Lamentations

Introduction to Lamentations

Title

The name of the book (“Lamentations”) comes from the Greek (thrēnoi) and Latin (threni) translations of the Hebrew (qînôt), which means “laments” (b. Baba Bathra 14b). The original name of the book comes from the first word (êkâ), which means “how” or “alas.”

Authorship

The book is anonymous. But there are several lines of evidence which support Jeremianic authorship of Lamentations:

The Chronicler seems to affirm that Jeremiah wrote Lamentations. Chronicles states, “Jeremiah chanted a lament [Hebrew qînôt] for Josiah. And all the male and female singers speak about Josiah in their lamentations to this day. And they made them an ordinance in Israel; behold, they are also written in the Lamentations [Hebrew qînôt]” (2 Chron. 35:25).

The Septuagint (LXX) affirms that Jeremiah wrote Lamentations. The Septuagint places the book after Jeremiah and before Ezekiel, which would seem to group this book with Jeremiah. Moreover, it also “includes an opening introduction to the book in the first verse, attributing the composition of the book to Jeremiah.” The Septuagint opens with these words: “And it came to pass after Israel had been taken away into captivity and Jerusalem had been laid waste that Jeremiah sat weeping and lamented this lamentation over Jerusalem and said.”

Various other ancient sources affirms that Jeremiah wrote Lamentations. Mark Rooker writes, “The Aramaic Targum, the Peshitta, the Vulgate, and the Babylonian Talmud, as well as early church fathers such as Origen and Jerome, all attest that Jeremiah was the author.” Josephus wrote, “All the people mourned greatly for him [Josiah], lamenting and grieving on his account many days; and Jeremiah the prophet composed an elegy to lament him, which is extant till this time also” (Antiquities of the Jews, 10.78).

The date of the book supports the thesis that Jeremiah wrote Lamentations. The writer completed the book before 538 BC, because the content of the book laments the Exile. Moreover, the author had no idea that King Jehoiachin was released from prison in ~562 BC (2 Kin. 25:27-30).

Literary similarities affirm that Jeremiah wrote Lamentations. Consider a few below:

Date

Since the author is ignorant of King Jehoiachin’s release from prison in ~562 BC (2 Kin. 25:27-30) and because the book takes place during the Exile (at least after 586 BC), we can date the book confidently in between these two dates (586 BC to 562 BC). Ellison states that virtually all commentators date the book between 587 BC and 538 BC).

Canonicity

Ellison writes, “There is no evidence that the canonicity of Lamentations was ever challenged.”

Summary of Lamentations

This book was written after the Exile (Lam. 1:5), and it focuses on the plight and suffering of Israel after Babylon took over the city of Jerusalem (586 BC). Israel is personified as a weeping woman, and the purpose of the book is to show the fallout in Israel during the Babylonian captivity. God judged Israel for her sins (Lam. 1:5), and he compares her to a filthy prostitute (Lam. 1:9). Women were cannibalizing their own children, because they were so starving (Lam. 2:20; 4:10). Yet, God promises to continue to still love Israel (Lam. 3:22).

Jeremiah (the author) calls on God to judge the nations for their sins (Lam. 3:64), and he compares their judgment to Sodom and Gomorrah. Eventually, God promises to bring the Jewish people back to their land (Lam. 4:22). Jeremiah prays that God will bring them back and forgive them (Lam. 5:21-22).

While Jeremiah had predicted a definite end to the Exile (Jer. 25:11-12), this book deals with the grief and suffering of individuals who lived through it.

Structure of Lamentations

Lamentations is a literary chiasm. Chapters 1 and 5 go together, chapters 2 and 4 go together, and chapter 3 is the theological center of the book. Furthermore, chapters 1, 2, and 4 are acrostic poems (22 verses in length corresponding to the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet). This means that each verse begins with the next letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Chapter 3 is a triple acrostic (66 verses in length). For whatever reason, chapter 5 is not an acrostic.