The Pulpit Commentary — Lamentations — Section 5

were specially Wl'itten for that very fast-day which we ho.ve e.lready con- jectured to have occasioned. the composition of the canonical Le,mentations. The most beautiful of the kinotk is probe,bly that of Yehude, hen Samuel He.levi (twelfth century A.o.), which me,y be known even to some general readers by Heinrich Heine's poem in t.he 'Romanzero,' and which ha.s been critically illustrat.ed. by A. von Oettingen, 'Die synagogale Elegik des Volkes Isra.el n. s. w.' (Dorpe,t, 1853), with which may be compared Delitzsch's delightful and instructive work, 'Zur Gesohichte der jiidischen Poesie.' L&Stly, for a comprehensive article on the Hebrew elegy (m its Biblical forms) see e. paper by Professor C. Budde, of Bonn, which opens the second volume (1882) of Stade's Zeitsckrift for Old Testament studies. For the exegetical and critical literature on Lamentations, we need only refer to the list of works on Jeremiah in Vol. I., adding, however, Bickell, 'Carmina Veteris Testamenti Metrice,' Innsbruck, 1882 (a critically revised text of the chief poetical passages in the Old Testament, mope to be trusted in the Lamentations than in the Psalms) ; Plumptre, 'Jeremiah and Lamentations,' in vol. iv. of Bishop Ellicott's 'Commentary,' London, 1884 (a truly popular and interesting work by e. many-sided scholar}, TIIE LAMENTATIONS OF JEREMIAH. EXPOSITION. of the Babylonian empire. The term is also OHAPTER L freq nen tl y used of the countries under the Vers. 1-11.-A WAIL OF DISTRESS FOB Persian rule (e.g. Esth.i. l, 22), and in Ezra. JERUSALEM. ii. 1 and Neh. vii. 6 is used of Judah itself. Vera. 1, 2.-The fe.te of Jerusalem is Here, however, the " provinces," like the described in le.ngue.ge which resembles here " nations," must be the countries formerly e.nd there the.t used in Ise.ie.h of fa.Hen subject to David and Solomon ( comp. Eccles. Babylon (Isa.. xlvii. I, 8). It is probably ii. 8). the finest passage in the whole book, and Ver. 2.-Inthenight. Notonlybyday, but he.a inspired some grand lines in Mr. Swin- even in the season of rest e.nd unconscious- burne's picture of . the repnblic11n mateT ness. Her lovers . . . her friends ; i.e. the dol<Yrosa- neighbouring peoples, with which Judah had formed alliances, such e.s Egypt (Jer. "Who is she that Bits by the way, by the ii. 36), Edam, Moe.b, Ammon, Tyre and wild wayside, Bidon (Jer. xxvii. 3). This is e. favourite In a rust-stained garment, the robes of e. phre.se of Jeremiah's (comp. Jer. iii. I; iv. co.et-off bride, 30; xxii 20, 22; xxx. 14), but also of Hosea. In the dust, in the re.info.II, sitting with (ii. 5, 7, 10, 12, 13; viii. 9) and Ezekiel soiled feet be.re, (xvi. 33, 36, 37; xxiii. 5, 9, 22). The With the night for e. garment upon her, national God we.s conceived of e.s the with torn, wet he.ir," eto.? Husband of the nation ; e.nd the prophets Ver. 1.-How. The che.re.cteristic introduc- retained this idea. e.nd elevated it, just e.s tory word of e.n elegy (comp. Ise..i.21; xiv. 4, they did circumcision and many other 12), e.nd adopted by the early Jewish divines Eastern traditions. e.s the title of the Book ofLe.mentations. It Ver. 3.-Is gone into oe.ptivity beoe.use is repeated e.t the opening of eh. ii. and eh. of affliction; re.ther, is gone into exile, etc. iv. Bit solitary. Jerusalem is poetice.lly The poet is not thinking of the deporta- personified e.nd distinguished from the per- tion of the captives, but of those Jews who sons who e.ccidentally compose her popula- sought refuge for themselves in foreign lands tion. She is "solitary," not as having (comp. Jer. :d. 11). An objection he.s been retired into solitude, but e.s deserted by re.ised to this view the.t the number of fugi- her inhe.bite.nts (same word as in first cle.use tive Jews would not be large enough to of Isa. xxvii. 10). How is she beoome e.s e. w11rrant their being co.lied "Judah." But widow ! etc. Rather, She is become a widow we might e.lmost e.s well object on a similar that waa gTeat among the nations ; a princess ground to the e.pplice.tion of the term among the PTOvinces, she is become a vassal. "Judah" to the Jews who were curried to The alteration greatly conduces to the effect Babylon. The truth may, perhaps, be that, of the verse, which consists of three pe.rollel e.fter the fe.11 of Jerusalem, the Jewish lines, like almost all the rest of the oho.pier. nation became split up into three parts: We are not to press the phrase, "e. widow," (I) the Jews who succeeded in escaping as if some earthly or heavenly husband intoEgypt or elsewhere; (2) those who were were alluded to; it is e. kind of symbol of carried captive; (3) the mu.ss of the com- desol11tion e.nd misery (comp. Isa.. xlvii. 8). mon people, who remained on their native "The provinces" e.t once suggests the period soil. Keil, however, retuins the view of of the writer, who must have been e. subject the Authorized Ver~i0n, only substituting LAMENTATIONS. .II  2 THE LAMENTATIONS OF JEREMIAH. [en. 1. 1-2'.l.