Lamentations 5 Study Notes

5:11-14 Hardly anyone in Jerusalem was left unscathed. Women and virgins were raped . . . princes were hung up by their hands . . . elders were shown no respect, young men and boys labored under enormous loads, and the elders, normally a fixture at the city gate, had all left.

5:15 All joy and merriment had turned to mourning.

5:16 The fallen crown symbolized Israel’s loss of honor and glory. The reason was clear: we have sinned.

5:17 Because of this/these refers to the situation and events of vv. 2-16. Elsewhere eyes growing dim refers to the loss of vitality as through aging.

5:18 The once-magnificent city of Zion had become the haunt of jackals.

5:19 Though the city was wrecked and ruined, God’s people could always find comfort and security in him because his throne endures from generation to generation.

5:20 Jeremiah asked the Lord, do you continually forget us? But his goodness and mercy (3:22-24; Ps 23:6) argued just the opposite.

5:21 Only if the Lord restored the people would they enjoy life as it used to be. Such restoration is God’s to give in response to repentance (turning from sin) and faith (trust in God).

5:22 One final question remained: Had God been so intensely angry with his people that he had completely rejected them? No. He would restore and renew them as he had done in the past.