# Lamentations 02 đ: The Lord's Anger on Zion
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[[-Lamentations Overview]] | [[Lamentations 01]] | [[Lamentations 03]]
> [!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)
#### × (_Alef_)
### The Prophet Speaks
[[#Verse 01.]] Alas! The Lord has covered
Daughter Zion with his anger.
He has thrown down the splendor of Israel
from heaven to earth;
he did not protect his temple
when he displayed his anger.
#### × (_Bet_)
[[#Verse 02.]] The Lord destroyed mercilessly
all the homes of Jacobâs descendants.
In his anger he tore down
the fortified cities of Daughter Judah.
He knocked to the ground and humiliated
the kingdom and its rulers.
#### × (_Gimel_)
[[#Verse 03.]] In fierce anger he destroyed
the whole army of Israel.
He withdrew his right hand
as the enemy attacked.
He was like a raging fire in the land of Jacob;
it consumed everything around it.
#### × (_Dalet_)
[[#Verse 04.]] He prepared his bow like an enemy;
his right hand was ready to shoot.
Like a foe he killed everyone,
even our strong young men;
he has poured out his anger like fire
on the tent of Daughter Zion.
#### × (_He_)
[[#Verse 05.]] × (He) The Lord, like an enemy, destroyed Israel. He destroyed all her palaces; he ruined her fortified cities. He made everyone in Daughter Judah mourn and lament.
#### × (_Vav_)
[[#Verse 06.]] He destroyed his temple as if it were a vineyard;
he destroyed his appointed meeting place.
The Lord has made those in Zion forget
both the festivals and the Sabbaths.
In his fierce anger he has spurned
both king and priest.
#### × (_Zayin_)
[[#Verse 07.]] The Lord rejected his altar
and abhorred his temple.
He handed over to the enemy
Jerusalemâs palace walls;
the enemy shouted in the Lordâs temple
as if it were a feast day.
#### × (_Khet_)
[[#Verse 08.]] The Lord was determined to tear down
Daughter Zionâs wall.
He prepared to knock it down;
he did not withdraw his hand from destroying.
He made the ramparts and fortified walls lament;
together they mourned their ruin.
#### × (_Tet_)
[[#Verse 09.]] Her city gates have fallen to the ground;
he smashed to bits the bars that lock her gates.
Her king and princes were taken into exile;
there is no more guidance available.
As for her prophets,
they no longer receive a vision from the Lord.
#### × (_Yod_)
[[#Verse 10.]]Â The elders of Daughter Zion
sit on the ground in silence.
They have thrown dirt on their heads;
They have dressed in sackcloth.
Jerusalemâs young women stare down at the ground.
#### × (_Kaf_)
[[#Verse 11.]] My eyes are worn out from weeping;
my stomach is in knots.
My heart is poured out on the ground
due to the destruction of my helpless people;
children and infants faint
in the town squares.
#### × (_Lamed_)
[[#Verse 12.]] Children say to their mothers,
âWhere are food and drink?â
They faint like a wounded warrior
in the city squares.
They die slowly
in their mothersâ arms.
#### × (_Mem_)
[[#Verse 13.]] With what can I equate you?
To what can I compare you, O Daughter Jerusalem?
To what can I liken you
so that I might comfort you, O Virgin Daughter Zion?
Your wound is as deep as the sea.
Who can heal you?
#### × Â (_Nun_)
[[#Verse 14.]]Â Your prophets saw visions for you
that were worthless whitewash.
They failed to expose your sin
so as to restore your fortunes.
They saw oracles for you
that were worthless lies.
#### ץ (_Samek_)
[[#Verse 15.]]Â All who passed by on the road
clapped their hands to mock you.
They sneered and shook their heads
at Daughter Jerusalem.
âHa! Is this the city they called
âthe perfection of beauty,
the source of joy of the whole earth!â?â
#### פ (_Pe_)
[[#Verse 16.]]Â All your enemies
gloated over you.
They sneered and gnashed their teeth;
they said, âWe have destroyed her!
Ha! We have waited a long time for this day.
We have lived to see it!â
#### ע (_Ayin_)
[[#Verse 17.]] The Lord has done what he planned;
he has fulfilled his promise
that he threatened long ago:
He has overthrown you without mercy
and has enabled the enemy to gloat over you;
he has exalted your adversariesâ power.
