Most scholars believe this lament dates from the time when Jehoiakim revolted against Babylon after three years of submission (about 602 B.C.; cf. 2 Kings 24:1-2).225
"The second part of God's reply is remarkable, saying in effect, Your tragedy is a miniature of mine.'"226
12:7 Yahweh mourned that He had forsaken the nation and abandoned His people to their captors (cf. Deut. 9:29; Joel 2:17; 3:2).227He had turned over the nation He loved, as a husband loves his wife, to others who were her enemies.
12:8 Judah had become like a lion roaring in defiance against Yahweh rather than as a noble leader of the Israelites (cf. Gen. 49:8-10). Judah opposed and turned against Him, and for this He had grown to hate (i.e., reject) "the beloved of my soul"(v. 7; cf. 9:1-10).
12:9 Judah was like a different, colorful bird among birds of prey gathered all around her to attack her.228The Lord instructed His servants (the angels?) to assemble all the wild beasts that surrounded Judah to come and devour this bird.
12:10-11 Many of the foreign kings had ruined the Lord's people, like unfaithful shepherds sometimes ruined a vineyard. They had trodden the people down so that they had become as unproductive as a wilderness, completely desolate. Furthermore, Judeans did not express enough concern to do something about the situation; they failed to repent.
12:12 The Lord would bring destroyers on His people from the wilderness who would act as His sword and devour them. The whole land would experience war.
12:13 Because of the invasion the harvest that the Judahites would sow would turn out to be nothing but thorns (cf. Lev. 26:16; Deut. 28:38; Hos. 8:7; Mic. 6:15). All their labors to bring something profitable to fruition would come to nothing because their angry Lord would bring judgment on them.
