John Calvin Commentary Lamentations 2:13

"What shall I testify unto thee? what shall I liken to thee, O daughter of Jerusalem? What shall I compare to thee, that I may comfort thee, O virgin daughter of Zion? For thy breach is great like the sea: who can heal thee?" — Lamentations 2:13 (ASV)

When we wish to alleviate grief, we are accustomed to bring examples that have some likeness to the case before us. For when anyone seeks to comfort someone in illness, he will say, “You are not the first nor the last; you have many like you. Why should you so much torment yourself? For this is a condition almost common to mortals.” Since, then, it is an ordinary way of alleviating grief to bring forward examples, the Prophet says, “What examples shall I set before you? That is, why or to what purpose should I mention to you this or that person who is like you? Or, What then shall I call thee to witness, or testify to thee?” But I prefer this rendering: “To what purpose should I bring witnesses to you, who may say that they have seen something of a similar kind? For these things will be of no use to you.”

The Prophet, then, means that comforts commonly administered to those in misery would be of no benefit, because the calamity of Jerusalem exceeded all other examples, as if he had said, “No such thing had ever happened in the world; God had never before thundered so tremendously against any people. Were I, then, to seek to bring examples to you, I should be utterly at a loss; for when I compare you with others in misery, I find that you exceed them all.”

We now, then, perceive the meaning of the Prophet: he wished by this mode of speaking to exaggerate the grievousness of Jerusalem’s calamity, for she had been afflicted in a manner unusual and unheard of before, as if he had said that the Jews had become miserable beyond all other nations.

Why then should I bring witnesses before thee? And why should I make anyone like thee? Why should I make other miserable people equal to thee? He adds the reason or the purpose (for the ו, vau, here ought to be so rendered) that I might comfort thee, that is, after the usual manner of men.

He afterward adds, because great as the sea is thy breach or breaking; that is, your calamity is the deepest abyss.

I cannot then find anyone in the whole world whom I can compare to you, for your calamity exceeds all calamities; nor is there anything like it that can be set before you, so that you have become a memorable example for all ages.

But when we hear the Prophet speaking thus, we should remember that we have succeeded to the place of the ancient people. Since, then, God formerly punished the sins of his chosen people with so much severity, we should beware lest we today provoke him to an extremity by our perverseness, for he always remains like himself.

However, whenever we are severely afflicted and broken down by his hand, let us still know that there is yet some comfort remaining for us, even when sunk in the lowest depth.

Indeed, the Prophet exaggerates the evils of the people in this place; but he had previously begun to encourage the faithful to entertain hope, and he will again repeat the same doctrine. It was necessary, however, for the Prophet to use such words until those who were still torpid in their sins, and did not sufficiently consider the purpose of God’s vengeance, were truly humbled.