1. Welcome, Check-in, Opening Question, Plan for this lesson
Opening Question
What do we need to remember after a calamity?
Plan for this lesson
- Review of chapter 3
- Themes of chapters so far - putting chapter 4 in context
- Questions to consider for chapter 4
- Reading the chapter
- Initial responses
- Reviewing section by section with commentaries
2. Reviews
2a. Let's review Chapter 3 and then review the chapters we have read so far:
There are different ways to understand the progression of sections in Chapter 3. Here is one:
| Verses | Themes. | Notes. |
| 1-20 | Suffering and Complaint |
"I" = Everyman; "He" = God - only identified in v. 18 Descriptions of suffering are not specific and are similar to those found in many other places in Tanach, like the book of Job and Psalms. "I am the man who has known affliction under the rod of His wrath" (v 1) |
| 21-39 | Hope |
There is always reason to hope. One must understand that suffering is the wages of sin. "The Lord is good to those who trust in Him" (v. 25) |
| 40-54 | Unrequited repentance. Complaint |
"You" = God "We" = the people. "I said, I am lost!" (v 54) |
| 55-66 | Prayer: God will respond |
"Them" = the enemies of Israel "You have ever drawn nigh when I call You; You have said, 'Do not fear'" (v 57) "You have seen, O Lord, the wrong done me; Oh, vindicate my right!" (v 59) |
2b. Review of Themes of Chapters 1-3
- Despair - The Lament of Jerusalem
- Rage - The Anger of God
- Maintaining Hope in the face of calamity
3. Questions to consider for Chapter 4
- What structure do you find in the chapter as a whole and in individual verses?
- How is this chapter similar to or different from the preceding chapters?
- Who are the speakers in this chapter? Is there an "I"? A "we"?
- What kinds of imagery do you find in this chapter?
- Do you see a progression of elements or themes in this chapter?
4. Our Chapter: Lamentations 4
(א) אֵ יכָה֙ יוּעַ֣ם זָהָ֔ב יִשְׁנֶ֖א הַכֶּ֣תֶם הַטּ֑וֹב תִּשְׁתַּפֵּ֙כְנָה֙ אַבְנֵי־קֹ֔דֶשׁ בְּרֹ֖אשׁ כׇּל־חוּצֽוֹת׃ {ס}
(ב) בְּ נֵ֤י צִיּוֹן֙ הַיְקָרִ֔ים הַמְסֻלָּאִ֖ים בַּפָּ֑ז אֵיכָ֤ה נֶחְשְׁבוּ֙ לְנִבְלֵי־חֶ֔רֶשׂ מַעֲשֵׂ֖ה יְדֵ֥י יוֹצֵֽר׃ {ס}
(ג) גַּ ם־[תַּנִּים֙] (תנין) חָ֣לְצוּ שַׁ֔ד הֵינִ֖יקוּ גּוּרֵיהֶ֑ן בַּת־עַמִּ֣י לְאַכְזָ֔ר (כי ענים) [כַּיְעֵינִ֖ים] בַּמִּדְבָּֽר׃ {ס}
(ד) דָּ בַ֨ק לְשׁ֥וֹן יוֹנֵ֛ק אֶל־חִכּ֖וֹ בַּצָּמָ֑א עֽוֹלָלִים֙ שָׁ֣אֲלוּ לֶ֔חֶם פֹּרֵ֖שׂ אֵ֥ין לָהֶֽם׃ {ס}
(1) Alas!
The gold is dulled,
Debased the finest gold!
The sacred [some translations: precious] gems are spilled
At every street corner.
(2) The precious children of Zion;
Once valued as gold—
Alas, they are accounted as earthen pots,
Work of a potter’s hands!
(3) Even jackals offer the breast
And suckle their young;
But my poor people has turned cruel,
Like ostriches of the desert.
(4) The tongue of the suckling cleaves
To its palate for thirst.
Little children beg for bread;
None gives them a morsel.
