Unlike other biblical laments that petition God directly, Lamentations 5 uniquely opens with imperatives commanding God to "remember" and "see," reversing the typical supplicant-deity relationship through bold liturgical demands.
Lamentations 5
Communal Lament for National Suffering
1Remember, LORD, what has come on us. Look, and see our reproach.
2Our inheritance has been turned over to strangers, our houses to aliens.
3We are orphans and fatherless. Our mothers are as widows.
4We must pay for water to drink. Our wood is sold to us.
5Our pursuers are on our necks. We are weary, and have no rest.
6We have given our hands to the Egyptians, and to the Assyrians, to be satisfied with bread.
7Our fathers sinned, and are no more. We have borne their iniquities.
8Servants rule over us. There is no one to deliver us out of their hand.
9We get our bread at the peril of our lives, because of the sword in the wilderness.
10Our skin is black like an oven, because of the burning heat of famine.
11They ravished the women in Zion, the virgins in the cities of Judah.
12Princes were hanged up by their hands. The faces of elders were not honored.
13The young men carry millstones. The children stumbled under loads of wood.
14The elders have ceased from the gate, and the young men from their music.
15The joy of our heart has ceased. Our dance is turned into mourning.
16The crown has fallen from our head. Woe to us, for we have sinned!
17For this our heart is faint. For these things our eyes are dim:
18for the mountain of Zion, which is desolate. The foxes walk on it.
Final Appeal to the Eternal Lord
19You, LORD, remain forever. Your throne is from generation to generation.
20Why do you forget us forever, and forsake us for so long a time?
21Turn us to yourself, LORD, and we will be turned. Renew our days as of old.
22But you have utterly rejected us. You are very angry against us.
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Theme
Lamentations concludes with a communal prayer that catalogues the devastating effects of Jerusalem's destruction on every aspect of society. The people cry out to God, acknowledging their inheritance lost to foreigners, their social order overturned, and their basic needs unmet, while confessing that they bear the consequences of generational sin. Despite their desperate circumstances, they appeal to God's eternal sovereignty and plead for restoration, though the book ends ambiguously with uncertainty about whether God has permanently rejected them.
Context
This final chapter shifts from the individual voice of chapters 3-4 back to corporate lament, bringing the entire book full circle while ending on a note of unresolved tension.
Key Themes
Outline
- 1-2 Appeal for Divine Attention The community calls on God to remember and see their disgrace and lost inheritance.
- 3-10 Catalog of Social Devastation A detailed account of how conquest has destroyed family structures, economic security, and basic survival.
- 11-16 Complete Societal Breakdown The lament describes violence against all social groups and the end of joy, culminating in confession of sin.
- 17-18 Spiritual Desolation The people express their faintness of heart over Zion's complete abandonment and desolation.
- 19-22 Final Appeal to the Eternal God Acknowledging God's eternal throne, they plead for restoration while questioning His apparent permanent rejection.
Communal Lament for National Suffering
5:1–5:18 poetry lament anguished
A communal lament describing the devastating effects of national judgment including loss of inheritance, social upheaval, famine, and violence. The people acknowledge their sin while detailing their comprehensive suffering under foreign oppression.
structural
Unlike other biblical laments that petition God directly, Lamentations 5 uniquely opens with imperatives commanding God to "remember" and "see," reversing the typical supplicant-deity relationship through bold liturgical demands.
Final Appeal to the Eternal Lord
5:19–5:22 poetry prayer hopeful
A final appeal to God's eternal sovereignty, asking why He has forgotten His people and pleading for restoration. The passage ends with acknowledgment of God's rejection and anger, yet maintains hope in His eternal throne.
theme_rarity
Lamentations concludes with the rare biblical pairing of divine sovereignty and renewal themes, appearing together in only one other passage, creating a profound tension between God's eternal reign and Israel's temporal suffering.
Insights
Lamentations concludes with the rare biblical pairing of divine sovereignty and renewal themes, appearing together in only one other passage, creating a profound tension between God's eternal reign and Israel's temporal suffering.
Cross-References
Connected passages across Scripture
Lamentations 5:3 1 reference
Lamentations 5:13 1 reference
Lamentations 5:15 1 reference
Interlinear
Word-by-word original language
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Lemma
Morphology
Semantic Range
Theological Significance
Translation Notes
Key Passages
Historical Context
Places and events in this chapter
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Timeline
Exile
586-538 BCThe forced deportation of Judah's population to Babylon after Jerusalem's destruction. This pivotal event reshaped Jewish identity and theology, leading to the compilation of much of the Hebrew Bible.
The communal lament describes the devastating effects of foreign oppression and deportation.
Communal Lament for National Suffering