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Texts -- Lamentations 5:1-22 (NET)

Context
The People of Jerusalem Pray:
5:1 O Lord , reflect on what has happened to us; consider and look at our disgrace . 5:2 Our inheritance is turned over to strangers ; foreigners now occupy our homes . 5:3 We have become fatherless orphans ; our mothers have become widows . 5:4 We must pay money for our own water ; we must buy our own wood at a steep price . 5:5 We are pursued – they are breathing down our necks ; we are weary and have no rest . 5:6 We have submitted to Egypt and Assyria in order to buy food to eat. 5:7 Our forefathers sinned and are dead , but we suffer their punishment . 5:8 Slaves rule over us; there is no one to rescue us from their power . 5:9 At the risk of our lives we get our food because robbers lurk in the countryside . 5:10 Our skin is hot as an oven due to a fever from hunger . 5:11 They raped women in Zion , virgins in the towns of Judah . 5:12 Princes were hung by their hands ; elders were mistreated . 5:13 The young men perform menial labor ; boys stagger from their labor . 5:14 The elders are gone from the city gate ; the young men have stopped playing their music . 5:15 Our hearts no longer have any joy ; our dancing is turned to mourning . 5:16 The crown has fallen from our head ; woe to us, for we have sinned ! 5:17 Because of this , our hearts are sick ; because of these things , we can hardly see through our tears . 5:18 For wild animals are prowling over Mount Zion , which lies desolate . 5:19 But you , O Lord , reign forever ; your throne endures from generation to generation . 5:20 Why do you keep on forgetting us? Why do you forsake us so long ? 5:21 Bring us back to yourself, O Lord , so that we may return to you; renew our life as in days before , 5:22 unless you have utterly rejected us and are angry with us beyond measure .

Pericope

NET

Bible Dictionary

  • Nation

    [nave] NATION Sins of, Isa. 30:1, 2. Chastised, Isa. 14:26, 27; Jer. 5:29; 18:6-10; 25:12-33; Ezek. 2:3-5; 39:23, 24; Dan. 7:9-12; 9:3-16; Hos. 7:12; Joel 1:1-20; Amos 9:9; Zeph. 3:6, 8. Perish, Psa. 9:17; Isa. 60:12. National a...

  • Doubting

    [nave] DOUBTING. Job 4:3-6; Job 9:16-23; Job 30:20, 21 Job 3; 16; 17; 23:15-17. Psa. 22:2; Psa. 31:22; Psa. 42:5, 6; Psa. 49:5; Psa. 73:13-17; Psa. 77:3, 7-9; Prov. 24:10; Isa. 40:27, 28 Isa. 50:2. Isa. 49:14, 15; Jer. 8:18; Jer. ...

  • Patriotism

    [nave] PATRIOTISM. Deut. 26:1-11; Judg. 5:1-31; Psa. 51:18; Psa. 85:1-13; Psa. 122:6, 7; Psa. 128:5, 6; Psa. 137:1-6; Isa. 62:1; Jer. 8:11, 21, 22; Jer. 9:1, 2; Lam. 5:1-22 See: Country, Love of. Instances of Moses, Heb. 11:24-2...

  • Poetry

    [nave] POETRY Lam. 1-5. Didactic Moses' song, Deut. 32. The Book of Job, the Proverbs, Solomon's Song, the books of prophecy. See: Psalms, Didactic. Elegy On the death of Saul, 2 Sam. 1:17, 19-27. Of Abner, 2 Sam. 3:33, 34. ...

  • War

    [nave] WAR Divine approval of, 2 Sam. 22:35. Civil, Judg. 12:1-6; 20; 2 Sam. 2:12-31; 3:1; 20; 1 Kin. 14:30; 16:21; Isa. 19:2; forbidden, 2 Chr. 11:4; averted, Josh. 22:11-34. Enemy harangued by general of opposing side, 2 Kin. 1...

  • Church

    [nave] CHURCH, the collective body of believers. Miscellany of Minor Sub-Topics Called in the O.T., The Congregation, Ex. 12:3, 6, 19, 47; 16:1, 2, 9, 10, 22; Lev. 4:13, 15; 10:17; 24:14. Called in the N.T., Church, Matt. 16:18; ...

  • Afflictions and Adversities

    [nave] AFFLICTIONS AND ADVERSITIES. List of Sub-Topics Miscellany of Minor Sub-Topics; Unclassified Scriptures Relating to; Benefits of; Benefits of, Illustrated; Consolation in; Deliverance from; Design of; Despondency in; Dispe...