(ה) הָאֹֽכְלִים֙ לְמַ֣עֲדַנִּ֔ים נָשַׁ֖מּוּ בַּחוּצ֑וֹת הָאֱמֻנִים֙ עֲלֵ֣י תוֹלָ֔ע חִבְּק֖וּ אַשְׁפַּתּֽוֹת׃ {ס}
(ו) וַיִּגְדַּל֙ עֲוֺ֣ן בַּת־עַמִּ֔י מֵֽחַטַּ֖את סְדֹ֑ם הַֽהֲפוּכָ֣ה כְמוֹ־רָ֔גַע וְלֹא־חָ֥לוּ בָ֖הּ יָדָֽיִם׃ {ס}
(ז) זַכּ֤וּ נְזִירֶ֙יהָ֙ מִשֶּׁ֔לֶג צַח֖וּ מֵחָלָ֑ב אָ֤דְמוּ עֶ֙צֶם֙ מִפְּנִינִ֔ים סַפִּ֖יר גִּזְרָתָֽם׃ {ס}
(ח) חָשַׁ֤ךְ מִשְּׁחוֹר֙ תׇּֽאֳרָ֔ם לֹ֥א נִכְּר֖וּ בַּחוּצ֑וֹת צָפַ֤ד עוֹרָם֙ עַל־עַצְמָ֔ם יָבֵ֖שׁ הָיָ֥ה כָעֵֽץ׃ {ס}
(ט) טוֹבִ֤ים הָיוּ֙ חַלְלֵי־חֶ֔רֶב מֵֽחַלְלֵ֖י רָעָ֑ב שֶׁ֣הֵ֤ם יָזֻ֙בוּ֙ מְדֻקָּרִ֔ים מִתְּנוּבֹ֖ת שָׂדָֽי׃ {ס}
(י) יְדֵ֗י נָשִׁים֙ רַחֲמָ֣נִיּ֔וֹת בִּשְּׁל֖וּ יַלְדֵיהֶ֑ן הָי֤וּ לְבָרוֹת֙ לָ֔מוֹ בְּשֶׁ֖בֶר בַּת־עַמִּֽי׃ {ס}
(5) Those who feasted on dainties
Lie famished in the streets;
Those who were reared in purple [Some translations: scarlet]
Have embraced refuse heaps.
(6) The guilt [NJPS: "I.e., punishment"] of my poor people
Exceeded the iniquity [or punishment] of Sodom,
Which was overthrown in a moment,
Without a hand striking it.
(7) Her elect were purer than snow,
Whiter than milk;
Their limbs were ruddier than coral,
Their bodies were like sapphire.
(8) Now their faces are blacker than soot,
They are not recognized in the streets;
Their skin has shriveled on their bones,
It has become dry as wood.
(9) Better off were the slain of the sword
Than those slain by famine,
Who pined away, [as though] wounded,
For lack of the fruits of the field.
(10) With their own hands, tenderhearted women
Have cooked their children;
Such became their fare,
In the disaster of my poor people.
