Lamentations 5: Group Study Handout

How to use: read Lamentations 5 aloud together, then take the questions in order. One page is enough for an evening.

Overview

The people call upon Yahweh to remember their suffering and reproach (vv. 1-3). They describe their desperate conditions as their inheritance is given to strangers, and they experience hunger and despair. They acknowledge their sins, stating that their forefathers have sinned, leading to their current suffering (vv. 7-10). The people express grief over the violence and shame they have endured, highlighting the ravaging of women and loss of honor among leaders (vv. 11-15). They mourn the loss of joy and the crown of their glory due to their sins, while their hearts grow faint and their eyes dim because of despair (vv. 16-18). They appeal to Yahweh, acknowledging His eternal reign, and beseech Him to renew their days (vv. 19-22). They feel forsaken, crying out for restoration amid their anguish.

Key verse

“Turn us to yourself, Yahweh, and we will be turned. Renew our days as of old.”
Lamentations 5:21 (WEB)

Outline

Lamentations 5:1–3 Plea for God's Attention
Lamentations 5:4–6 Desperate Conditions
Lamentations 5:7–10 Acknowledgment of Sin
Lamentations 5:11–15 Suffering and Mourning
Lamentations 5:16–18 Crown of Despair
Lamentations 5:19–22 Appeal for Renewal

Discussion questions

In v2, what has happened to the 'inheritance' of the people?
What is the condition of the people described in v4 regarding their water and wood?
In v7, what does it mean that 'our fathers sinned' while the current generation bears their iniquities?
In v19, how does the mention of God's eternal throne contrast with the people’s sense of abandonment?
When have you felt like an 'orphan' or 'fatherless' as described in v3?

Go deeper

Passages that echo Lamentations 5: Jeremiah 31, Psalm 80, Lamentations 1.

Before next time: read Ezekiel 1.