Apparently, the author of the Book of Lamentations either witnessed the events of 587 himself, or heard a detailed account...
Apparently, the author of the Book of Lamentations either witnessed the events of 587 himself, or heard a detailed account of them; in any case, he describes the destruction of the city and the Temple vividly and in detail (vv. 5-9). And the most terrible event for him was undoubtedly the complete destruction of the Jerusalem Temple, down to its foundations: after all, this was the house of God, the place where Yahweh manifested His presence to the people, so that now, together with the end of the Temple, the history of the Jewish people as God's people must also come to an end. If God has left His house, does this not mean that He has also left the people who built that house for Him?
At first glance, everything looked exactly that way, and there was nothing to hope for. Yet hope remained, though of course it was not connected with what the organizers of the anti-Babylonian revolt had hoped for, the revolt that brought Jerusalem and all Judea to final catastrophe. Their calculation was purely political: they hoped for help from Egypt, which for a whole range of reasons never came.
The author of the Book of Lamentations understands that the destruction of the Temple is not accidental, that God turns away from Jerusalem because even earlier Jerusalem had turned away from God, listening not to true servants of God, such as Jeremiah, to whom tradition ascribes the book's authorship, but to "prophets" whose whole merit consisted in flattering the people by telling them what they wanted to hear (v. 14). And all this had been foretold in the Torah, in the Book of Deuteronomy, whose author speaks clearly of exile as punishment for apostasy (Deut 29:22-28). As we can see, the punishment consists not in God Himself bringing calamities down on the heads of His people, but in His leaving them to their fate; this proves enough for the people to suffer a true catastrophe, not only spiritual but also political.
At the same time, however, the Torah also gave hope: in the case of repentance and turning back, God could again return the exiles to the land of their fathers (Deut 30:1-10). The prophets said the same, including Jeremiah: the exile and the destruction of Jerusalem are not yet the end. Everything that follows depends entirely on the spiritual state of the people, on their readiness to comprehend what happened, repent of the sins committed, and turn again to the One in whom they can hope and who will not fail them as the Egyptians failed the rebellious Jerusalemites.
2 Jeremiah laments the misery of Jerusalem, and its causes, and their enemies derision, Lam 2:1-17.
An exhortation to true sorrow and repentance, and a fervent prayer, Lam 2:18-22.
2:1 His footstool - His temple; but suffered the Chaldeans to destroy it. Cast down - That is, thrown them down from the highest glory and honour, to the meanest degree of servitude.
2:2 Polluted - Dealt with them as with a polluted thing; cast them off, brake them in pieces.
2:3 The horn - All their beauty and strength. Drawn back - God hath drawn back his assistance which he was wont to give the Jews against their enemies. Round about - God consumed them, not in this or that part, but round about, as a fire seizing an house at once on all sides.
2:4 He - That is, God, (whom by their sins they had provoked and made their enemy) behaved himself as an enemy. And slew - All their young men, and maidens who were pleasant to look upon.
2:6 His tabernacle - His temple. The places - The synagogues.The king - By the king and the priests are meant persons of greatest rank and eminency, though it is thought here is a special reference to Zedekiah the king of Judah, and Seraiah who was the high priest; the former of which was miserably handled, the latter slain.
2:7 They - The enemies with their triumphs and blasphemies, made as great a noise, as those that sang holy songs, or played on instruments, were wont to make to the glory of God.
2:8 The wall - The strength and security of the Jews.A line - Artificers used with lines not only to mark out places for building, but also for destruction, to direct them what to cut off; and such a line is here meant.
2:9 Among the Gentiles - In miserable captivity. The law - Is no more read, opened or observed. Her prophets - They had but very few prophets, from this time to the time of the gospel, and very few of those at this time alive had any revelation from God.
2:10 The virgins - The whole city is in a mournful posture.
2:11 Mine eyes - This whole verse is but expressive of the prophets great affliction for the miseries come upon the Jews. He wept himself almost blind. Bowels - His passion had disturbed his bodily humours, that his bowels were troubled. Liver - His gall lying under his liver.All these are expressions of great affliction and sorrow. Swoon - During the famine, occasioned by the long siege.
2:12 Bosom - When they died in their mother's arms.
2:13 Who - There was no people whose condition was in any degree parallel to the misery of the Jews: nor was there any cure for them, their breach was like a sea breach where the waters come in with such a torrent, that there is no making any defence against them.
2:14 The prophets - False prophets told you vain stories.Not discovered - Whereas they ought to have made you sensible of your sins, and this might have prevented your captivity.False burdens - False stories to encourage you in sin, and so cause your banishment.
2:18 O wall - That is, those that are upon it.
2:20 Whom - Not the Heathen, but to thy own people.Women - Wilt thou suffer women to satisfy their hunger with the fruit of their own bodies?
2:22 My terrors - As my people were wont to be called together from all parts in a solemn day, so now my terrible enemies, or terrible things are by thee called together.