(יא) כִּלָּ֤ה ה' אֶת־חֲמָת֔וֹ שָׁפַ֖ךְ חֲר֣וֹן אַפּ֑וֹ וַיַּצֶּת־אֵ֣שׁ בְּצִיּ֔וֹן וַתֹּ֖אכַל יְסֹדֹתֶֽיהָ׃ {ס}
(יב) לֹ֤א הֶאֱמִ֙ינוּ֙ מַלְכֵי־אֶ֔רֶץ (וכל) [כֹּ֖ל] יֹשְׁבֵ֣י תֵבֵ֑ל כִּ֤י יָבֹא֙ צַ֣ר וְאוֹיֵ֔ב בְּשַׁעֲרֵ֖י יְרוּשָׁלָֽ͏ִם׃ {ס}
(יג) מֵֽחַטֹּ֣אות נְבִיאֶ֔יהָ עֲוֺנֹ֖ת כֹּהֲנֶ֑יהָ הַשֹּׁפְכִ֥ים בְּקִרְבָּ֖הּ דַּ֥ם צַדִּיקִֽים׃ {ס}
(יד) נָע֤וּ עִוְרִים֙ בַּֽחוּצ֔וֹת נְגֹֽאֲל֖וּ בַּדָּ֑ם בְּלֹ֣א יֽוּכְל֔וּ יִגְּע֖וּ בִּלְבֻשֵׁיהֶֽם׃ {ס}
(טו) ס֣וּרוּ טָמֵ֞א קָ֣רְאוּ לָ֗מוֹ ס֤וּרוּ ס֙וּרוּ֙ אַל־תִּגָּ֔עוּ כִּ֥י נָצ֖וּ גַּם־נָ֑עוּ אָֽמְרוּ֙ בַּגּוֹיִ֔ם לֹ֥א יוֹסִ֖פוּ לָגֽוּר׃ {ס}
(טז) פְּנֵ֤י ה' חִלְּקָ֔ם לֹ֥א יוֹסִ֖יף לְהַבִּיטָ֑ם פְּנֵ֤י כֹהֲנִים֙ לֹ֣א נָשָׂ֔אוּ (זקנים) [וּזְקֵנִ֖ים] לֹ֥א חָנָֽנוּ׃ {ס}
(11) The LORD vented all His fury,
Poured out His blazing wrath;
He kindled a fire in Zion
Which consumed its foundations.
(12) The kings of the earth did not believe,
Nor any of the inhabitants of the world,
That foe or adversary could enter
The gates of Jerusalem.
(13) It was for the sins of her prophets,
The iniquities of her priests,
Who had shed in her midst
The blood of the just.
(14) They wandered blindly through the streets,
Defiled with blood,
So that no one was able
To touch their garments.
(15) “Away! Unclean!” people shouted at them,
“Away! Away! Touch not!”
So they wandered and wandered again;
For the nations had resolved:
“They shall stay here no longer.”
(16) The LORD’s countenance has turned away from them,
He will look on them no more.
They showed no regard for priests,
No favor to elders.
(יז) (עודינה) [עוֹדֵ֙ינוּ֙] תִּכְלֶ֣ינָה עֵינֵ֔ינוּ אֶל־עֶזְרָתֵ֖נוּ הָ֑בֶל בְּצִפִּיָּתֵ֣נוּ צִפִּ֔ינוּ אֶל־גּ֖וֹי לֹ֥א יוֹשִֽׁעַ׃ {ס}
(יח) צָד֣וּ צְעָדֵ֔ינוּ מִלֶּ֖כֶת בִּרְחֹבֹתֵ֑ינוּ קָרַ֥ב קִצֵּ֛נוּ מָלְא֥וּ יָמֵ֖ינוּ כִּי־בָ֥א קִצֵּֽנוּ׃ {ס}
(יט) קַלִּ֤ים הָיוּ֙ רֹדְפֵ֔ינוּ מִנִּשְׁרֵ֖י שָׁמָ֑יִם עַל־הֶהָרִ֣ים דְּלָקֻ֔נוּ בַּמִּדְבָּ֖ר אָ֥רְבוּ לָֽנוּ׃ {ס}
(כ) ר֤וּחַ אַפֵּ֙ינוּ֙ מְשִׁ֣יחַ ה' נִלְכַּ֖ד בִּשְׁחִיתוֹתָ֑ם אֲשֶׁ֣ר אָמַ֔רְנוּ בְּצִלּ֖וֹ נִֽחְיֶ֥ה בַגּוֹיִֽם׃ {ס}
(כא) שִׂ֤ישִׂי וְשִׂמְחִי֙ בַּת־אֱד֔וֹם (יושבתי) [יוֹשֶׁ֖בֶת] בְּאֶ֣רֶץ ע֑וּץ גַּם־עָלַ֙יִךְ֙ תַּעֲבׇר־כּ֔וֹס תִּשְׁכְּרִ֖י וְתִתְעָרִֽי׃ {ס}
(כב) תַּם־עֲוֺנֵךְ֙ בַּת־צִיּ֔וֹן לֹ֥א יוֹסִ֖יף לְהַגְלוֹתֵ֑ךְ פָּקַ֤ד עֲוֺנֵךְ֙ בַּת־אֱד֔וֹם גִּלָּ֖ה עַל־חַטֹּאתָֽיִךְ׃ {פ}
(17) Even now our eyes pine away
In vain for deliverance.
