(5) Her adversaries have become the head, her enemies are at ease; for the Lord has afflicted her because of the multitude of her sins; her young children went into captivity before the enemy.
In this verse, things are upside down What was once right is now wrong. Not only does the verse show us how messed up things have become since the fall of the temple, but it gives a reason. Israel's sins is what brought this torment upon them. It emphasizes the losses Israel has suffered.
(20) Behold, O Lord, for I am in distress, my innards burn, my heart is turned within me, for I have grievously rebelled; in the street the sword bereaves, in the house it is like death.
Here, it is when we see Israel, personified as a female, pleading with God for mercy. This shows us her weakened and vulnerable state. Israel, once strong and mighty, has been brought down to begging.
Here we see the image of God's hand. Something which is usually a symbol of support, is now a weapon aimed at the Jewish people. What he once helped to build, God has helped to destroy and kill.
The destruction of the temple has bought much more than just general disarray. It has made people lose their moral compasses. This verse shows us this through a graphic, hyperbolic image of a mother eating her newborn baby. Israel, personified is yelling at God, commanding him to look down and see what his "turning" on the Jewish people has caused.
Here we see a repetitive section of Chapter 3. Not only does this show, through imagery and metaphor, what God is doing to Israel, but how he targeted them specifically to suffer.
Here we see a turning point. No longer is the chapter solely focusing on the torment of the Jewish people, but it assumes that there is some hope for them.
This verse dramatically illustrates the suffering which has befallen Israel. The children beg for food and water. But, similar to chapter 1, what was right is now wrong. No one comes to help the children. Not eve God.
This verse can be seen as continuation of the one above, showing the misery that has befallen Israel. But it provides us with a more detailed image of what they are enduring. This verse also has the unique quality of repeating the image found in 3:4.
In this verse we are exposed to an image that paints what the Jewish people have become after their ordeal. They, in a way, have become orphans. Abandoned by their father and left to wander by themselves.
Here we see a rebuttal to the accusations that God has left the Jewish people. Instead it says that he couldn't have completely abandoned the Jews and continues to beg God to restore the Jewish people to their former glory.