John Calvin Commentary Lamentations 5:8

"Servants rule over us: There is none to deliver us out of their hand." — Lamentations 5:8 (ASV)

Another circumstance aggravated the people's calamity: they came under the power of servants. This is more degrading than when the rich and those eminent in wealth and power make us their servants. For it is no shame to serve a king, or at least a man who possesses some eminence; for servitude that is not obviously degrading is considered tolerable. But when we become the servants of servants, it is a most distressing degradation and most severely wounds our minds.

It is, then, for this indignity that Jeremiah now protests, and says that servants ruled over them. Indeed, there is no doubt that they were driven into exile by some of the lowest; for the Chaldeans considered it right to inflict every kind of cruelty upon them. But it was still a very mournful thing for God’s children to be the slaves of servants, for they were previously a priestly kingdom, and God had taken them so fully under His protection that their condition was better and more desirable than that of any other kingdom. Since, then, they had been robbed of their liberty, and not only that, but also made subject to servants, the change was extremely sad. Therefore, the Prophet found another reason to plead for mercy when he said that they were ruled by servants.