As we waited, still we wait
For a nation that cannot help.
(18) Our steps were checked,
We could not walk in our squares
Our doom is near, our days are done—
Alas, our doom has come!
(19) Our pursuers were swifter
Than the eagles in the sky;
They chased us in the mountains,
Lay in wait for us in the wilderness.
(20) The breath of our life, the LORD’s anointed,
Was captured in their traps—
He in whose shade we had thought
To live among the nations.
(21) Rejoice and exult, Fair Edom,
Who dwell in the land of Uz!
To you, too, the cup shall pass,
You shall get drunk and expose your nakedness.
(22) Your iniquity, Fair Zion, is expiated;
He will exile you no longer.
Your iniquity, Fair Edom, He will note;
He will uncover your sins.
Modern-day reconstruction of Jerusalem during the reign of Solomon (10th century BCE). Solomon's Temple appears on top.
By יוני שפירא - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=44106365
5. Our Initial Responses
6. Commentaries on the chapter and section-by-section
6.0 Chapter 4 as a whole
Delbert R. Hillers, Anchor Bible: Lamentations
The content of the chapter contrasts markedly with that of earlier chapters, especially chapter 3… The point of view is the same throughout, the speaker being someone who has been through the siege and fall of the city. His primary concern is to report the horrors that took place; briefer attention is given to the cause of the catastrophe and at the very end (vss. 21-22) there is an imprecation against Edom and a benediction on Zion. (Comment to chapter 4, p. 86)
Adele Berlin, Jewish Study Bible: Lamentations
The physical and social effects of starvation are graphically described. Degradation is the main theme; those once well-off are now destitute, those once healthy are dying or dead. Much of the effect is achieved by the contrast in color… Heat is another dimension… (p. 1593).
6.1. Section One (verses 1-4) - Children
(1) Alas! The gold is dulled,
Debased the finest gold!
The sacred gems are spilled
At every street corner. (2) The precious children of Zion;
Once valued as gold—
Alas, they are accounted as earthen pots,
Work of a potter’s hands! (3) Even jackals offer the breast
And suckle their young;
But my poor people has turned cruel,
Like ostriches of the desert. (4) The tongue of the suckling cleaves
To its palate for thirst.
Little children beg for bread;
None gives them a morsel.
Verse 4 - Hunger
D.R. Hillers
The famine theme is continued by use of the ‘then and now’ pattern, common in Lamentations (beginning at 1:1) and a staple element in funeral songs. (Comment to Ch. 4, p. 88)
(1) Alas!
Lonely sits the city
Once great with people!
She that was great among nations
Is become like a widow;
The princess among states
Is become a thrall.
6.2 Section Two (Verses 5-10) - Adults and Nobles
(5) Those who feasted on dainties
Lie famished in the streets;
Those who were reared in purple
Have embraced refuse heaps. (6) The guilt (I.e., punishment) of my poor people
Exceeded the iniquity (punishment) of Sodom,
Which was overthrown in a moment,
Without a hand striking it. (7) Her elect were purer than snow,
Whiter than milk;
Their limbs were ruddier than coral,
Their bodies were like sapphire. (8) Now their faces are blacker than soot,
They are not recognized in the streets;
Their skin has shriveled on their bones,
It has become dry as wood. (9) Better off were the slain of the sword
Than those slain by famine,
Who pined away, [as though] wounded,
For lack of the fruits of the field. (10) With their own hands, tenderhearted women
Have cooked their children;
Such became their fare,
In the disaster of my poor people.
Verse 6 - The iniquity (punishment) of Sodom
(כג) הַשֶּׁ֖מֶשׁ יָצָ֣א עַל־הָאָ֑רֶץ וְל֖וֹט בָּ֥א צֹֽעֲרָה׃ (כד) וַֽה' הִמְטִ֧יר עַל־סְדֹ֛ם וְעַל־עֲמֹרָ֖ה גׇּפְרִ֣ית וָאֵ֑שׁ מֵאֵ֥ת ה' מִן־הַשָּׁמָֽיִם׃ (כה) וַֽיַּהֲפֹךְ֙ אֶת־הֶעָרִ֣ים הָאֵ֔ל וְאֵ֖ת כׇּל־הַכִּכָּ֑ר וְאֵת֙ כׇּל־יֹשְׁבֵ֣י הֶעָרִ֔ים וְצֶ֖מַח הָאֲדָמָֽה׃
(23) As the sun rose upon the earth and Lot entered Zoar, (24) ה' rained upon Sodom and Gomorrah sulfurous fire from ה' out of heaven— (25) annihilating [DR: overthrew] those cities and the entire Plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities and the vegetation of the ground.
6.3 Section Three (Verses 11-16) - God's rage at the prophets and priests
(11) The LORD vented all His fury,
Poured out His blazing wrath;
He kindled a fire in Zion
Which consumed its foundations. (12) The kings of the earth did not believe,
Nor any of the inhabitants of the world,
That foe or adversary could enter
The gates of Jerusalem. (13) It was for the sins of her prophets,
The iniquities of her priests,
Who had shed in her midst
The blood of the just.
(14) They wandered blindly through the streets,
Defiled with blood,
So that no one was able
To touch their garments. (15) “Away! Unclean!” people shouted at them,
“Away! Away! Touch not!”
So they wandered and wandered again;
For the nations had resolved:
“They shall stay here no longer.” (16) The LORD’s countenance has turned away from them,
He will look on them no more.
They showed no regard for priests,
No favor to elders.
Verse 12 - No one believed that Jerusalem could be captured
Adele Berlin (JSB)
The Judean belief in the inviolability of Zion, that God would never permit His city to be destroyed…is here attributed even to foreigners… (comment to v 12)
Compare to the ‘passersby’ trope in 2:15
(ו) אֱלֹקִ֣ים בְּ֭קִרְבָּהּ בַּל־תִּמּ֑וֹט יַעְזְרֶ֥הָ אֱ֝לֹקִ֗ים לִפְנ֥וֹת בֹּֽקֶר׃
(6) God is in its midst, it will not be toppled;
by daybreak God will come to its aid.
(ד) אֱלֹקִ֥ים בְּאַרְמְנוֹתֶ֗יהָ נוֹדַ֥ע לְמִשְׂגָּֽב׃ (ה) כִּֽי־הִנֵּ֣ה הַ֭מְּלָכִים נ֥וֹעֲד֑וּ עָבְר֥וּ יַחְדָּֽו׃ (ו) הֵ֣מָּה רָ֭אוּ כֵּ֣ן תָּמָ֑הוּ נִבְהֲל֥וּ נֶחְפָּֽזוּ׃ (ז) רְ֭עָדָה אֲחָזָ֣תַם שָׁ֑ם חִ֝֗יל כַּיּוֹלֵדָֽה׃ (ח) בְּר֥וּחַ קָדִ֑ים תְּ֝שַׁבֵּ֗ר אֳנִיּ֥וֹת תַּרְשִֽׁישׁ׃ (ט) כַּאֲשֶׁ֤ר שָׁמַ֨עְנוּ ׀ כֵּ֤ן רָאִ֗ינוּ בְּעִיר־ה' צְ֭בָאוֹת בְּעִ֣יר אֱלֹקֵ֑ינוּ אֱלֹ֘קִ֤ים יְכוֹנְנֶ֖הָ עַד־עוֹלָ֣ם סֶֽלָה׃
(4) Through its citadels [=the citadels of Mount Zion], God has made Himself known as a haven. (5) See, the kings joined forces;
they advanced together. (6) At the mere sight of it [=Mount Zion] they were stunned,
they were terrified, they panicked; (7) they were seized there with a trembling,
like a woman in the throes of labor, (8) as the Tarshish fleet was wrecked
in an easterly gale. (9) The likes of what we heard we have now witnessed
in the city of the LORD of hosts,
in the city of our God—
may God preserve it forever! Selah.
