John Gill Commentary Lamentations 1

How does the city sit solitary, that was full of people !
&c.] These are the words of Jeremiah; so the Targum introduces them, ``Jeremiah the prophet and high priest said;'' and began thus, "how"; not inquiring the reasons of this distress and ruin; but as amazed and astonished at it; and commiserating the sad case of the city of Jerusalem, which a little time ago was exceeding populous; had thousands of inhabitants in it; besides those that came from other parts to see it, or trade with it: and especially when the king of Babylon had invaded the land, which drove vast numbers to Jerusalem for safety; and which was the case afterwards when besieged by the Romans; at which time, as Josephus ^F6 relates, there were eleven hundred thousand persons; and very probably a like number was in it before the destruction of it by the Chaldeans, who all perished through famine, pestilence, and the sword; or were carried captive; or made their escape; so that the city, as was foretold it should, came to be without any inhabitant;

and therefore is represented as "sitting", which is the posture of mourners; and as "solitary", or "alone" ^F7 , like a menstruous woman in her separation, to which it is compared, (Lamentations 1:17) ; or as a leper removed from the society of men; so the Targum, ``as a man that has the plague of leprosy on his flesh, that dwells alone;'' or rather as a woman deprived of her husband and children; as follows:

[how] is she become as a widow !
her king, that was her head and husband, being taken from her, and carried captive; and God, who was the husband also of the Jewish people, having departed from them, and so left in a state of widowhood. Jarchi ^F8 observes that it is not said a widow simply, but as a widow. This is because her husband would return again, and therefore only during this state of captivity was she like one. But Broughton takes the "caph" not to be a note of similitude, but of reality; and renders it, "she is become a very widow". Vespasian, when he had conquered Judea, struck a medal, on one side of which was a woman sitting under a palm tree in a plaintive and pensive posture, with this inscription, "Judea Capta", as Grotius observes:

she [that was] great among the nations, and princess among the
provinces, [how] is she become tributary !
that ruled over many nations, having subdued them, and to whom they paid tribute, as the Philistines, Moabites, Syrians, and Edomites, in the times of David and Solomon; but since obliged to pay tribute herself, first to Pharaohnecho, king of Egypt; then to the king of Babylon in the times of Jehoiakim; and last of all in the times of Zedekiah; so the Targum, ``she that was great among the people, and ruled over the provinces that paid tribute to her, returns to be depressed; and after this to give tribute to them.''

FOOTNOTES:

• F6: De Bello Jud. l. 6. c. 9. sect. 3.
• F7: (ddb) "sola", V. L. Montanus.
• F8: E Talmud Bab. Sanhedrin. fol. 104. 1. & Taanith, fol. 20. 1.

She weepeth sore in the night
Or, "weeping weeps" ^F9 ; two weepings, one for the first, the other for the second temples ^F11 ; and while others are taking their sleep and rest; a season fit for mourners, when they can give their grief the greater vent, without any interruption from others; and it being now a night of affliction with her, which occasioned this sore weeping.

Jarchi observes, that it was in the night that the temple was burnt: and her tears [are] on her cheeks ; continue there, being always flowing, and never wholly dried up; which shows how great her grief was, and that her weeping was without intermission; or otherwise tears do not lie long, but are soon dried up, or wiped off:

among all her lovers she has none to comfort [her] ; as the Assyrians formerly were, (Ezekiel 23:5Ezekiel 23:9Ezekiel 23:12) ; and more lately the Egyptians her allies and confederates, in whom she trusted; but these gave her no assistance; nor yielded her any relief in her distress; nor so much as spoke one word of comfort to her:

all her friends have dealt treacherously with her, they are become her
enemies ; those who pretended great friendship to her, and were in strict alliance with her, acted the treacherous part, and withdrew from her, leaving her to the common enemy; and not only so, but behaved towards her in a hostile manner themselves; for "the children of Noph and Tahapanes", places in Egypt confederate with the Jews, are said to "have broken the crown of their head", (Jeremiah 2:16) .

The Targum interprets the "lovers" of the "idols" she loved to follow, who now could be of no use to her by way of comfort.

FOOTNOTES:

• F9: (hkbt hkb) "plorando plorat", Vatablus; "plorando plorabit", Pagninus, Montanus.
• F11: T. Sanhedr. ib. col. 2.

Judah is gone into captivity
Not only Jerusalem the metropolis of Judea was destroyed, but the whole country was ravaged, and the inhabitants of it carried captive into Babylon: because of affliction, and because of great servitude ; because of their sins in oppressing and afflicting their poor brethren, and retaining them in a state of bondage after their seven years' servitude, contrary to the law of God; for which they were threatened with captivity, (Jeremiah 34:13–22).

