John Calvin Commentary Lamentations 2:15

"All that pass by clap their hands at thee; They hiss and wag their head at the daughter of Jerusalem, [saying], Is this the city that men called The perfection of beauty, The joy of the whole earth?" — Lamentations 2:15 (ASV)

The Prophet here reminds the Jews of the miseries by which they had already been extremely afflicted, so that these words seem redundant and somewhat unkind; for reproof is unseasonable when one lies down, as it were, worn out by suffering. As this was the condition of the people, the Prophet ought not to have made their grief more bitter.

But we have already referred to the reason for this, namely, because the Jews, though they mourned and were extremely sorrowful in their calamities, did not yet consider from where their suffering came. It was therefore necessary that they should be more and more awakened, for it is of little profit for anyone to experience suffering unless he considers God’s judgment.

Therefore, we perceive the Prophet's design, why he speaks at such length about the miseries that were seen by all and could not escape the notice of the Jews, who were almost overwhelmed with them. For it was not enough for them to feel their miseries unless they also considered their cause.

He then says, All who have passed by clapped their hands and hissed and moved the head, either as a sign of mockery or of abhorrence, which is more probable. He then says that they moved or shook the head at the daughter of Jerusalem, asking, Is this the city of which they said, It is perfect in beauty, and the joy of the whole earth?

I do not know why some render כלילת (calibat) as "a crown"; it comes, as is well known, from כלל (calal), which means fullness, or anything solid. He then says that Jerusalem had been perfect in beauty because God had adorned it with singular gifts. God had especially favored it with the incomparable honor of being called by His name.

Therefore, Jerusalem was, in a way, the earthly palace of God—that is, because of the Temple. Furthermore, it was there that the doctrine of salvation was to be found. And this promise was remarkable:

From Sion shall go forth the law,
and the word of God from Jerusalem. (Isaiah 2:3)

God had also promised to Ezekiel that this city would be the fountain and origin of salvation to the whole world (Ezekiel 47:1–12). Since, then, Jerusalem had been adorned with such remarkable gifts, the Prophet here introduces strangers who ask, “Could it be that a city so celebrated for beauty had become a desolation?”

He also calls it the joy of the whole earth, for God had poured out His gifts there so liberally that it was a cause of joy to all. For we delight in beautiful things, and wherever God’s gifts appear, our hearts ought to be filled with joy. Some give a more elaborate explanation—that Jerusalem had been the joy of the whole earth because people have no peace unless God is propitious to them, and God had deposited there the testimony and pledge of His favor. Thus, Jerusalem made the whole world glad because it invited all nations to God. This, at first glance, is plausible, but it seems to me more elaborate than solid. I am, therefore, content with this simple view: that Jerusalem was the joy of the whole earth because God had designed that His favor should appear there, which might justly excite the whole world to rejoice.