# Lamentations 01 đ: Jerusalem Sits Alone
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[[-Lamentations Overview]] | [[Jeremiah 52]] | [[Lamentations 02]]
> [!info] Table of Contents
> [[#đ Scripture Text (NET)]]
> [[#đ Verse-by-Verse Commentary]]
> [[#đ¤ Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights]]
> [[#đ§ Chapter Summary]]
> [[#âď¸ Christ in This Chapter]]
> [[#đ Key Principles / đ Life Application]]
> [[#đŹ Discussion Questions]]
> [[#âď¸ Key Verses to Remember]]
> [[#đ Related Passages/Cross Reference]]
> [[#đ Devotional Reflection]]
> [[#đ Internal Notes]]
## đ Scripture Text (NET)
(The NET Bible: New English Translation. Biblical Studies Press, 2005)
### The Prophet Speaks
#### **×**Â (_Alef_)
[[#Verse 01.]] Alas! The city once full of people
now sits all alone!
The prominent lady among the nations
has become a widow!
The princess who once ruled the provinces
has become a forced laborer!
#### × (_Bet_)
[[#Verse 02.]]Â She weeps bitterly at night;
tears stream down her cheeks.
She has no one to comfort her
among all her lovers.
All her friends have betrayed her;
they have become her enemies.
#### × (_Gimel_)
[[#Verse 03.]] Judah has departed into exile
under affliction and harsh oppression.
She lives among the nations;
she has found no resting place.
All who pursued her overtook her
in narrow straits.
#### × (_Dalet_)
[[#Verse 04.]] The roads to Zion mourn
because no one travels to the festivals.
All her city gates are deserted;
her priests groan.
Her virgins grieve;
she is in bitter anguish!
#### × (_He_)
[[#Verse 05.]]Â Her foes subjugated her;
her enemies are at ease.
For the Lord afflicted her
because of her many acts of rebellion.
Her children went away
captive before the enemy.
#### × (_Vav_)
[[#Verse 06.]] All of Daughter Zionâs splendor
has departed.
Her leaders became like deer;
they found no pasture,
so they were too exhausted to escape
from the hunter.
#### × (_Zayin_)
[[#Verse 07.]]Â Jerusalem remembers,
when she became a poor homeless person,
all her treasures
that she owned in days of old.
When her people fell into an enemyâs grip,
none of her allies came to her rescue.
Her enemies gloated over her;
they sneered at her downfall.
#### × (_Khet_)
[[#Verse 08.]]Â Jerusalem committed terrible sin;
therefore she became an object of scorn.
All who admired her have despised her
because they have seen her nakedness.
She groans aloud
and turns away in shame.
#### × (_Tet_)
[[#Verse 09.]] Her menstrual flow has soiled her clothing;
she did not consider the consequences of her sin.
Her demise was astonishing,
and there was no one to comfort her.
She cried, âLook, O Lord, on my affliction
because my enemy boasts!â
#### × (_Yod_)
[[#Verse 10.]]Â An enemy grabbed
all her valuables.
Indeed she watched in horror as Gentiles
invaded her holy templeâ
those whom you had commanded:
âThey must not enter your assembly place.â
#### × (_Kaf_)
[[#Verse 11.]]Â All her people groaned
as they searched for a morsel of bread.
They exchanged their valuables
for just enough food
to stay alive.
### Jerusalem Speaks
âLook, OÂ Lord! Consider
that I have become worthless!â
#### × (_Lamed_)
[[#Verse 12.]] Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by on the road?
Look and see!
Is there any pain like mine?
The Lord has afflicted me,
he has inflicted it on me
when he burned with anger.
#### × (_Mem_)
[[#Verse 13.]]Â He sent down fire
into my bones, and it overcame them.
He spread out a trapperâs net for my feet;
he made me turn back.
He has made me desolate;
I am faint all day long.
#### × Â (_Nun_)
[[#Verse 14.]]Â My sins are bound around my neck like a yoke;
they are fastened together by his hand.
He has placed his yoke on my neck;
he has sapped my strength.
The Lord has handed me over
to those whom I cannot resist.
#### ץ (_Samek_)
[[#Verse 15.]] He rounded up all my mighty ones;
The Lord did this in my midst.
He summoned an assembly against me
to shatter my young men.
The Lord has stomped like grapes
the virgin daughter, Judah.
#### ע (_Ayin_)
[[#Verse 16.]]Â I weep because of these things;
my eyes flow with tears.
For there is no one in sight who can comfort me
or encourage me.
My children are desolated
because an enemy has prevailed.
#### פ (_Pe_)
### The Prophet Speaks
[[#Verse 17.]] Zion spread out her hands,
but there is no one to comfort her.
