Chapter Two

1–10. The judgment of God over Jerusalem. 11–19. The complaint of the prophet about the extremely calamitous state of the inhabitants of the city. 20–22. The complaint of the inhabitants of Jerusalem themselves.

(Lam 2:1-10.) The Lord has severely punished the kingdom of Judah: He has given the enemies of the Jews power to destroy his temple and all the city buildings. Now the people are in deep sorrow and dying from hunger.

Lamentations 2:1. How the Lord has covered the daughter of Zion with a cloud in his anger! He has cast down from heaven to earth the beauty of Israel and has not remembered his footstool in the day of his anger. “Has covered,” that is, covered the city with a cloud of sorrow. — “From heaven.” The glory of Jerusalem was exalted to the heavens earlier. — “His footstool” — this is the ark of the covenant, over which the Lord invisibly dwelt (1 Chr 28:2; Ps 98:5).

Lamentations 2:3. He has cut off in fierce anger all the horn of Israel; he has drawn back his right hand from before the enemy; he has burned in Jacob like a flaming fire, consuming all around; “The horn” — that is, all that upon which the significance of Jerusalem was based. “He has drawn back his right hand from before the enemy” — more correctly: “he has withdrawn (from Israel) his right hand, (which protected and guarded Israel) from the enemies.”

Lamentations 2:7. The Lord has rejected his altar, disowned his sanctuary; he has delivered into the hand of the enemy the walls of her palaces; in the house of the Lord they make a noise, as on a day of festival. “As on a day of festival.” On festivals, when many people gathered in the temple, it was very noisy.

Lamentations 2:9. Her gates have sunk into the ground; he has destroyed and broken her bars; her king and princes are among the nations; the law is no more, and her prophets obtain no vision from the Lord. “Have sunk into the ground” — more correctly: “lie on the ground.” — “The law is no more,” that is, one cannot observe everything that the law of Moses required (for example, the offering of sacrifices). — “Her prophets obtain no vision from the Lord.” Indeed, when Jerusalem was taken by the Chaldeans, the Lord did not speak through prophets to comfort the Jews. After the prophecy, however, came alive again. (Lam 2:11-19.) The prophet expresses his sympathy for the suffering Jews, especially for the children and mothers. No one is able to comfort the suffering Jews, and even strangers rejoice, looking upon their humiliation. Only he who punished Israel can comfort him, and to him the Jews should cry out day and night for help.

Lamentations 2:11. My eyes are spent with tears, my stomach churns; my heart is poured out on the ground because of the destruction of the daughter of my people, because infants and babes faint in the streets of the city. “My heart is poured out on the ground” — more correctly: “my heart is torn to pieces.”

Lamentations 2:13. What can I say for you, to what shall I liken you, O daughter of Jerusalem? What shall I compare with you, that I may comfort you, O virgin daughter of Zion? For your wound is as great as the sea; who can heal you? For the one who suffers, it is comforting to hear that his sufferings are not a single occurrence, that other people have endured similar sufferings, but the prophet cannot find the possibility to find an example that could comfort the Jews in their sufferings.

Lamentations 2:14. Your prophets have seen for you false and deceptive visions; and they have not uncovered your iniquity to restore your fortunes, but have seen for you oracles that are false and misleading. Cf. Jer 6:14.

Lamentations 2:18. Cry aloud to the Lord, O wall of the daughter of Zion! Let tears stream down like a torrent day and night! Give yourself no rest, your eyes no respite! More accurately one should translate this: “Cry out loudly to the Lord, O virgin daughter of Zion!” (Lam 2:20-22.) In accordance with the prophet’s requirement, Zion raises her prayers to the Lord, in which she points out her unbearable sufferings.