#### **׌** (_Tsade_)
[[#Verse 18.]] Cry out from your heart to the Lord,
O wall of Daughter Zion!
Make your tears flow like a river
all day and all night long!
Do not rest;
do not let your tears stop!
#### ק (_Qof_)
[[#Verse 19.]]Â Get up! Cry out in the night
when the night watches start!
Pour out your heart like water
before the face of the Lord!
Lift up your hands to him
for your childrenâs lives;
they are fainting from hunger
at every street corner.
#### ר (_Resh_)
### Jerusalem Speaks
[[#Verse 20.]] Look, O Lord! Consider!
Whom have you ever afflicted like this?
Should women eat their offspring,
their healthy infants?
Should priest and prophet
be killed in the Lordâs sanctuary?
#### ׊ (_Sin/Shin_)
[[#Verse 21.]]Â The young boys and old men
lie dead on the ground in the streets.
My young women and my young men
have fallen by the sword.
You killed them when you were angry;
you slaughtered them without mercy.
#### ת (_Tav_)
[[#Verse 22.]]Â As if it were a feast day, you call
enemies to terrify me on every side.
On the day of the Lordâs anger
no one escaped or survived.
My enemy has finished off
those healthy infants whom I bore and raised.
## 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. Chapter 2 is an acrostic of 22 verses.
2. In chapters 2, 3, and 4, the Hebrew letter *pe* comes before *ayin*, while chapter 1 follows the usual order. Scholars still discuss why.
3. God is said to have destroyed His own tabernacle like a garden hut (2:6).
4. Festivals and Sabbaths were forgotten in Zion (2:6), because the temple and its worship were gone.
5. The prophets no longer received visions from the Lord (2:9).
6. The elders sat on the ground in silence, with dust on their heads and sackcloth on their bodies (2:10), traditional signs of mourning.
7. Children fainted from hunger in the streets (2:11-12).
8. Passersby asked, "Is this the city called the perfection of beauty?" (2:15), echoing Psalm 48:2 and Psalm 50:2.
9. The Lord "has done what He planned" (2:17), pointing back to the covenant warnings in Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28.
10. The night "watches" (2:19) were the divisions of the night when guards stood duty.
## đ§ Chapter Summary
> [!note] đą Still growing. This section is on its way.
## âď¸ Christ in This Chapter
Christ is the One who bore the mockery of passersby. Those who passed Jerusalem clapped their hands and shook their heads (2:15), and those who passed the cross shook their heads at Jesus (Matthew 27:39) as He carried the judgment we deserved.
## đ Key Principles / đ Life Application
> [!note] đą Still growing. This section is on its way.
## đŹ Discussion Questions
1. The Lord is described as acting like an enemy toward Jerusalem (2:5). How do we hold together God's love and His judgment?
2. The prophets gave false and misleading visions instead of exposing sin (2:14). Why is it unloving to ignore sin?
3. The poet urges, "Pour out your heart like water before the Lord" (2:19). What would it look like for you to pray that honestly?
## âď¸ Key Verses to Remember
- đ verse 14: Your prophets saw false visions and did not expose your sin to restore your fortunes.
- đ verse 17: The Lord has done what He planned and fulfilled His word from long ago.
- đ verse 19: Arise, cry out in the night, and pour out your heart like water before the Lord.
## đ Related Passages/Cross Reference
- đ [[Matthew 27#Verse 39.|Matthew 27:39-40]] - Passersby shake their heads at Jesus.
- đ [[Psalm 62#Verse 08.|Psalm 62:8]] - Pour out your heart before Him.
- đ [[Psalm 48#Verse 02.|Psalm 48:2]] - Zion, beautiful in elevation.
- đ [[Deuteronomy 28#Verse 15.|Deuteronomy 28:15]] - The covenant warnings for disobedience.
- đ [[Hebrews 12#Verse 06.|Hebrews 12:6]] - The Lord disciplines those He loves.
## đ Devotional Reflection
đ SOAP: [[Lamentations 02 - SOAP|Lord, Why Have You Abandoned Us?]]
## đ Internal Notes