The Pulpit Commentary — Lamentations — Section 33

weapons," or "the weapons of death " (Ps. Ver. 19. - Remembering; rather, re- vii. 13), h!ls fallen out. Restore them, and member. It is the le.ngnage nf pmyer. the verse becomes a two-memhered one, like Ver. 20.-My aonl, etc. Thia rendering Its oompanions. To enter into my reins. is difficult. In the next vers'l we read Bo Job (xvi. 12), "He cleaveth my reins "This I r'lce.11 to my mind, therefore I hav~ e.sunder." "Reine," equivalent to" inward hope," which seems incnnsiatent with ver. parts," like " bee.rt," with which it is often 20 e.s given in the Authf)rized Version. oombined; e.g. Jer. xi. 20: xvii. 10; xx. 12. An eqnally gramma.tice.l and still more Ver. 14.-A derision to all my people. obvious translation is, Thou (0 God!) wilt If the text-reading is correct, these are the 1urely remember, for my soul is b=ed rlou,n words of Jeremiah (or one like Jeremiah), within me. The latter part of the line is descn'bing the ill return accorded to his e. reminiscence of Ps. xiii. 5, at least, if the friendly admonitions. But the Me.ssore. text be correct, for the closin~ words do mention Ps. cxliv. 2: 2 Be.m. xxii. 44: eh. not cohere well with the opening ones. iii. 14, as passages in which "my people " The Peshito (Syrie.c) has, "Remember, and is used, whereas we shonld expect" penples." revive [literally, 'co.use to return'] my soul The Syriac Version of our passage actually within me," which involves a slightly translates "to all peoples," and the prefixed different reading of one word. But "e.ll" certainly favours the plural, and so, more tempting than e.ny other view of the in e. for higher degree, does the view we meaning is that of Bickell, though it in- have been led to adopt of the speaker of volves a correction and an insertion, "My this Lamentation (see Introduction). The soul remembereth well e.nd medito.tcth on correction ('ammim for 'ammi) has been thy faithfulness." received by Archbishop Secker, by Ewe.Id, Ver. 21.-This I recall to my mind, etc.; e.nd by J. Olshausen. Their song. A viz. that thou wilt remember me, or, thy reminiscence of Job xxx. 9. faithfulness (ver. 20). Here again there Ver. 15.-With bitterness; literally, with e.ppears to be e. reminiscence of e. paesa"'e bitternesses; i.e. bitter troubles. A remi- in Ps. xiii. (ver. 4). Others suppose th;t niscence of Job ix. 18. With wormwood; "this" refers to the following verses; but i.e. with e. drink of wormwood ( comp. Jer. ix. in this ce.se e. new section would begin in 15: xxiii. 15). We are slightly reminded the middle of a triad (the triad of verses of Pa. h:ix. 21, "They ge.ve me ge.11 for my beginning with zayin), which is certainly meat." improbable. Ver. 16.-He he.the.lso brokenmy teeth with Vera. 22-36.-REBIGNATION A...'iD HOPE- gravel stones; i.e. he bath (nnnatural as it FULNESS. me.y seem in Isre.el's Father) given me stones Ver. 22.-It is of the Lord's meraies, etc.; instead of bread (comp. Matt. vii. 9). The literally, T1i8 Lord's mercies that we are not Jewish rabbi commonly called Bashi consumed. But the " we " is difficult, thinks that a historice.l fact is preserved especially considering the.tin ver. 23 (which in these words, e.nd that the Jewish exiles is clearly parallel) the subject of the were ree.lly obliged to ee.t bread mixed with sentence is, not "we," bnt "the Lord's grit, because they he.d to bo.ke in pits dug mercies.·• Hence it is probable that the in the ground. So too many later com- reading of the Te.rgum e.nd the Peshito mentators, e.g. Grotius, who compares a (adopted by Thenius, Ewald, e.nd Bickell) is passage of Seneca. (' De Benefic.,' ii. 7), correct, "The Lord's mercies, verily they "Beneficium superbe de.tum simile est pani cease not" (tammu for tamnu). !11pidoso." He hath oovered me with e.shes; Ver. 24.-The Lord is my Portion. .A. re.ther, he hath pressed me down into ashes. reminiscence of Ps. xvi. 5 (comp. Ps. lxx.iii. A figurative expression for great humilia- 26 : cxix. 57 ; cxlii. 5). tion. So in the Talmud the Jewish nation Ver. 26.-Shonld both hope a.nd quietly is described e.s " pressed down into e.shes " wait ; rather, should wait in silence. " Si- (' Bereshith Re.bba,' 75). lence" is an expression of the psalmist's Ver. 17.-Thou he.at removed my sonl ; (the Lamente.tions e.re psalms) for resigna- rather, thou hast rejected. my ,oul. The tion to the will of God ; comp. Ps. lxii. 1 words look like e. quote.tion from Ps. (Hebrew, 2); lxv. 1 (Hebrew, 2), e.nd see lxxxviii. 14 (Hebrew, 15), where they e.re Authorized Y ersion, margin. The thought undoubtedly o.n address to Jehove.h. But of the verse is the.t of Ps.. x.xxvii. 7. there is a.nether rendering, which gro.m- Ver. 27.-In his youth. The thought me.tice.lly is equo.lly tene.ble, e.nd which of this verse reminds us of Ps. cxix. 71. avoids the strangely e.brupt o.ddress to God, Youth is mentioned as the time when it is viz. My aoul is rejected (from peaoe). easier to adapt one's self to circumsta.nces, Vere. 19-21.-These verses prepare the e.nd when discipline is most reo.dily ac- we.y for 11. brief interve.l of calmness and cepted. The words do not prove that the resigne.tion. writer is young, any more than vers. 9 aud LAMENTATIONS. D 34 THE LAMENTATIONS OF JEREMIAH. [01:1. m. 1-66.