The Lord has issued a decree against Jacob;
his neighbors have become his enemies.
Jerusalem has become
like filthy garbage in their midst.
#### ׌ (_Tsade_)
### Jerusalem Speaks
[[#Verse 18.]] The Lord is right to judge me!
Yes, I rebelled against his commands.
Please listen, all you nations,
and look at my suffering!
My young women and men
have gone into exile.
#### ק (_Qof_)
[[#Verse 19.]]Â I called for my lovers,
but they had deceived me.
My priests and my elders
perished in the city.
Truly they had searched for food
to keep themselves alive.
#### ר (_Resh_)
[[#Verse 20.]]Â Look, OÂ Lord! I am distressed;
my stomach is in knots!
My heart is pounding inside me.
Yes, I was terribly rebellious!
Out in the street the sword bereaves a mother of her children;
Inside the house death is present.
#### ׊ (_Sin/Shin_)
[[#Verse 21.]] They have heard that I groan,
yet there is no one to comfort me.
All my enemies have heard of my trouble;
they are glad that you have brought it about.
Bring about the day of judgment that you promised
so that they may end up like me!
#### ת (_Tav_)
[[#Verse 22.]]Â Let all their wickedness come before you;
afflict them just as you have afflicted me
because of all my acts of rebellion.
For my groans are many,
and my heart is sick with sorrow.
## đ Verse-by-Verse Commentary
###### Overall.
###### Verse 01.
###### Verse 02.
###### Verse 03.
###### Verse 04.
###### Verse 05.
###### Verse 06.
###### Verse 07.
###### Verse 08.
###### Verse 09.
###### Verse 10.
###### Verse 11.
###### Verse 12.
###### Verse 13.
###### Verse 14.
###### Verse 15.
###### Verse 16.
###### Verse 17.
###### Verse 18.
###### Verse 19.
###### Verse 20.
###### Verse 21.
###### Verse 22.
## đ¤ Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights
1. The Hebrew title of the book is *Ekah*, meaning "How!", the first word of 1:1 (also in 2:1 and 4:1).
2. Chapter 1 is an acrostic: its 22 verses begin with the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet in order.
3. An acrostic may express grief "from A to Z" and give order to overwhelming sorrow.
4. Jewish and Christian tradition has long credited Lamentations to Jeremiah, though the book itself does not name its author.
5. Second Chronicles 35:25 says Jeremiah composed laments for King Josiah.
6. Jerusalem is pictured as a widow and as a princess turned into a forced laborer (1:1).
7. The phrase that Zion has "no one to comfort her" repeats throughout the chapter (1:2, 9, 16, 17, 21).
8. The chapter shifts from a narrator describing Zion (1:1-11) to Zion speaking for herself (1:12-22).
9. God's judgment is pictured as treading grapes in a winepress (1:15).
10. Lamentations is read in synagogues on Tisha B'Av, the fast that remembers the destruction of the temple.
## đ§ Chapter Summary
> [!note] đą Still growing. This section is on its way.
## âď¸ Christ in This Chapter
Christ is the Comforter Zion could not find (1:2, 16). He is the Man of Sorrows who answers the cry, "Is there any sorrow like my sorrow?" (1:12; Isaiah 53:3), and He sends the Spirit to comfort His people (John 14:16-18).
## đ Key Principles / đ Life Application
> [!note] đą Still growing. This section is on its way.
## đŹ Discussion Questions
1. Jerusalem is pictured as a lonely widow weeping at night with no one to comfort her (1:1-2). How does Scripture give us permission to grieve honestly?
2. Zion admits, "The Lord is right, for I rebelled against His command" (1:18). How can grief and confession go together?
3. "Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by?" (1:12). How do we sometimes pass by the suffering of others?
## âď¸ Key Verses to Remember
- đ verse 1: The once-crowded city sits alone like a widow.
- đ verse 12: Is it nothing to you who pass by? Look and see if there is any pain like mine.
- đ verse 18: The Lord is righteous, for I have rebelled against His command.
## đ Related Passages/Cross Reference
- đ [[Isaiah 53#Verse 03.|Isaiah 53:3]] - A man of sorrows, acquainted with grief.
- đ [[John 14#Verse 16.|John 14:16-18]] - Jesus will not leave us as orphans.
- đ [[Matthew 05#Verse 04.|Matthew 5:4]] - Blessed are those who mourn.
- đ [[Luke 23#Verse 27.|Luke 23:27-28]] - Daughters of Jerusalem weep for Jesus.
- đ [[2 Corinthians 01#Verse 03.|2 Corinthians 1:3-4]] - The God of all comfort.
## đ Devotional Reflection
đ SOAP: [[Lamentations 01 - SOAP|Learning to Cry]]
## đ Internal Notes