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In the Hebrew Bible these Elegies of Jeremiah, five in number, are placed among the Chetuvim, or "Holy Writings" ("the Psalms," &c., Lu 24:44), between Ruth and Ecclesiastes. But though in classification of compositions it belongs to the Chetuvim, it probably followed the prophecies of Jeremiah originally. For thus alone can we account for the prophetical books being enumerated by JOSEPHUS [Against Apion, 1.1.8] as thirteen: he must have reckoned Jeremiah and Lamentations as one book, as also Judges and Ruth, the two books of Samuel, &c., Ezra and Nehemiah. The Lamentations naturally follow the book which sets forth the circumstances forming the subject of the Elegies. Similar lamentations occur in 2Sa 1:19, &c. 2Sa 3:33. The Jews read it in their synagogues on the ninth of the month Ab, which is a fast for the destruction of their holy city. As in 2Ch 35:25, "lamentations" are said to have been "written" by Jeremiah on the death of Josiah, besides it having been made "an ordinance in Israel" that "singing women" should "speak" of that king in lamentations; JOSEPHUS [Antiquities, 10.5.1], JEROME, &c., thought that they are contained in the present collection. But plainly the subject here is the overthrow of the Jewish city and people, as the Septuagint expressly states in an introductory verse to their version. The probability is that there is embodied in these Lamentations much of the language of Jeremiah's original Elegy on Josiah, as 2Ch 35:25 states; but it is now applied to the more universal calamity of the whole state, of which Josiah's sad death was the forerunner. Thus La 4:20, originally applied to Josiah, was "written," in its subsequent reference, not so much of him, as of the throne of Judah in general, the last representative of which, Zedekiah, had just been carried away. The language, which is true of good Josiah, is too strong in favor of Zedekiah, except when viewed as representative of the crown in general. It was natural to embody the language of the Elegy on Josiah in the more general lamentations, as his death was the presage of the last disaster that overthrew the throne and state.
The title more frequently given by the Jews to these Elegies is, "How" (Hebrew, Eechah), from the first word, as the Pentateuch is similarly called by the first Hebrew word of Ge 1:1. The Septuagint calls it "Lamentations," from which we derive the name. It refers not merely to the events which occurred at the capture of the city, but to the sufferings of the citizens (the penalty of national sin) from the very beginning of the siege; and perhaps from before it, under Manasseh and Josiah (2Ch 33:11 35:20-25); under Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, and Zedekiah (2Ch 36:3,4,6,7,10,11, &c.). LOWTH says, "Every letter is written with a tear, every word the sound of a broken heart." The style is midway between the simple elevation of prophetic writing and the loftier rhythm of Moses, David, and Habakkuk. Terse conciseness marks the Hebrew original, notwithstanding Jeremiah's diffuseness in his other writings. The Elegies are grouped in stanzas as they arose in his mind, without any artificial system of arrangement as to the thoughts. The five Elegies are acrostic: each is divided into twenty-two stanzas or verses. In the first three Elegies the stanzas consist of triplets of lines (excepting La 1:7 2:19, which contain each four lines) each beginning with the letters of the Hebrew alphabet in regular order (twenty-two in number). In three instances (La 2:16,17 3:46-51 4:16,17) two letters are transposed. In the third Elegy, each line of the three forming every stanza begins with the same letter. The stanzas in the fourth and fifth Elegies consist of two lines each. The fifth Elegy, though having twenty-two stanzas (the number of letters in the Hebrew alphabet), just as the first four, yet is not alphabetical; and its lines are shorter than those of the others, which are longer than are found in other Hebrew poems, and contain twelve syllables, marked by a cæsura about the middle, dividing them into two somewhat unequal parts. The alphabetical arrangement was adopted originally to assist the memory. GROTIUS thinks the reason for the inversion of two of the Hebrew letters in La 2:16,17 3:46-51 4:16,17, is that the Chaldeans, like the Arabians, used a different order from the Hebrews; in the first Elegy, Jeremiah speaks as a Hebrew, in the following ones, as one subject to the Chaldeans. This is doubtful.
I. Introduction.
A. The author.
1. The human agent by whom this book came is not known with
certainty.
a. Most of the book was written at a time of calamity for
Jerusalem.
b. It fits with the destruction of Jerusalem in the days of
Jeremiah.
c. The references to Egypt and the personal distress and
persecution of the writer all point to Jeremiah as the writer
of at least a major portion of the book.
d. For more information on the life of Jeremiah, see the
outline on the written prophecy of Jeremiah.
2. The Jews credit the book of Lamentations, at least a major
portion of it, to Jeremiah.
3. It is possible the book was written by more than one human
author and therefore it is not credited to anyone.
a. The book bears the marks of inspiration and that points to
a superhuman source.
b. Though the information came from God the Spirit by
revelation, the literary style, vocabulary, and education of
the human agent is preserved.
B. The background (a brief history of the city of Jerusalem from
the time of the conquest of Canaan to the time of Jesus).
1. When the Jews took Canaan under the leadership of Joshua,
a part of the city was occupied. The Jebusites were not forced
out of Jerusalem (Joshua 15:63; Judges 1:21).
2. David defeated the Jebusites and made Jerusalem the capital
(2 Sam. 2:6; 1 Chron. 11:4).
3. In the reign of Rehoboam, son of Solomon, Shishak of Egypt
defeated Jerusalem and took away "the treasures of the house
of the Lord" (1 Kings 14:25; 2 Chron. 12:2-9).
4. During the reign of Amaziah in Jerusalem, Joash of Israel
invaded Jerusalem, broke down 600 feet of the wall of the
city, and took away "all the gold and silver, and all the vessels
that were found in the house of God" (2 Chron. 25:20-24).
