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1–11. The prophet laments the plight of Jerusalem. 12–19. Jerusalem itself joins in the cry of the prophet. 20–22. The Prophet again complains about the hopeless situation of his people. (Pl.1:1-11.) The situation of Jerusalem arouses deep sorrow in the soul of the prophet. The city, which once had a large population, now sits like a lonely widow. The city, which once stood high above others as a prince, fell into the position of a slave. His shame and humiliation are so great that he never stops shedding tears day or night. He has no friends to help him. Gone are the days when thousands of Jews rushed to the city for the great holiday. The streets are empty, there is no one at the gates. The priests sigh and the maidens are sad. But Jerusalem itself is to blame for its fall; His enemies triumphing over him are only blind instruments of the wrath of God, punishing the Jews for their crimes. Since ancient times, Jerusalem had many good things, but this could not save it from its sins. Now he feels even greater sadness, remembering these blessings he lost in these days of humiliation. Therefore, he complains about his fate before the Lord and asks Him for help. Lam.1:1. How lonely the once crowded city sits! he became like a widow; great among nations, the prince over the regions became a tributary. Jerusalem is now lonely, like a childless widow. Previously, in the days of David and Solomon, he had a high importance in the eyes of the peoples surrounding Judea - the Moabites, Elamites, Arabs, Philistines, etc. - and sometimes became the position of prince for various pagan regions, which were subjugated by the kings of Judah. Now he has become a slave, obliged to serve his conquerors, to provide them with tribute at least in various fields (service in kind). Lam.1:2. He weeps bitterly at night, and his tears are on his cheeks. He has no comforter among all those who loved him; all his friends betrayed him and became his enemies. The peoples who apparently loved the Jews now showed their treachery and even began to oppress the unfortunate Jews on their own side (cf. Ps 137:7; Jer. 25:3, 6, 40:14). Lam.1:3. Judas emigrated due to disaster and severe slavery, settled among the pagans, and found no peace; all those who pursued him overtook him in narrow places. “Judas moved” - more correctly: “Judas was taken captive.” - “Because of disaster and severe slavery” - more correctly: “because of disaster and terrible hardship.” The prophet says that following various disasters caused to the Jewish state by the invasions of the Egyptians and the Chaldeans, the Jews were taken into Babylonian captivity. - “Settled” - more precisely: “they (the Jews) now live among the pagans.” - “And they did not find” - “and they find no peace.” This means that resettlement into captivity was not the last punishment for the Jews; and in captivity the Jews continue to suffer as if driven into a gorge by enemies who do to them what they want. The Prophet here refers partly to the Jews who were resettled to Babylon before the destruction of Jerusalem, and partly to those who had just been sent into captivity. Lam.1:4. The ways of Zion lament, because there are none who go to the feast; all its gates were empty; His priests sigh, his maidens are sad, and he himself is sad. “The Paths of Zion” – more correctly: “the paths leading to Zion.” - “There are none who go” - According to the law of Moses, the entire male population was obliged to appear at the tabernacle of meeting for the three major holidays (Exodus 23:17), and, because of this, whole crowds of pilgrims flocked to Jerusalem before the major holidays. – People usually gathered at the gate to buy various goods brought into the city. Trials of various cases also took place here. - “Priests” and “maidens”. The prophet mentions the first in connection with the previous one. Since there are no pilgrims who came with sacrifices and offerings of various kinds, the priests remain idle and without income. From this we can further see that the Chaldeans did not take all the priests into captivity. Some of them remained in the country and came to look at the ruins of the church. The prophet speaks about maidens because they often increased the joy and celebration of the holiday with their singing and playing musical instruments. Lam.1:5. His enemies have become leaders, his enemies are prospering, because the Lord has sent grief upon him for his many iniquities; his children went into captivity ahead of the enemy. “Ahead of the enemy” - that is, the enemies urged the Jewish children forward so that they would not lag behind the caravan. Lam.1:6. And all her splendor departed from the daughter of Zion; her princes are like deer that cannot find pasture; Exhausted, they went ahead of the driver. “Deer that cannot find pasture” - deer that have not eaten or drunk for a long time can barely move their legs. Lam.1:7. Jerusalem, in the days of its calamity and its suffering, remembered all its treasures that it had in former days, while its people fell from the hand of the enemy, and no one helps it; his enemies look at him and laugh at his