John Calvin Commentary Lamentations 1:9

"Her filthiness was in her skirts; she remembered not her latter end; Therefore is she come down wonderfully; she hath no comforter: Behold, O Jehovah, my affliction; for the enemy hath magnified himself." — Lamentations 1:9 (ASV)

He continues here, I believe, with the same subject; he had said at the end of the last verse that turpitude or baseness had been seen at Jerusalem; and now he says that it was on the very fringes or skirts. The Prophet seems to allude to menstruating women who hide their uncleanness as much as they can; but such a thing is of no avail, as nature must have its course. In short, the Prophet intimates that the Jews had become filthy to an uncommon degree, being so afflicted that their uncleanness appeared on their skirts. This seems to be the Prophet’s meaning. Interpreters think that Jeremiah speaks of the sins of the people, but they are mistaken; for I do not doubt that the reference is to their punishment. They say that filthiness was on the skirts because the people had shamelessly prostituted themselves to all kinds of wickedness, and that they did not remember their end because they had become altogether foolish, according to what is said in the song of Moses:

O that they were wise, and would foresee their end?
(Deuteronomy 32:29)

But let anyone who duly considers the Prophet's design readily agree with me that he is not speaking of guilt, but on the contrary, of punishment.

The Prophet then says that the reproach of the Jews was on their skirts because they could not hide their disgrace. For shame often makes people hide their evils and silently bear them because they are unwilling to expose themselves to the mockery of their enemies. But the Prophet says that the miseries of the people could not be kept hidden, but that they appeared to all, as is the case with women subject to an overflow—it issues forth to the extremities of their garments.

And when he says that she remembered not her end, I understand this to mean that the Jews were so overwhelmed with despair that they did not raise their thoughts to God’s promises. It is, after all, no ordinary source of comfort—and even common sense dictates this to us—to take a breath in extreme evils and extend our thoughts further, for misery will not always oppress us; some change for the better will happen.

Since people are accustomed to sustain themselves in this way during adversities, he says that the Jews remembered not their end. That is, they were so demented by their sorrow that they became stupefied and entertained no hope for the future. In short, by these words, he denotes extreme despair, for the Jews were so stupefied that they could not raise their minds to any hope.

And the reason is expressed: because they had come down wonderfully, that is, because they had been cast down in an extraordinary manner. A noun is used here instead of an adverb, and in the masculine gender, צפלאים pelaim; sometimes we have פלאות, pelaut, but in the same sense.

He then says that the Jews had sunk, as it were, miraculously; but by "miracle" he means a prodigy, the word being taken in a bad sense. Thus, miraculously has Jerusalem come down. It therefore followed that it succumbed to its miseries, so that it could not turn its thoughts to any hope, nor think of another end, but became stupid in its miseries, as people usually become desperate when they think that there is no deliverance for them. He repeats what he had said before, that there was no comforter.

These things should be carefully observed, for Satan today uses various means to lead us to despair. To avert us from all confidence in the grace of God, he sets before us extreme calamities. And when sorrow takes such hold of our minds that the hope of grace does not shine forth, from that immoderate sorrow arises impatience, which may drive us to madness.

Hence, we murmur, and then clamor against God. Since, then, today Satan supplies materials to harass our minds, so that we succumb to our griefs, let us keep in mind what the Prophet says: that Jerusalem, which was then the only true Church of God in the world, was overwhelmed with so many and such great evils that she remembered not her end.

This, indeed, should be understood of external circumstances, for God undoubtedly sustained the minds of the godly, and always so mitigated their grief that they paid regard to their end. But the reference is to the people in general, and also to the outward appearance of things, when the Prophet says that the Jews remembered not their end.

He now encourages them to pray and suggests words to them, for he speaks as in the person of all: See, Jehovah, my affliction, for the enemy hath highly exalted himself. Though the Prophet here represents the Church, he undoubtedly exhorts them, according to the obligations of his office, to entertain good hope and encourages them to pray.

True and earnest prayer cannot be offered without faith, for when the taste of God’s grace is lost, we cannot pray from the heart. It is only through the promises that we can have a taste of God’s paternal goodness. There is, then, no doubt that the Prophet here promises a sure deliverance to the Jews, provided they turned to God, believed, and were fully persuaded that He would be their deliverer.

We now, then, see what is the right way of teaching: even that people are to be humbled, their just condemnation is to be set before them, and they are also to be encouraged to entertain hope. A hand is to be extended to them, that they may pray to God, and not hesitate in extreme evils not only to hope for but even to request aid from Him. This is the order observed by the Prophet. We must learn in adversities always to turn inward to ourselves and to acknowledge our guilt; and then, when we have sunk deep, we must learn to elevate our minds by faith, so that from that state prayer may arise by which our salvation is to be attained.

One thing has escaped my notice: the Prophet, to obtain favor, says that enemies had greatly exalted themselves. And this deserves special notice, for what seems to occasion despair for us should, on the contrary, encourage us to entertain good hope. This is the case when enemies are insolent, behave with great arrogance, and insult us. The greater, then, their pride is and the less tolerable it becomes, the more confidently we may call on God. For the Holy Spirit has not in vain taught us this truth: that God will be propitious to us when enemies greatly exalt themselves in this way, that is, when they become proud beyond measure and immoderately indulge themselves in every kind of contempt.