  • Famine

    [isbe] FAMINE - fam'-in (ra`abh; limos): 1. Natural Causes 2. Famines Mentioned 3. Divine Relations 4. Figurative Uses The common Old Testament word for "famine" is ra`abh; re`abhon also occurs (Gen 42:19,33; Ps 37:19), and kaphan ...
    [nave] FAMINE Pharaoh forewarned of, in dreams, Gen. 41. Described, Deut. 28:53-57; Isa. 5:13; 9:18-21; 17:11; Jer. 5:17; 14:1-6; 48:33; Lam. 1:11, 19; 2:11-22; 4:4-10; Joel 1:17-20. Sent as a judgment, Lev. 26:19-29; Deut. 28:23...

  • Captive

    [nave] CAPTIVE Prisoner of war, Gen. 14:12; 1 Sam. 30:1, 2. Cruelty to: Putting to death, Num. 31:9-20; Deut. 20:13; 21:10; Josh. 8:29; 10:15-40; 11:11; Judg. 7:25; 8:21; 21:11; 1 Sam. 15:32, 33; 2 Sam. 8:2; 2 Kin. 8:12; Jer. 39:6...

  • INTERCESSION

    [isbe] INTERCESSION - in-ter-sesh'-un (pagha`, "to make intercession"; originally "to strike upon," or "against"; then in a good sense, "to assail anyone with petitions," "to urge," and when on behalf of another, "to intercede" (Ru...

  • AGE; OLD AGE

    [isbe] AGE; OLD AGE - In individual lives (cheledh; helikia): We have scarcely any word in the Old Testament or New Testament which denotes "age" in the familiar modern sense; the nearest in the Old Testament is perhaps heledh, "li...

  • CAPTIVITY

    [isbe] CAPTIVITY - kap-tiv'-i-ti (galah, galuth, shebhuth, shibhyah; metoikesia): I. OF THE NORTHERN KINGDOM (THE WORK OF ASSYRIA) 1. Western Campaigns of Shalmaneser II, 860-825 BC 2. Of Rimmon-nirari III, 810-781 BC 3. Of Tiglath...

  • Servant

    [nave] SERVANT Distinguished as bond servant, who was a slave, and hired servant. Bond Laws of Moses concerning, Ex. 21:1-11, 20, 21, 26, 27, 32; Lev. 19:20-22; 25:6, 10, 35-55; Deut. 15:12, 14, 18; 24:7. Kidnapping forbidden, D...

  • Orphan

    [isbe] ORPHAN - or'-fan: This word occurs once only in the Old Testament (Lam 5:3, where it stands for yathom, elsewhere rendered "fatherless," and in the Septuagint always orphanos); in the Apocrypha it occurs 3 times (2 Esdras 2:...
    [nave] ORPHAN. Ex. 22:22-24; Deut. 10:18; Deut. 14:28, 29; Deut. 16:11, 14; Deut. 24:17-22; Deut. 26:12, 13; Deut. 27:19; Job 6:27; Job 22:9; Job 24:3, 9; Job 29:12, 13; Job 31:16-18, 21; Psa. 10:14, 17, 18; Psa. 27:10; Psa. 68:5;...

  • Wicked

    [nave] WICKED Compared with: Abominable branches, Isa. 14:19; ashes under the feet, Mal. 4:3; bad fishes, Matt. 13:48; beasts, Psa. 49:12; 2 Pet. 2:12; the blind, Zeph. 1:17; Matt. 15:14; bronze and iron, Jer. 6:28; Ezek. 22:18; br...

  • FOX

    [isbe] FOX - (shu`al; compare Arabic tha`lab (Jdg 15:4; Neh 4:3; Ps 63:10; Song 2:15; Lam 5:18; Ezek 13:4); alopex (Mt 8:20; Lk 9:58; 13:32)): The foxes of different parts of Europe and Western Asia differ more or less from each ot...

  • Mill

    [nave] MILL. Jer. 25:10. Upper and nether stones of, Deut. 24:6; Job 41:24; Isa. 47:2. Used in Egypt, Ex. 11:5. Operated by women, Matt. 24;41; and captives, Judg. 16:21; Lam. 5:13. Maa ground in, Num. 11:8. Sound of, to ceas...

  • Jackal

    [nave] JACKAL a carnivorous animal Neh. 2:13; Job 30:29; Psa. 44:19; 63:10; Isa. 13:21, 22; 34:13; 35:7; 43:20; Jer. 9:11; 10:22; 14:6; 49:33; 51:37; Lam. 4:3; 5:18; Ezek. 13:4; Mic. 1:8; Mal. 1:3

  • Women

    [nave] WOMEN Creation of, Gen. 1:27; 2:21, 22. Named, Gen. 2:23. Fall of, and curse upon, Gen. 3:1-16; 2 Cor. 11:3; 1 Tim. 2:14. Promise to, Gen. 3:15. Had separate apartments in dwellings, Gen. 24:67; 31:33; Esth. 2:9, 11. Ve...