Sabbaths. The treasures that Jerusalem had before were, first of all, the church, then the royal power that passed on successively through David’s descendants, etc. Jerusalem remembers all this with grief precisely now, when it is in humiliation. - “Over his Saturdays.” The Jews had both Sabbath days and Sabbath years dedicated to Jehovah. The pagans now mock these holidays and, in general, the Jewish religion, pointing out that all this could not save the Jewish state. - According to the lane. Weissekker: “they laugh at his deposition.” Lam.1:8. Jerusalem sinned grievously, and for this reason it became disgusting; all who glorified him look at him with contempt, because they saw his nakedness; and he himself sighs and turns away. “He became disgusting” - more precisely: “he became like a woman who has uncleanness on her.” - His nakedness - that is, his shame, his sins and vices that desecrated him. - “Turns back,” that is, he is ashamed to look at people. Lam.1:9. There was uncleanness on his hem, but he did not think about his future, and therefore he was incredibly humbled, and he had no comforter. “Behold, O Lord, my misfortune, for the enemy has become magnified!” “Look, Lord...” - before this one should add: “and therefore Jerusalem exclaims.” Lam.1:10. The enemy has stretched out his hand to all his most precious things; he sees the Gentiles entering his sanctuary, about which You commanded that they should not enter Your congregation. The Gentiles were forbidden to participate in the worship meetings of the Jews (Deut 23:3; Eze 44:7-9), and now they even enter the very sanctuary of the church! Lam.1:11. All his people sigh, seeking bread, and give their treasures for food to refresh their souls. “Look, Lord, and see how humiliated I am!” Both during and after the siege, the situation of the inhabitants of Jerusalem was very difficult. They had no bread. - “Reinforce the soul” - strengthen your strength. (Pl. 1:12–19.) The first part of the first chapter ends with Zion’s groaning to the Lord. With this, the prophet, at the same time, makes the transition to the second part, in which Zion itself is introduced as the speaker. He turns to everyone passing by and asks them to see for themselves how great his misfortune is: as if fire were passing through his bones, and his legs were caught in a net. Thus, Zion is punished for its sins. He is betrayed to the will of his enemies, he has no army, and his enemies treat him like workers trampling grapes. How can Zion not cry in such a difficult time? The Prophet himself testifies that Zion will not find help for herself from anyone, and then Zion again begins to speak and confesses her crimes, but at the same time points out the depth of her suffering. Lam.1:14. The yoke of my iniquities is bound in His hand; they are woven and climbed up around my neck; He weakened my strength. The Lord has given me into hands from which I cannot rise. “The yoke of iniquity” is more correct from the Hebrew: “You have made the yoke of my sins heavy with Your hand,” that is, God laid the sins of Jerusalem on it with His mighty hand, like a heavy yoke that is put on an ox. - “They are intertwined” - more correctly from the Hebrew: “they are tied to each other and thrown onto my back.” - “The Lord gave me up” - more correctly: “The Lord gave me over to those before whom I cannot resist.” Lam.1:15. The Lord has cast down all my mighty men from among me, and has called an assembly against me to destroy my young men; As in a winepress, the Lord trampled the virgin daughter of Judah. The image of a winepress is often found among the prophets, cf., for example, Isa. 63:1–6. Proverbs 1:17 Zion stretches out her hands, but she has no comforter. The Lord gave a command about Jacob to his enemies to surround him; Jerusalem became an abomination among them. The voice of the weeping Zion subsides for a minute, and the prophet now himself confirms the fact of Zion’s extreme distress. Lam.1:18–19. The Lord is righteous, for I was disobedient to His word. Listen, all you nations, and look at my illness: my virgins and my youths have gone into captivity. I called my friends, but they deceived me; My priests and my elders are dying in the city, looking for food for themselves to strengthen their souls. Zion's thoughts turn elsewhere and he begins to confess his guilt to God. He is also aware of the groundlessness of his previous hopes for help from his allies: no one helps the Jews, and even the priests and venerable elders are left without food. (Pl. 1:20–22.) Based on this recognition of Divine justice and its guilt, Jerusalem now turns to God with a prayer that He would look down on His city from above and punish the enemies of Jerusalem, who rejoice in its fall. Lam.1:20. Look, Lord, for I am cramped, my insides are agitated, my heart is turned upside down within me because I stubbornly resisted You; Outside, the sword has made me sad, but at home, it’s like death. “Disappointed from the outside.” This expression is borrowed from the book. Deuteronomy 32:25, but the expression like is superfluous. It should be read simply: “within (houses) there is death,” i.e., plague. You might be interested in: