THE MAGNITUDE OF ISRAEL'S DISASTERS 18Our adversaries dog our footsteps, so that we cannot go in our streets; Our days are short, they are fulfilled, for our end has come. 19Our pursuers were swifter than the eagles of heaven, They have chased us upon the mountains, they have lain in wait for us in the wilderness. 20The breath of nostrils, Jehovah's anointed was taken in their pits, Of whom we said, 'In his shadow will we live among the nations!' 21 Rejoice and be glad, O Edom," that dwellest in the land!a Ulti mately its foes Also to thee will the cupb come, thou shalt become drunken and naked. 22Thy guilt is purged away, O Zion,d he will no more keep thee in captivity, will be He will punish thy guilt, O Edom, he will lay bare thy sins. § 23. Jerusalem's Desolation, Misery, and Guilt, Lam. 1 pun ished and the Jews vindi cated Jeru salem solitary Lam. 1 'See how she sitteth solitary,' that was once full of people! The city hath become as a widow, she was mighty among the nations! A princess among the provinces-she hath become subject to forced labor! and 2Bitterly she weepeth at night, her tears are on her cheek; She hath none to give her comfort, among all her lovers;" All her friends have dealt with her treacherously, they have become her foes. 3Judah is an exile1 because of affliction and great servitude,i All her pursuers have overtaken her, in the midst of her troubles. Her young maidens are afflicted," and she herself-bitterness is her lot! 418 Adding adversaries, as the metre and context demand. This was probably omitted by a scribe because of its close similarity to the preceding and following words. x418 Again correcting the text as the metre and context demand. y 420 A reference to the capture of King Zedekiah. Cf. Jer. 394-8. 41 Lit., daughter of Edom. 421 So Gk. The Heb. adds Uz. Cf. Gen. 3628, but the reference is clearly to the Edomite occupation of southern Judah. b421 I. e., the cup of affliction. e422 Lit., is accomplished. d4 Lit., daughter of Zion. 422 Lit., daughter of Edom. §23 Cf., for date and authorship of this chap., Introd., p. 20. This poem has a rare tragic beauty and dramatic power. The poet's vision is not limited to Judah or the great catastrophe of 586 B.C., but he surveys broadly the fate that has overtaken his race. The problem upper most in his mind is how Jehovah's favor may again be won. He declares that it is only through the confession of the nation's sins and appealing to Jehovah's mercy that the nation can win this favor. Accordingly, he puts in the mouth of the nation the confession of guilt and a plea for pity, thus putting in concrete form his counsel and message of consolation. 11 The Heb. adds here city; but this destroys the symmetrical metre and has probably been transferred from the second line, where the metre requires it. 12 I. 6., her treacherous allies, like Egypt. b13 The poet apparently has in mind those who fled to Egypt and adjacent lands. Cf. Jer. 4011. 11 I. e., permanent home. k1 I. e., because there are no more pilgrims going up to Jerusalem. Cf. Pss. 42 and 43. com fortless Her people in exile "Her oppressors have gained the ascendency, her enemies are happy, pressor. "Gone from the daughter of Zion is all her splendor, Her princes have become like harts, that find no pasture, For they have fled without strength, in the presence of the pursuer. "Jerusalem calleth to remembrance, in the days of her affliction," 'Her uncleanness clingeth to her skirts, she thinketh not of the future, Behold, O Jehovah, my affliction, for the foe is arrogant." 10 The conqueror hath laid his hand upon all her treasures, Concerning whom thou didst command, 'They shall not enter thy festal "All her people are filled with sighs, seeking food, They give their treasures for food, to refresh themselves. Behold, O Jehovah, and observe how abject have I become! 12Is it nothing to you, all ye who pass by? Observe and see," 13 From on high hath he sent fire into my bones, and it prevailed against He hath spread a net for my feet, he hath turned me back; As a yoke they come up upon my neck, he undermineth my strength, 17 A glossator has added what he thought was demanded by the context, and of her miseries all her pleasant things which were from the days of old; but these are contrary to the regular metrical and strophic structure of the poem. o17 Lit., fell into the hand of. P1 Following the Gk. 918 Lit., therefore she has become an unclean thing. 1 Lit., gone down. 1 Lit., magnifies himself. 110 Cf. Dt. 233 for the law against aliens. u1 A difficult line; a possible rendering would be, O upon me, all ye who pass by, look and see. 114 Making a slight correction in the later punctuation of this vs. 115 Lit., solemn assembly. This was usually for religious purposes, but here evidently to execute judgment. JERUSALEM'S DESOLATION AND GUILT The Lord hath trodden as in a wine-press they daughter of Judah. 17Zion spreadeth out her hands, there is none to comfort her; Jehovah hath commanded regarding Jacob, that his adversaries should vah's surround him;d It is will Jerusalem indeed hath become an unclean thing in their eyes. 18 Jehovah, he is in the right, for I have rebelled against his command, Yet hear ye, all ye peoples, and behold my sorrow; My maidens, together with my young men, have gone into captivity. 19I have called to those who love me, but they also have deceived me; The nation's confes sion of guilt 21Hear how I pour forth sighs-there is none to comfort me! Mine enemies have all heard of my misfortune, they rejoice that thou hast done it; Prayer for Thou hast brought the day that thou hast proclaimed because of all my sins, 22 Let all their wickedness come before thee, and may it be with them as with me; Just as thou hast done to me,' do also to them, § 24. Prayer of the Persecuted Survivors in the Judean Community, Lam. 5 115 The treading of the wine-press is also employed in Is. 632. 6 as a figure of judgment and complete destruction. 115 The Heb. adds virgin, but cf. and 22. 5, where the present expression occurs without virgin, which is here probably a gloss. 116 So Gk, and Lat. The Heb. repeats mine eye; but this destroys the regular metre and is simply a scribal error. 116 Lit., my soul. ble I. e., the citizens of Judah. 117 I. e., Judah's allies. d117 Or those who encircle him should be his enemies. 119 From hunger is not found in the text but is required by the metre and has probably been omitted as the result of a common scribal error. 1119 The second half of the vs. has been retained in the Gk., Syr., and Arabic, together with the gloss, that they might revive their spirits forever, which has taken the place of the original in the Heb. 120 Lit., inward parts; according to the Hebrews the seat of the emotions. 1 Jehovah, not the passers by, as in 12, is addressed. i121 Cf. 15. 112 Reversing the two parts of this vs., as the metre demands. $24 Cf., for date and interpretation, Introd., p. 20. This poem is an important historical source throwing light upon conditions in the Judean community during the first half of the Persian period. In conclusion it presents the question of why and how long Jehovah will seemingly forget his people. It is the same question that is uppermost in the literature of this period: Mal. 3, Job 3-31, and many pss., e. g., 16 and 22. ven geance The great calam ity a punish ment for the nation's sins 151 Lit., what is to us. Pitiable fate of the survivors The tragic contrast with Judah's former pros perity Appeal to Jehovah to restore his people 2Our inheritance is turned over to aliens,' Our wood cometh to us by purchase. "The yoke upon our necks harasseth us," "We have given the hand to the Egyptians, And to the Assyrians, that we might be sated with food. While we must bear their guilt. 8Slaves have dominion over us, With none to deliver from their hand. The virgins in the cities of Judah. And the children stumble under the wood. 14The elders have ceased from the gate, 19Thou art enthroned forever," O Jehovah, Thy throne is from generation to generation. 152 I. e., the Edomites. m 54 I. e., not having any title to the land or the cisterns, we must purchase our water. n 55 Correcting two scribal errors. 5 This vs. is obscure. It is not clear whether the reference is to the past experience of the nation or to the present fortunes of the exiles. In the latter case the reference to Assyria, which fell in 605-4 B.C., is unexpected, although even in post-exilic literature Assyria continued to figure as the great Eastern power. P5 For this popular proverb, cf. Jer. 3129, Ezek. 181, II Kgs. 23, 24. 958 The reference may be to the Bab. governors or to the local landowners. Cí. Nehemiah's reference to Tobiah as the Ammonite slave, Neh. 219. 15 I. e., sudden Bedouin attacks, which have ever been the terror of the inhabitants of Palestine when the local government has been weak. 9519 Cf. also Pss. 45, 10212. PRAYER OF THE SURVIVORS IN THE JUDEAN COMMUNITY 20Why dost thou forget us forever, And forsake us these many years? 21 Restore us, O Jehovah, and we will be restored; Renew our days as of old. 22Or hast thou completely rejected us, Art thou very wroth against us? § 25. A Jewish Patriot's Meditation on Jehovah's Leadership of His People, Lam. 3 Lam. 3 1I am the man who hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath. "My flesh and my skin hath he wasted; he hath broken my bones. 'He hath walled me about so that I cannot go forth; he hath made heavy "Though I cry and call for help, he shutteth out my prayer. 'He hath walled up my ways with hewn stone; he hath twisted my paths. 1oHe is to me as a bear lying in wait, as a lion in lurking places. "He hath turned aside my steps and mangled me; he hath made me forlorn. 12 He hath bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow. 13Through my vitals he drove shafts," the sons of his quiver. 14To all peoples* I am become a derision, and their song all the day. 15 He hath filled me to the full with bitterness; he hath sated me with gall. 18 And I said: 'My strength is gone, and my hope in Jehovah.' 19The remembrance of mine affliction and my bitterness is wormwood and gall, 20 My soul doth ever remember them and is bowed down within me. 15 So the parallel in Jer. 3118 and the demands of the context. The Heb. adds to thee. $25 For the probable date and origin of this poem, cf. Introd. p. 20. This poetic monologue presents a problem that also arises in connection with many pss. of the Psalter. Does the speaker speak for himself or for his nation? The portrait in the first part of the poem has many points of contact with the suffering servant of Jehovah in Is. 42-53 or of Ps. 22. As in those familiar passages, the picture of suffering is superlative and transcends that of the ordinary individual. It is an epitome of Israel's woes in the years following 586 B.C. If we follow the Syr. and certain Heb. MSS. of 14 the conviction grows that we have here a collective description of the nation's woes, into which the poet has woven the results of his own observation and personal experience. At certain points he turns preacher, as in 21-39, and sets forth certain fundamental spiritual truths with rare power and winsomeness. In 40-47 he throws off the individual form of address and speaks to and in behalf of the nation. The poem contains many passages of great literary and spiritual beauty. 35 Lit., gall. The exact meaning of this vs. is not certain. Many would revise fundamentally. 31 I. e., carrying on the figure of a ravenous wild beast. w313 I. e., shafts from his quiver. This is a characteristic Heb. idiom. 314 So Syr. and many MSS. Heb., my people. 316 Lit., made me bend under the burden. 317 So Gk. Heb., thou hast. Lit., he hath caused my soul (i. e., me) to reject peace (or welfare). Jeho vah's afflic- past |