John Calvin Commentary Lamentations 1:5

"Her adversaries are become the head, her enemies prosper; For Jehovah hath afflicted her for the multitude of her transgressions: Her young children are gone into captivity before the adversary." — Lamentations 1:5 (ASV)

He first says that her enemies had become the head; and by this expression he undoubtedly means power. This way of speaking he borrowed from Moses, for these are his words:

“Thou shalt be the head and not the tail,
in a high place, not obscure” (Deuteronomy 28:13).

He then says that enemies were the head, that is, ruled over them. And the opposite of that is to be understood: that they had become the tail, that is, were under the feet, so to speak, of their enemies. And he says that her enemies had acted successfully, even because Jehovah had afflicted her.

He here laments according to the common practice, as ungodly men are accustomed to do; but he mixes instruction with his mourning and shows that God, in a state of things so turbulent and confused, appeared as a righteous judge. He then recalled them to the consideration of God’s hand when he said that her enemies had acted successfully because God had afflicted her.

Jerome renders the words, “because Jehovah has spoken.” He derives the verb from הגה, ege, which means to speak or to meditate. But this is an evident mistake, as we shall find another soon in this very chapter. There is no doubt that the Prophet intimates that the cause of all evils was that God had afflicted her, even on account of the greatness of her impieties, or of her sins.

He now then begins to show that there is no reason why the Jews should be swallowed up with grief and despair, if only they considered from where their evils proceeded. He thus begins to call their attention to God’s judgment. This indeed of itself would not have been sufficient, but he afterwards points out a fruitful source of consolation. We shall see these things mentioned in their due order.

Prayer:

Grant, Almighty God, that as the deformity of your Church at this day is sufficient to dishearten us all, we may learn to look to your hand, and know that the reward of our sins is rendered to us, and that we may not doubt that you will be our physician to heal our wound, provided we flee to your mercy. And so retain us in the assurance of your goodness and paternal care, that we may not hesitate, even in extreme evils, to call on you in the name of your only-begotten Son, until we shall find by experience that the prayers of those who, relying on your promises, patiently look for a remedy from you alone, are never in vain, even in extreme evils, and also in death itself. — Amen.

[Exposition continues from previous day's lecture]

We began yesterday to explain the passage where the Prophet says that the enemies of Jerusalem had become the head and had been successful. It was a trial that must have grievously assailed the minds of the faithful when they saw their enemies having fortune, as they commonly say, so to speak, in their own hand, for it appeared as though God showed himself favorable to them.

Hence the Prophet assigns the reason, lest the faithful should fall away from religion and the fear of God, and says that the whole of this proceeded from the just vengeance of God, it being his purpose to afflict his own Church. He states not this alone, but adds, on account of the greatness of her iniquities.

For ungodly men sometimes acknowledge that they have to do with God, but yet they murmur and think that God is unjust and cruel. Hence the Prophet not only taught the Jews that God was the author of the calamities that had happened, but at the same time reminded them that they were worthy of such a reward—not only because they had transgressed, but because they had added sins to sins. For this is what he means by the greatness of iniquities.

But he will soon repeat this sentence and enlarge upon it; it is then enough now to state his object. It was for this cause, then, as he says, that her little ones went into captivity before the adversary.

It was, indeed, an indignity calculated to embitter the minds of the faithful to see not only their young men but also infants so cruelly treated. For men always think that they have some just cause to contend with God, especially when the case of infants is brought forward. Who, then, is not disposed to say that God’s vengeance exceeds its due limits? “If his purpose is,” they say, “to punish men for their wickedness, why does he not restrain his wrath regarding the innocent? For how have miserable infants sinned?” But the Prophet here checks such audacity and says that God had just reasons for extending his vengeance even to the little ones.