5. When Zedekiah ruled in Jerusalem, Nebuchadnezzar, king of
Babylon, invaded the land and destroyed the city, its wall, and
its temple, taking away "all the vessels of the house of God,
great and small" (2 Chron. 36:17-22).
6. Under Zerubbabel and Ezra the city temple rebuilt and the
city restored (Ezra 3:1 to 6:22).
7. Antiochus Epiphanes of Syria invaded Jerusalem, destroyed
the walls, sacked the city, and desecrated the temple.
8. Pompey, a Roman general, in 63 B.C., defeated Jerusalem,
tore down the walls and put the Jews under Roman control.
9. Under Herod the Great, a vassal of Rome, the city was
restored and the temple rebuilt in splendor. This was the
temple of Jesus' day.
10. Jesus prophesied the destruction of the temple and the city
by the Romans (Matt. 24:4-31). To this day the temple and
its wall have not been rebuilt.
II. The Book.
A. Introduction.
1. The book of Lamentations is five chapters long and
expresses sorrow over the destruction of Jerusalem and its
temple, and other misfortunes of the Jews.
2. The book is a poem in alphabetical style (like the 119th
Psalm). Each chapter begins with a different letter of the 22
letter Hebrew alphabet, except the third chapter where the
first three verses begin with the first letter, the second
three with the second letter, and so on through the 22 letter
Hebrew alphabet. Each chapter has 22 verses, except the
third chapter which, of course, has 66 verses.
B. Solitary and ruined (1:1 to 2:22).
1. Prophecy fulfilled (1:1-22).
a. The city is deserted (1:1-11).
b. The people suffer (1:12-17).
c. Jehovah is vindicated (1:18-22).
2. Jeremiah grieves over the condition of Jerusalem (2:1-22).
a. Jehovah, not Nebuchadnezzar, is the cause of Jerusalem's
grief (2:1-19).
b. God's fierce anger is awful (2:20-22).
C. The suffering of Jeremiah (3:1-66).
1. The faithful mourn their hardship (3:1-21).
2. In hope they wait for the salvation of the Lord (3:22-36).
a. The unceasing mercies of God.
b. Jehovah is the secret of hope.
c. Suffering is only for a season.
3. God is just and his ways are right (3:37-54).
4. A prayer for deliverance (3:55-66).
D. The people suffer (4:1-22).
1. The gold is dimmed (4:1-12).
a. The innocent suffer.
b. The rich are impoverished.
c. Worse than Sodom.
d. Features are black as coal.
e. To die by the sword is better than to die from hunger.
f. Women boil and eat their own children.
g. The suffering is unbelievable.
E. A pitiful complaint (5:1-22).
1. Insult and abuse have been piled on Jerusalem (5:1-18).
2. Final appeal to God for the reversal of the judgment
(5:19-22).
3. After punishment comes restoration.
During the three years of the reign of Jehoahaz we find no reference to Jeremiah, but in the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the enmity of the people against him broke out in bitter persecution, and he was placed apparently under restraint (Jer. 36:5). In the fourth year of Jehoiakim he was commanded to write the predictions given to him, and to read them to the people on the fast-day. This was done by Baruch his servant in his stead, and produced much public excitement. The roll was read to the king. In his recklessness he seized the roll, and cut it to pieces, and cast it into the fire, and ordered both Baruch and Jeremiah to be apprehended. Jeremiah procured another roll, and wrote in it the words of the roll the king had destroyed, and "many like words" besides (Jer. 36:32).
He remained in Jerusalem, uttering from time to time his words of warning, but without effect. He was there when Nebuchadnezzar besieged the city (Jer. 37:4, 5), B.C. 589. The rumour of the approach of the Egyptians to aid the Jews in this crisis induced the Chaldeans to withdraw and return to their own land. This, however, was only for a time. The prophet, in answer to his prayer, received a message from God announcing that the Chaldeans would come again and take the city, and burn it with fire (37:7, 8). The princes, in their anger at such a message by Jeremiah, cast him into prison (37:15-38:13). He was still in confinement when the city was taken (B.C. 588). The Chaldeans released him, and showed him great kindness, allowing him to choose the place of his residence. He accordingly went to Mizpah with Gedaliah, who had been made governor of Judea. Johanan succeeded Gedaliah, and refusing to listen to Jeremiah's counsels, went down into Egypt, taking Jeremiah and Baruch with him (Jer. 43:6). There probably the prophet spent the remainder of his life, in vain seeking still to turn the people to the Lord, from whom they had so long revolted (44). He lived till the reign of Evil-Merodach, son of Nebuchadnezzar, and must have been about ninety years of age at his death. We have no authentic record of his death. He may have died at Tahpanhes, or, according to a tradition, may have gone to Babylon with the army of Nebuchadnezzar; but of this there is nothing certain.
In Egypt, after an interval, Jeremiah is supposed to have added three sections, viz., ch. 37-39; 40-43; and 44.
The principal Messianic prophecies are found in 23:1-8; 31:31-40; and 33:14-26.
Jeremiah's prophecies are noted for the frequent repetitions found in them of the same words and phrases and imagery. They cover the period of about 30 years. They are not recorded in the order of time. When and under what circumstances this book assumed its present form we know not.
The LXX. Version of this book is, in its arrangement and in other particulars, singularly at variance with the original. The LXX. omits 10:6-8; 27:19-22; 29:16-20; 33:14-26; 39:4-13; 52:2, 3, 15, 28-30, etc. About 2,700 words in all of the original are omitted. These omissions, etc., are capricious and arbitrary, and render the version unreliable.