Lamentations chapter 1

Jerusalem was destroyed for her own sins. Jerusalem finally pleads for mercy.

 


 

JERUSALEM WAS DESTROYED FOR HER OWN SINS

 

VERSE 1. How the city sits solitary, that was full of people! She has become as a widow, who was great among the nations! She who was a princess among the provinces has become a slave!

How the city sits solitary. Jerusalem had experienced a catastrophic metamorphosis. It was destroyed.

 

VERSE 2. She weeps bitterly in the night. Her tears are on her cheeks. Among all her lovers she has no one to comfort her. All her friends have dealt treacherously with her. They have become her enemies.

 

VERSE 3. Judah has gone into captivity because of affliction, and because of great servitude. She dwells among the nations. She finds no rest. All her persecutors overtook her within the straits.

She finds no rest. Moses predicted this exact curse:

Deuteronomy 28:65. Among those nations you will find no repose, no resting place for the sole of your foot.

 

VERSE 4. The roads to Zion mourn, because no one comes to the solemn assembly. All her gates are desolate. Her priests sigh. Her virgins are afflicted, and she herself is in bitterness.

no one comes to the solemn assembly. Nobody is traveling to the temple anymore.

 

VERSE 5. Her adversaries have become the head. Her enemies prosper; for the LORD has afflicted her for the multitude of her transgressions. Her young children have gone into captivity before the adversary.

Her young children have gone into captivity. Moses predicted this exact curse:

Deuteronomy 28:32. Your sons and daughters will be given to another nation.

Her adversaries have become the head. Moses predicted this exact curse:

Deuteronomy 28:44. He will be the head, but you will be the tail.

 

VERSE 6. All majesty has departed from the daughter of Zion. Her princes have become like deer that find no pasture. They have gone without strength before the pursuer.

All majesty has departed. The glory-cloud of the LORD God is not seen. The rulers of the city fled in the night. And the city itself is demolished.

They have gone without strength. Moses predicted this exact curse:

Deuteronomy 28:25. The Lord will cause you to be defeated before your enemies. You will come at them from one direction but flee from them in seven.

 

VERSE 7. Jerusalem remembers in the days of her affliction and of her miseries all her pleasant things that were from the days of old; when her people fell into the hand of the adversary, and no one helped her. The adversaries saw her. They mocked at her desolations.

 

VERSE 8. Jerusalem has grievously sinned. Therefore she has become unclean. All who honored her despise her, because they have seen her nakedness. Yes, she sighs, and turns backward.

All who honored her despise her. Those who had liked Jerusalem now hate her.

 

VERSE 9. Her filthiness was in her skirts. She didn’t remember her latter end. Therefore she has come down astoundingly. She has no comforter. “See, LORD, my affliction; for the enemy has magnified himself.”

 

VERSE 10. The adversary has spread out his hand on all her pleasant things; for she has seen that the nations have entered into her sanctuary, concerning whom you commanded that they should not enter into your assembly.

nations have entered into her sanctuary. This desecrated the temple.

 

VERSE 11. All her people sigh. They seek bread. They have given their pleasant things for food to refresh their soul. “Look, LORD, and see; for I have become despised.”

 

JERUSALEM FINALLY PLEADS FOR MERCY

 

VERSE 12. “Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by? Look, and see if there is any sorrow like my sorrow, which is brought on me, with which the LORD has afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger.

 

VERSE 13. “From on high has he sent fire into my bones, and it prevails against them. He has spread a net for my feet. He has turned me back. He has made me desolate and I faint all day long.

 

VERSE 14. “The yoke of my transgressions is bound by his hand. They are knit together. They have come up on my neck. He made my strength fail. The Lord has delivered me into their hands, against whom I am not able to stand.

The yoke of my transgressions. Their own sins had become a heavy burden on their own shoulders.

He made my strength fail. The LORD God brought their strength to its knees.

 

VERSE 15. “The Lord has set at nothing all my mighty men within me. He has called a solemn assembly against me to crush my young men. The Lord has trodden the virgin daughter of Judah as in a wine press.

 

VERSE 16. “For these things I weep. My eye, my eye runs down with water, because the comforter who should refresh my soul is far from me. My children are desolate, because the enemy has prevailed.”

 

VERSE 17. Zion spreads out her hands. There is no one to comfort her. The LORD has commanded concerning Jacob, that those who are around him should be his adversaries. Jerusalem is among them as an unclean thing.

 

VERSE 18. “The LORD is righteous; for I have rebelled against his commandment. Please hear all you peoples, and see my sorrow. My virgins and my young men have gone into captivity.

My virgins and my young men have gone into captivity. Moses predicted this exact curse:

Deuteronomy 28:41. You will have sons and daughters, but you will not keep them, because they go into captivity.

 

VERSE 19. “I called for my lovers, but they deceived me. My priests and my elders gave up the spirit in the city, while they sought food for themselves to refresh their souls.

I called for my lovers. These were the foreign nations that Jerusalem had forged alliances with. Jeremiah had warned Jerusalem to not do that.

they sought food for themselves. Their leaders were profoundly selfish. They did not care what happened in the long run, as long as they stayed in power now.

 

VERSE 20. “Look, LORD; for I am in distress. My heart is troubled. My heart turns over within me, for I have grievously rebelled. Abroad, the sword bereaves. At home, it is like death.

I have grievously rebelled. To sin is to violate God’s will for us. It harms our relationship with God. We all have missed the mark and sinned. Here are the verses we’ve found »

 

VERSE 21. “They have heard that I sigh. There is no one to comfort me. All my enemies have heard of my trouble. They are glad that you have done it. You will bring the day that you have proclaimed, and they will be like me.

 

VERSE 22. “Let all their wickedness come before you. Do to them as you have done to me for all my transgressions. For my sighs are many, and my heart is faint.

 


next chapter »

« previous chapter
(Jeremiah chapter 52)


LAMENTATIONS

CHAPTERS: 01, 02, 03, 04, 05

RESOURCES: Summary, Outline, Memorize

Unless otherwise noted, all Bible quotations on this page are from the World English Bible and the World Messianic Edition. These translations have no copyright restrictions. They are in the Public Domain.