(15) All who pass your way
Clap their hands at you;
They hiss and wag their head
At Fair Jerusalem:
“Is this the city that was called
Perfect in Beauty,
Joy of All the Earth?”
Verses 13 and 14 - Prophets, priest, and the blind
Adele Berlin (J.S.B.)
Shedding blood is sometimes a cypher [DR: message written in code] for idolatry (Ezek 22:1-5; Ps. 106:37-40). Those most associated with purity and vision are described as the most blind and defiled. The condemnation of the leaders here is even more severe than 2.14 where the prophets prophesied ‘delusion and deception.’ (comment to 4:13-14)
(37) Their own sons and daughters
they sacrificed to demons. (38) They shed innocent blood,
the blood of their sons and daughters,
whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan;
so the land was polluted with bloodguilt. (39) Thus they became defiled by their acts,
debauched through their deeds. (40) The LORD was angry with His people
and He abhorred His inheritance.
6.4 Section Four (Verses 17-22) - The End of the Siege is not the End of Israel
(יז) (עודינה) [עוֹדֵ֙ינוּ֙] תִּכְלֶ֣ינָה עֵינֵ֔ינוּ אֶל־עֶזְרָתֵ֖נוּ הָ֑בֶל בְּצִפִּיָּתֵ֣נוּ צִפִּ֔ינוּ אֶל־גּ֖וֹי לֹ֥א יוֹשִֽׁעַ׃ {ס} (יח) צָד֣וּ צְעָדֵ֔ינוּ מִלֶּ֖כֶת בִּרְחֹבֹתֵ֑ינוּ קָרַ֥ב קִצֵּ֛נוּ מָלְא֥וּ יָמֵ֖ינוּ כִּי־בָ֥א קִצֵּֽנוּ׃ {ס} (יט) קַלִּ֤ים הָיוּ֙ רֹדְפֵ֔ינוּ מִנִּשְׁרֵ֖י שָׁמָ֑יִם עַל־הֶהָרִ֣ים דְּלָקֻ֔נוּ בַּמִּדְבָּ֖ר אָ֥רְבוּ לָֽנוּ׃ {ס} (כ) ר֤וּחַ אַפֵּ֙ינוּ֙ מְשִׁ֣יחַ ה' נִלְכַּ֖ד בִּשְׁחִיתוֹתָ֑ם אֲשֶׁ֣ר אָמַ֔רְנוּ בְּצִלּ֖וֹ נִֽחְיֶ֥ה בַגּוֹיִֽם׃ {ס} (כא) שִׂ֤ישִׂי וְשִׂמְחִי֙ בַּת־אֱד֔וֹם (יושבתי) [יוֹשֶׁ֖בֶת] בְּאֶ֣רֶץ ע֑וּץ גַּם־עָלַ֙יִךְ֙ תַּעֲבׇר־כּ֔וֹס תִּשְׁכְּרִ֖י וְתִתְעָרִֽי׃ {ס} (כב) תַּם־עֲוֺנֵךְ֙ בַּת־צִיּ֔וֹן לֹ֥א יוֹסִ֖יף לְהַגְלוֹתֵ֑ךְ פָּקַ֤ד עֲוֺנֵךְ֙ בַּת־אֱד֔וֹם גִּלָּ֖ה עַל־חַטֹּאתָֽיִךְ׃ {פ}
(17) Even now our eyes pine away
In vain for deliverance.