So the Targum, ``the house of Judah went into captivity, because they afflicted the fatherless and the widows; and because of the multitude of service which they caused their brethren the children of Israel to serve, who were sold unto them; and they did not proclaim liberty to their servants and maidens, who were of the seed of Israel:''

Or, "through affliction, and through great servitude" ^F12 ; that is, through the affliction and servitude they suffered by the Chaldeans, into whose hands they fell; though some understand it of the Jews, who, to escape the affliction and servitude of the Chaldeans, went into a kind of voluntary captivity, fleeing to the countries of Moab, Ammon, and Edom, during the siege of Jerusalem by the Chaldeans; see (Jeremiah 40:11Jeremiah 40:12).

she dwelleth among the Heathen; the uncircumcised and the unclean ; and so was deprived of both her civil and religious liberties; having no opportunity of worshipping God, and enjoying him in his courts, as formerly; and which must be very uncomfortable living, especially to those who were truly gracious:

she findeth no rest .The Targum adds, ``because of the hard service to which they subjected her;'' she found no natural rest, being carried from place to place; nor civil rest, being kept in hard bondage; nor spiritual rest, being deprived of the worship and ordinances of God; and being conscious of her sins, which had brought all this misery on her:

all her persecutors overtook her between the straits ;having hunted her as men hunt wild beasts, and get them into some strait and difficult place, and then seize on them. The Targum interprets it, between the borders; or between the hedges, as Ben Melech; and so Jarchi, of the borders of a field and vineyard; and of a ditch on the one side and the other, that there is no room to escape; and who makes mention of a Midrash, that explains it not of place, but time, between the seventeenth day of Tammuz, and the ninth of Ab; see (Jeremiah 52:7Jeremiah 52:8).

FOOTNOTES:

• F12: (ynem) "per afflictionem"; (j) "hic, non [prae], sed per significat", Grotius; "[vel] prae afflictione, [sub.] a Chaldaeis perpessa"; so some in Vatablus.

The ways of Zion do mourn
Being unoccupied, as in (Judges 5:6); or unfrequented: this is said by a rhetorical figure; as ways may be said to rejoice, or look pleasant and cheerful, when there are many passengers in them, going to and fro; so they may be said to mourn, or to look dull and melancholy, when no person is met with, or seen in them; thus Jerusalem and the temple being destroyed, the ways which led from the one to the other, and in which great numbers used to be seen going up to the worship of God, which was pleasant to behold, (Psalms 42:4); now not one walking in them, and all overgrown with grass; and those roads which led from the several parts of the land to Jerusalem, whither the ten tribes went up to worship three times in the year, and used to travel in companies, which made it delightful, comfortable, and pleasant to look at. Now none are seen upon them; which was matter of grief to those that wished well to Zion; as it is to all truly godly persons to observe that the ways and worship of God are not frequented; that there are few inquiring the way to Zion above, or travelling in the road to heaven.

It is also grievous when there are few that worship God in Zion below, or ask the way unto it, or walk in the ordinances of it: because none come to the solemn feasts.
Aben Ezra understands this of the sanctuary itself; which sense Abendana mentions; expressed by the word here used; and so called, because all Israel were convened here; but the Targum and Jarchi more rightly interpret it of the feasts, the three solemn feasts of the passover, pentecost, and tabernacles, at which all the males in Israel were obliged to appear.

But now, the temple and city being in ruins, none came to them, which was a very distressing case. It is likewise distressing to good men, when upon whatever occasion, either through persecution, or through sloth and negligence, the ministry of the word, and the administration of ordinances, particularly the Lord's supper, the solemn feasts under the Gospel dispensation, are not attended to: all her gates are desolate ;
the gates of the temple; none passing through them into it to worship God, pray unto him, praise him, or offer sacrifice; or the gates of the city, none going to and fro in them; nor the elders sitting there in council, as in courts of judicature, to try causes, and do justice and judgment:

her priests sigh ;
the temple burnt; altars destroyed, and no sacrifices brought to be offered; and so no employment for them, and consequently no bread; but utterly deprived of their livelihood, and had good reason to sigh. The Targum adds,

``because the offerings ceased:'' her virgins are afflicted ;
or, "are sorrowful" <sup>F13</sup>; are in grief and mourning, that used to be brisk and gay, and to play with timbrels at their festivals; so the Targum paraphrases it, ``the virgins mourn because they cease to go out on the fifteenth of Ab, and on the day of atonement, which was the tenth of Tisri, to dance in the dances:''

and she [is] in bitterness ;
that is, Zion; or the congregation of Israel is in bitterness of spirit, in great affliction and distress; her name might be rightly called Marah; see (Ruth 1:20) .

FOOTNOTES:

• F13: (twgwn) "moestae", Junius & Tremellius, moestae", Piscator; "moestitia affectae sunt", Cocceius.

Her adversaries are the chief
Or, "for the head" ^F14; or are the head, as was threatened, (Deuteronomy 28:44); and now fulfilled; the Chaldeans having got the dominion over the Jews, and obliged them to be subject to them: her enemies prosper; in wealth and riches, in grandeur and glory; live in ease and tranquillity, enjoying all outward felicity and happiness; while Zion was in distress; which was an aggravation of it; and yet this was but righteous judgment: for the Lord has afflicted her; who is righteous in all his ways: the Chaldeans were but instruments; the evil was from the Lord, according to his will and righteous determination, as appears by what follows:

for the multitude of her transgressions: her children are gone into
captivity before the enemy; that is, the inhabitants of Jerusalem and Judea were carried captive by the enemy, and driven before them as a flock of sheep, and that for the sins of the nation; and these were not a few, but were very numerous, as Mordecai and Ezekiel, and others, who were carried captive young with Jeconiah, as well as many now.

FOOTNOTES:

• F14: (varl) "in caput", Vatablus, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator; "facti sunt caput", Cocceius.