  • Israel

    [nave] ISRAEL 1. A name given to Jacob, Gen. 32:24-32; 2 Kin. 17:34; Hos. 12:3, 4. 2. A name of the Christ in prophecy, Isa. 49:3. 3. A name given to the descendants of Jacob, a nation. Called also Israelites, and Hebrews, Gen. 4...
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Arts

Hymns

(Note: In "active" or "on" condition, the hymns music will be played automatically when mouse hover on a hymns title)
  • [Lam 5:19] Great God, How Infinite Art Thou!
  • [Lam 5:21] Awake, O Lord, As In The Time Of Old!

Resources/Books

Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • David realized God's good loyal love (Heb. hesed) would pursue him throughout his life. To follow here does not mean to bring up the rear but to pursue vigorously (cf. 83:15).67The phrase "goodness and lovingkindness"(NASB) o...
  • This book does not identify its writer. The common view that Jeremiah wrote it rests on a preface in the Greek Septuagint, which the Latin Vulgate adopted and elaborated on. The Septuagint version of Lamentations begins, "And...
  • The book consists of five laments (funeral or mourning songs, elegies). All but the third of these describe the Babylonians' destruction of Jerusalem in 586 B.C. and its aftermath. Each chapter exhibits its own special qualit...
  • There are two books in the Old Testament that deal primarily with the problem of suffering. Job treats the problem of personalsuffering, and Lamentations deals with the problem of nationalsuffering. Both books present the pro...
  • The church at the beginning of the twenty-first century is very similar to Judah at the beginning of the sixth century B.C. Our times are very similar to Jeremiah's times. We minister in a cultural context that is remarkably ...
  • I. The destruction and misery of Jerusalem (the first lament) ch. 1A. An observer's sorrow over Jerusalem's condition 1:1-11B. Jerusalem's sorrow over her own condition 1:12-22II. The divine punishment of Jerusalem (the secon...
  • As mentioned previously, this lament is an acrostic in triplets; the same succeeding Hebrew consonant begins three verses instead of just one, as in the previous chapters. The verses are about one third as long as most of tho...
  • 4:21 The Edomites, kinsmen of the Judahites, were rejoicing over Judah's destruction (cf. Ps. 137:7; Jer. 49:7-22; Ezek. 25:12-14; 35), but the same fate was sure to overtake them (Deut. 30:7). They would have to drink the cu...
  • This poem, like the one in chapter 3, contains verses of only two lines each. It is the only non-acrostic chapter in the book, though like chapters 1, 2, and 4, it consists of 22 verses. The doleful qinahmeter is also absent ...
  • 5:1 Jeremiah called on Yahweh to remember the calamity that had befallen His people and to consider the reproach in which they now lived (cf. 3:34-36). The humbled condition of the Judahites reflected poorly on the Lord becau...
  • The writer now turned from reviewing the plight of the people to consider the greatness of their God."In 5:19-20 the writer carefully chose his words to summarize the teaching of the entire book by using the split alphabet to...
  • 13:1-3 The Lord gave Ezekiel a message for the prophets who were devising messages for the Jews from their own hearts and calling them prophecies from Yahweh. He was using the word "prophet"ironically; these were not true pro...
  • 18:1-2 The Lord told Ezekiel to ask the people what they meant when they used a proverb that implied that the present generation of Israelites was suffering because of the sins of their forefathers (cf. Jer. 31:29). They were...
  • 1:2-3 Joel called on everyone, from the most respected ruling elders of the land (cf. 1 Sam. 30:26-31; 2 Sam. 19:11-15; 2 Kings 23:1; Ezra 10:8; Prov. 31:23; Jer. 26:17; Lam. 5:12, 14) to the ordinary inhabitants, to pay atte...
  • 3:1-3 When God would restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem in that future day (cf. Deut. 30:3), He would gather the other nations to the valley of Jehoshaphat (lit. "Yahweh judges"). This is the only passage in Scriptur...
  • 3:16 Habakkuk trembled all over as he awaited the day of Babylon's invasion of Judah, the day of her distress. He could do nothing but wait patiently for the Babylonians to grow stronger and for judgment to come on Israel. It...
  • Another comment triggered teaching of a similar nature. The continuing theme is the messianic kingdom.13:31 This incident followed the former one chronologically. Therefore it is probable that Jesus' words about Jews not ente...
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