As we waited, still we wait
For a nation that cannot help. (18) Our steps were checked,
We could not walk
Our doom is near, our days are done—
Alas, our doom has come! (19) Our pursuers were swifter
Than the eagles in the sky;
They chased us in the mountains,
Lay in wait for us in the wilderness. (20) The breath of our life, the LORD’s anointed,
Was captured in their traps—
He in whose shade we had thought
To live among the nations. (21) Rejoice and exult, Fair Edom,
Who dwell in the land of Uz!
To you, too, the cup shall pass,
You shall get drunk and expose your nakedness. (22) Your iniquity, Fair Zion, is expiated;
He will exile you no longer.
Your iniquity, Fair Edom, He will note;
He will uncover your sins.
Verse 17 ‘a nation that cannot help’ = Egypt
(ה) וְחֵ֥יל פַּרְעֹ֖ה יָצָ֣א מִמִּצְרָ֑יִם וַיִּשְׁמְע֨וּ הַכַּשְׂדִּ֜ים הַצָּרִ֤ים עַל־יְרוּשָׁלַ֙͏ִם֙ אֶת־שִׁמְעָ֔ם וַיֵּ֣עָל֔וּ מֵעַ֖ל יְרוּשָׁלָֽ͏ִם׃ {פ} (ו) וַֽיְהִי֙ דְּבַר־ה' אֶל־יִרְמְיָ֥הוּ הַנָּבִ֖יא לֵאמֹֽר׃ (ז) כֹּֽה־אָמַ֤ר ה' אֱלֹקֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל כֹּ֤ה תֹֽאמְרוּ֙ אֶל־מֶ֣לֶךְ יְהוּדָ֔ה הַשֹּׁלֵ֧חַ אֶתְכֶ֛ם אֵלַ֖י לְדׇרְשֵׁ֑נִי הִנֵּ֣ה ׀ חֵ֣יל פַּרְעֹ֗ה הַיֹּצֵ֤א לָכֶם֙ לְעֶזְרָ֔ה שָׁ֥ב לְאַרְצ֖וֹ מִצְרָֽיִם׃ (ח) וְשָׁ֙בוּ֙ הַכַּשְׂדִּ֔ים וְנִלְחֲמ֖וּ עַל־הָעִ֣יר הַזֹּ֑את וּלְכָדֻ֖הָ וּשְׂרָפֻ֥הָ בָאֵֽשׁ׃ {פ}
(ט) כֹּ֣ה ׀ אָמַ֣ר ה' אַל־תַּשִּׁ֤אוּ נַפְשֹֽׁתֵיכֶם֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר הָלֹ֛ךְ יֵלְכ֥וּ מֵעָלֵ֖ינוּ הַכַּשְׂדִּ֑ים כִּי־לֹ֖א יֵלֵֽכוּ׃ (י) כִּ֣י אִם־הִכִּיתֶ֞ם כׇּל־חֵ֤יל כַּשְׂדִּים֙ הַנִּלְחָמִ֣ים אִתְּכֶ֔ם וְנִ֨שְׁאֲרוּ־בָ֔ם אֲנָשִׁ֖ים מְדֻקָּרִ֑ים אִ֤ישׁ בְּאׇֽהֳלוֹ֙ יָק֔וּמוּ וְשָׂ֥רְפ֛וּ אֶת־הָעִ֥יר הַזֹּ֖את בָּאֵֽשׁ׃
(5) The army of Pharaoh had set out from Egypt; and when the Chaldeans who were besieging Jerusalem heard the report, they raised the siege of Jerusalem.) (6) Then the word of GOD came to the prophet Jeremiah: (7) Thus said the ETERNAL, the God of Israel: Thus shall you say to the king of Judah who sent you to Me to inquire of Me: “The army of Pharaoh, which set out to help you, will return to its own land, to Egypt. (8) And the Chaldeans will come back and attack this city and they will capture it and destroy it by fire.” (9) Thus said GOD: Do not delude yourselves into thinking, “The Chaldeans will go away from us.” They will not. (10) Even if you defeated the whole army of the Chaldeans that are fighting against you, and only wounded men were left lying in their tents, they would get up and burn this city down!
