Lamentations 5
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1Remember, Yahweh, 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 have drunken our water for money. 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 of 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. 19You, Yahweh, 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, Yahweh, and we will be turned. Renew our days as of old. 22But you have utterly rejected us. You are very angry against us.
World English Bible (public domain)
“"Restore us to yourself, O Lord, that we may be restored! Renew our days as of old—"”
Lamentations 5:21
Summary
Lamentations chapter 5 is a communal prayer of lament, expressing the profound suffering and distress of the people of Judah following the destruction of Jerusalem. The chapter opens with a plea for God to remember the plight of His people, as they suffer humiliation, loss, and displacement. This chapter captures the collective pain of a community stripped of its dignity and facing oppression from foreign captors. There is a stark acknowledgment of their transgressions as the source of their suffering, yet this acknowledgment is mingled with an appeal for compassion from God. The people are depicted as orphans and widows, having lost their inheritance and seeing their city in ruins. The theological significance of this lament is found in its portrayal of the depths of despair, coupled with a faint hope for restoration and divine mercy. The community cries out to God, reflecting a longing for renewal despite their present desolation.
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Chapter outline
How Lamentations 5 unfolds
Lamentations 5:1–3 Plea for God's Attention
The chapter opens with a communal cry for God to remember their suffering and humiliation, identifying them as orphans and widows who have lost their inheritance.
Lamentations 5:4–6 Desperate Conditions
The people describe their dire situation, forced to pay for basic needs and relying on foreign nations, highlighting their lack of freedom and rest.
Lamentations 5:7–10 Acknowledgment of Sin
They recognize that their present suffering stems from the sins of their ancestors, emphasizing a burden they feel they must bear.
Lamentations 5:11–15 Suffering and Mourning
The chapter depicts the violence against women and the loss of joy, illustrating the deep societal and emotional trauma experienced by the community.
Lamentations 5:16–18 Crown of Despair
The loss of dignity is expressed through the imagery of a fallen crown, leading to a plea for restoration as they lament their state.
Lamentations 5:19–22 Appeal for Renewal
The people declare God's eternal nature while expressing despair over their abandonment; they seek renewal and hope for restoration despite feeling rejected.
Key verses
Lamentations 5:21Lamentations 5:21 encapsulates the chapter's weight by expressing a longing for restoration and renewal following profound communal suffering.
Main themes in Lamentations 5
lament
Lament is a central theme in Lamentations 5, particularly in verses 1-18, where the community articulates their profound sorrow and distress. The chapter captures both personal and communal anguish, illustrating how the weight of loss permeates their daily existence and relationships. This lamentation serves as a poignant expression of their plea for God's attention, emphasizing their overwhelming despair and desire for restoration amid their suffering.
restoration
The theme of restoration surfaces especially in verse 21, where the people plead for God to renew them. This plea is laden with the hope that their broken state can be reversed, despite the overwhelming evidence of destruction around them. Restoration becomes a beacon of hope in their collective mourning and suffering.
repentance
Repentance is evident in verse 16, where the people acknowledge their sins as the cause of their calamity. The chapter intricately connects their current suffering with their past actions, illustrating a community grappling with guilt. As they seek restoration, their acknowledgment of sin serves as a crucial step toward healing.
Explore repentance in the Bible →divine mercy
Divine mercy is a recurring theme in Lamentations 5, especially in verses 19-22, where the people earnestly cry out for God's compassion and grace despite their feelings of abandonment. They invoke God's eternal character, seeking mercy in their affliction, which highlights the tension between divine justice and the hope for grace. This heartfelt appeal reflects their unwavering hope that God will intervene and restore them, illuminating their trust in His mercy even in dire circumstances.
Cross-references
Passages that echo Lamentations 5
- Jeremiah 31Jeremiah 31 connects through its themes of restoration and hope for the future, echoing the communal cry for renewal.
- Psalm 80Psalm 80 develops the notion of divine mercy and restoration, paralleling the plea for God's intervention in Lamentations 5.
- Lamentations 1Lamentations 1 echoes the themes of suffering and abandonment, providing a backdrop for the communal lament found in chapter 5.
- Deuteronomy 28Deuteronomy 28 connects through the concepts of blessings and curses, reflecting the consequences of disobedience acknowledged in Lamentations.
- Lamentations 4Lamentations 4 develops the intensifying despair of the people, creating a context for the lament in chapter 5.
- Psalm 13Psalm 13 echoes the plea for God's attention in times of distress, connecting to the lament expressed throughout Lamentations 5.
Study questions
Questions for studying Lamentations 5
- What specific reproaches do the people call on God to remember in verse 1?
- How do the descriptions of orphans and widows reflect the community's state in verses 2-3?
- What is the significance of the people's acknowledgment of ancestral sin in verse 7?
- How is the theme of mourning portrayed through societal roles in verses 11-15?
- What does the imagery of the fallen crown in verse 16 signify about their situation?
- How does the chapter’s ending reflect a tension between despair and hope for renewal?
Lamentations 5: frequently asked questions
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