Ver. 2. — In the night. Notonlybyday, but even in the season of rest and unconscious- ness. Her lovers . . . her friends; i.e. the QeigWiourii»g peoples, with which Judah had fomed alliances, such as Egypt (Jer. ii. 36), Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre and Sidnn (Jer. xxvii. 3). This is a favourite ■phrase of Jeremiah's (comp. Jer. iii. 1 ; iv. 30; xxii. 20,22; xxx. 14), but also of Hosea (ii. 5, 7, 10, 12, 13 ; viu. 9) and Ezekiel fxvi. 33, 36, 37; xxiii. 5, 9, 22). The national God was conceived of as the Husband of the nation ; and the prophets retained this idea and elevated it, just as they did circumcision and many other Eastum tradiliond.
Ver. 3. — Is gone into captivity beoaoi* of affliction ; rather, u gone into exile, etc The poet is not thinking of the deporta- tion of the captives, but of those Jews who sought refuge tor themselves in foreign lands (comp. Jer. xl. 1 1). An objection has been raised to this view that the number of fugi- tive Jews would not be large enough to warnint their being called "Judah." But we might almost as well object on a similar ground to the application of the term "Judah" to the Jews who were curried to Babylon. The truth may, perhaps, be that, after the fall of Jerusalem, the Jewish nation became split up into three parts : (1) the Jews who succeeded in escaping nto Egypt or elsewhere ; (2) those who were carried captive; (3) the mass of the com- mon people, who remained on their native soil. Keil, however, retains the view of the Authorized Version, only inbstituting
THE LAMENTATIONS OF JEREMIAH.
[oh. l 1—22
"out of" for "because of." "Out of the misery into which the Jews had been brought by the invasions of Necho and Nebuchiidnpzzar they passed into the new misery of captivity. Among the heathen; rather, among the nationt. Between the straits. Tlie phrase is peculiar, and reminds us of Ps. oxviii. 5, "Out of the strait I called unto thee." "A strait," or narrow place, clearly means adversity, just as " a liirge place" (Fs. oxviii. 5) means pros- perity.
Ver. 4. — The ways of Zion do monm. The roads leading; to Jerusalem, nsually so thronged with pilgrims, are desolate and " mourn " (comp. ch. ii. 8 and Isa. iii. 26 ; xiv. 31). All her gates are desolate. No one goes in or out of Jerusalem, and there is no concourse of citizens in the shady re- cess of the gates. The virgins are afOicted. Bo Zeph. iii. 18. The sorrow was on account of tlie cessation of the febtival, in the music of wliich they took a leading part (comp. Pi. Ixviii. 25).
Ver. 5. — Are the chief; ratliei, are become Ihe head. Comp. Deut. xxviii. 44, where, as a part of the curse of Israel's rebellion, it is foretold that " he [the stranger] shall become tlie head, and thou shalt become the tail." Before the enemy. Like a herd of cattle.
Ver. 6. — Beauty; rather, ghry. like harts that find no pasture ; and therefore have no strength left to &;e. An allusion to the atlempttd flight of Zedekiah and his companions (Jer. xxxix, 4, 5).
Ver. 7. — Remembered ; rather, remem- bereth. Miseries. The Hebrew is diffi- oult, and perhaps means wanderings. At her sabbaths; rather, at her extinguishment. The word has nothing to do with the sab- baths ; indeod, a reference to these would have been rather misplaced ; it was no sub- ject of wonder to the Babylonians that the Jews celebrated a weekly day of rest, as th^ had one of their own (labattu).
ver. 8. — Therefore she is removed ; rather, the is become an abomination (literally, an impurity; comp. Lev. xv. 19). The poet leaves out the preliminary clause, " there- fore she is grievously punished." It was the humiliation of Jerusalem, rather than her sin, which broufjlit upon her tlie con- tempt of her neighljours. The destruction of a city is often compared to the ill treiit- ment of a defenceless woman (Iga. xlvii. 3 ; Nah. til 5).
Ver. 9. — She rememhereth not, etc. ; rather, >he thoughl not upon, etc. An allu- ■ion to Isa. xlvii. 7. Lord, behold, etc. This ii the language in which the '• sigh " (ver. 8) finds expression.
Ver. 10. — Her pleasant things; or, her freeious things ; that i», the treasures of the
palaces of Jerusalem (2 Chron. xxxvi. 19), and still more those of the temple (2 Chron. xxxvi. 10); comp. Isa. Ixiv. 11). For she hath seen ; rather, yea, she hath seen. The heathen entered, etc. In Deut. xxiii. 3 only the Ammonites and Moabites are excluded from religious privileges ; but in Ezek. xliv. 9 the prohibition is extended to all foreigners.
Ver. 11. — All her people sigh, etc. The sufferings of Jerusalem did not come to an end at the capture of the city. Some think that this verse relates solely to the miserable survivors. This is possible ; at any rate, it includes the contemporaries of the writer. " Sigh " and " seek " are participles in the Hebrew. To relieve the soul ; literally, to bring batik the soul. The "soul," i.e. the principle of life, is conceived of as having for a time deserted the fiiinting frame. See, Lord, etc. Another piteous cry of Jerusa- lem, preparing the way for the second half of the elexy.
Vers. 12 — 22. — The same subject; JeroM- lem the speaker.
Ver. 12. — Is it nothing to yont The Hebrew is very difficult, and the translation therefore insecure. Keil, however, adopts a rendering very near tliat of the Autho- rized Version " (Cometh it) not unto you ? " t.e. " Do ye not heed it ? " Ewald supposes the phrase to be abbreviated from " Do I not call unto you?" (comp. Prov. viii. 4); but this would be a very harsh construction. The Septua'^int has Ot wphs u/xas ; the Targum, " 1 adjure you ; " the Vulgate,
vos ; — all apparently pronouncing 2u in- stead of lo. At any rate, the object of the words is to heighten the force of the appeal which follows.
Ver. 13.— Three figures — fire, a net, siok- noss, for the calamities which have come upon Jerusalem. From above ; i.e. from heaven. Spread a net for my feet, as though
1 were a wild beast (comp. Jer. xviii. 22). Turned me back. Tlie consequence of being eutangled in the net was that he couhl go no further, but fell into the hands of his pursuers.
Ver. 14. — Is bound . . . are wreathed. Tlie transgressions of Jerusalem are likened to a heavy yoke. So numerous are they that they are said to be " wreathed," or twisted together, like ropes. Into their hands. The Hebrew has simply " into hands ; " following a suggestion of the Sep- tuagint. Budde would read, "Into the hands of adversaries."
Ver. 15. — Hath trodden under foot , rattier, Iwih rejected; i.e. hath punished. Comp. Ps. oxix. 118, 119, where "thou re- jectest [same verb us here] all them that wander from thy statutes" is followed by "thou puttest away all the ungodly of the earth like dross." Hath called an assembly ;
OH. 1. 1—22.]
THE LAMENTATIONS OF JEREMIAH.