Verses 18 and following - 'Our doom has come'
D.R. Hillers
As the siege wore on, the confinement became more and more oppressive (vs. 18), and it was clear that the end was near. It came when the wall was breached, ending any hope of defense.
(6) By the ninth day of the fourth month, the famine had become acute in the city; there was no food left for the common people. (7) Then [the wall of] the city was breached. All the soldiers fled; they left the city by night through the gate between the double walls, which is near the king’s garden—the Chaldeans were all around the city—and they set out for the Arabah. (8) But the Chaldean troops pursued the king, and they overtook Zedekiah in the steppes of Jericho, as his entire force left him and scattered. (9) They captured the king and brought him before the king of Babylon at Riblah, in the region of Hamath; and he put him on trial.
Verses 21-22 - Rage at Edom
- Psalm 137 ('By the waters of Babylon')
- Obadiah 1:10-12 Note that "Esau" is another name for "Edom" here and elsewhere.
A theoretical map of the region around 830 BC (Edom shown in yellow)
By Kingdoms_of_Israel_and_Judah_map_830.svg: *Oldtidens_Israel_&_Judea.svg: FinnWikiNoderivative work: Richardprins (talk)derivative work: Richardprins (talk) - Kingdoms_of_Israel_and_Judah_map_830.svg, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10876701
the day of Jerusalem’s fall;
how they cried, “Strip her, strip her
to her very foundations!”
(9) Your warriors shall lose heart, O Teman,
And no one on Esau’s mount
Shall survive the slaughter. (10) For the outrage to your brother Jacob,
Disgrace shall engulf you,
And you shall perish forever. (11) On that day when you stood aloof,
When aliens carried off his goods,
When foreigners entered his gates
And cast lots for Jerusalem,
You were as one of them. (12) How could you gaze with glee
On your brother that day,
On his day of calamity!
How could you gloat
Over the people of Judah
On that day of ruin!
How could you loudly jeer
On a day of anguish!
Ehud Ben Zvi, Introduction to Obadiah, Jewish Study Bible, p. 1183.
In Obadiah, Edom serves both as a reference to the nation of that name that was considered to be Israel's brother...and also to the nations in general. Subsequently, Jews identified Edom with Rome and later with Christendom. For them, the book of Obadiah referred at least in part to the events associated with the destruction of the Second Temple (cf. Radak), or to future events associated with the coming of the messianic era (e.g., Abravanel).
Verse 22. “your iniquity…is expiated”
Adele Berlin, New Oxford Annotated Study Bible, comment to v 22)
The most hopeful sentiment in the book
Compare: Isaiah 40:2, read on the Shabbat after Tisha beAv.
(ב) דַּבְּר֞וּ עַל־לֵ֤ב יְרוּשָׁלַ֙͏ִם֙ וְקִרְא֣וּ אֵלֶ֔יהָ כִּ֤י מָֽלְאָה֙ צְבָאָ֔הּ כִּ֥י נִרְצָ֖ה עֲוֺנָ֑הּ כִּ֤י לָֽקְחָה֙ מִיַּ֣ד ה' כִּפְלַ֖יִם בְּכׇל־חַטֹּאתֶֽיהָ׃ {ס}
(2) Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
And declare to her
That her term of service is over,
That her iniquity is expiated;
For she has received at GOD’s hand
Double for all her sins.
7. Summary and Prospect
- Theme of Chapter 4: Siege and Aftermath
- Next week we will read Chapter 5, a prayer for restoration. We will also consider the literature of kinnot (Laments) for Tishah beAv that have grown up alongside the book of Lamentations.