jerusalem have abandoned for their children.
The meaning of the Hebrew word tannah, here translated "jackal", is uncertain. (The King James Version translates the word as "dragon", both here and in Malachi 1:3, the only other place where it occurs in the Old Testament manuscripts.)
Lamentations 4:5, Brought up in purple, ending in ash
Those who once ate delicacies are destitute in the streets.
Those brought up in royal purple now lie on ash heaps.
Even royalty -- those wealthy enough to wear purple -- are desperate.
Lamentations 4:6, Worse than Sodom
The punishment of my people is greater than that of Sodom,
which was overthrown in a moment without a hand turned to help her.
The prophet identifies with the people of Jerusalem as "my people." He has suffered with them. Jerusalem's lengthy siege and destruction is more horrible than Sodom's, a city which was destroyed in a moment. This is because Jerusalem's sins were worse than Sodom's (see Ezekiel 16:44-52.)
The Hebrew text for this verse uses the Hebrew word avon, "iniquity", not "punishment", but many translations (such as the NIV) view that word as implying "the [punishment of] the iniquity." Ellison (p. 727) says that sin and its punishment go together (in Hebrew thought) and so accepts the translation of the NIV.
Lamentations 4:7-8, Dirty and shriveled
Their princes were brighter than snow and whiter than milk,
their bodies more ruddy than rubies, their appearance like lapis lazuli.
But now they are blacker than soot; they are not recognized in the streets.
Their skin has shriveled on their bones; it has become as dry as a stick.
The rich princes, once healthy and elegantly dressed, appearing like precious jewelry, are now dirty, muddy, hungry, with shriveling skin.
Lamentations 4:9-10, Cooking children
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.
The dead are better than the dying, who are starving and succumb to killing their own children in order to eat them! (This horror had occurred previously -- a siege of Samaria in 2 Kings 6:25-29 led to a similar result.)
Lamentations 4:11, Fire in Zion
The LORD has given full vent to his wrath; he has poured out his fierce anger.
He kindled a fire in Zion that consumed her foundations.
The prophet turns from the suffering of Jerusalem to an explanation of its cause. All of this suffering is YHWH's judgment and punishment on Jerusalem. It is because of His wrath that the city burns.
Lamentations 4:12-13, The blood of the righteous.
The kings of the earth did not believe, nor did any of the peoples of the world,
that enemies and foes could enter the gates of Jerusalem.
But it happened because of the sins of her prophets and the iniquities of her priests,
who shed within her the blood of the righteous.
Many believed that the city could not be taken but eventually Nebuchadnezzar conquered it -- and the writer blames this on the sins of Jerusalem's false prophets and priests, who led the people astray and killed the righteous.
Lamentations 4:14-16, Unclean!
Now they grope through the streets as if they were blind.
They are so defiled with blood that no one dares to touch their garments.
“Go away! You are unclean!” people cry to them.“Away! Away! Don’t touch us!”
When they flee and wander about, people among the nations say, “They can stay here no longer.”
The LORD himself has scattered them; he no longer watches over them.
The priests are shown no honor, the elders no favor.
The false prophets and priests, defiled by their injustices, with blood on their hands, now stagger through the streets, abused by the public. They are treated like lepers. When they flee to other countries, the abuse continues.
Lamentations 4:17-20, Pursued, captured
Moreover, our eyes failed, looking in vain for help;
from our towers we watched for a nation that could not save us.
People stalked us at every step, so we could not walk in our streets.
Our end was near, our days were numbered, for our end had come.
Our pursuers were swifter than eagles in the sky;
they chased us over the mountains and lay in wait for us in the desert.
The LORD’s anointed, our very life breath, was caught in their traps.
We thought that under his shadow we would live among the nations.
The narration returns to first person, the prophet identifying with his people. The people of Jerusalem foolishly hoped in another country (most likely Egypt, see Jeremiah 37:3-10) in their war with Babylonia. When Nebuchadnezzar's army finally broke through, even the king (Hezekiah) fled the city but was quickly captured. (See 2 Kings 25:1-7.)
Lamentations 4:21-22, Don't rejoice, Edom!
Rejoice and be glad, Daughter Edom, you who live in the land of Uz.
But to you also the cup will be passed; you will be drunk and stripped naked.
Your punishment will end, Daughter Zion; he will not prolong your exile.
But he will punish your sin, Daughter Edom, and expose your wickedness.
The first line of verse 21 is sarcastic. Edom, representative of all enemies of Israel, should not rejoice for she too will be judged and punished.
This song ends with a small hint of future hope. The judgment of Jerusalem will eventually end (although it may take a very long time....)
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