John Gill Commentary Lamentations 2

How has the Lord covered the daughter of Zion with a cloud in
his anger
Not their persons for protection, as he did the Israelites at the Red sea, and in the wilderness; nor their sins, which he blots out as a thick cloud; or with such an one as he filled the tabernacle and temple with when dedicated; for this was "in his anger", in the day of his anger, against Jerusalem; but with the thick and black clouds of calamity and distress; he "beclouded" ^F18 her, as it may be rendered, and is by Broughton; he drew a veil, or caused a cloud to come over all her brightness and glory, and surrounded her with darkness, that her light and splendour might not be seen.

Aben Ezra interprets it, "he lifted her up to the clouds": that is, in order to cast her down with the greater force, as follows: [and] cast down from heaven unto the earth the beauty of Israel ;
all its glory, both in church and state; this was brought down from the highest pitch of its excellency and dignity, to the lowest degree of infamy and reproach; particularly this was true of the temple, and service of God in it, which was the beauty and glory of the nation, but now utterly demolished.

and remembered not his footstool in the day of his anger ;
to spare and preserve that; meaning either the house of the sanctuary, the temple itself, as the Targum and Jarchi; or rather the ark with the mercy seat, on which the Shechinah or divine Majesty set his feet, when sitting between the cherubim; and is so called, (1 Chronicles 28:2) (Psalms 99:5) .

FOOTNOTES:

• F18: (byey) "obnubilavit", Montanus, Vatablus; "obnubilat", Cocceius.

The Lord has swallowed up all the habitations of Jacob, and
has not pitied
As he regarded not his own habitation the temple, nor the ark his footstool, it is no wonder he should beunconcerned about the habitations of others; as of the inhabitants of the land of Judea and of Jerusalem,particularly of the king, his nobles, and the great men; these the Lord swallowed up, or suffered to beswallowed up, as houses in an earthquake, and by an inundation, so as to be seen no more; and this he didwithout showing the least reluctance, pity, and compassion; being so highly incensed and provoked by theirsins and transgressions.

He has thrown down in his wrath the strong holds of the daughterof
Judah ;
not only the dwelling houses of the people, but the most fortified places, their castles, towers, andcitadels: he has brought [them] down to the ground ;
and not only battered and shook them, but beat them down, and laid them level with the ground; and all thisdone in the fury of his wrath, being irritated to it by the sins of his people; even the daughter of Judah,or the congregation thereof, as the Targum.

He has polluted the kingdom, and the princesthereof ;
what was reckoned sacred, the kingdom of the house of David, and the kings and princes of it, the Lord'sanointed; these being defiled with sin, God cast them away, as filth to the dunghill, and gave them up intothe hands of the Gentiles, who were reckoned unclean; and thus they were profaned.

Jarchi interprets theseprinces of the Israelites in common, who were called a kingdom of priests; and makes mention of a Midrash,that explains them of the princes above, or of heaven.

He has cut off in [his] fierce anger all the horn of Israel , &c.] All its power and strength, especially its kingly power, which is often signified by a horn in Scripture; see (Daniel 7:24); this the Lord took away in his fierce anger, and left the land destitute of all relief, help, defence and protection; whether from its king and princes, or from its men of war or fortified places; all being cut off and destroyed.

he has drawn back his right hand from before the enemy ; either his own right hand, with which he had used to fight for his people, and protect them, but now withdrawing it, left them to the mercy of their enemies; or Israel's right hand, which he so weakened, that they had no power to resist the enemy, and defend themselves.

and he burned against Jacob like a flaming fire [which] devoureth round about ; that is, his wrath was like a burning flaming fire, which consumes all around, wherever it comes; thus the Lord in his anger consumed Jacob, and left neither root nor branch.

He has bent his bow like an enemy God sometimes appears as if he was an enemy to his people, when he is not, by his conduct and behaviour; by the dispensations of his providence they take him to be so, as Job did, (Job 16:9Job 16:10Job 16:13Job 16:14); he bends his bow, or treads it, for the bending or stretching the bow was done by the foot; and as the Targum, ``and threw his arrows at me:''

he stood with his right hand as an adversary with arrows in it, to put into his bow or with his sword drawn, as an adversary does. The Targum is, ``he stood at the right hand of Nebuchadnezzar and helped him, when he distressed his people Israel:''

and slew all [that were] pleasant to the eye princes and priests, husbands and wives, parents and children, young men and maids; desirable to their friends and relations, and to the commonwealth:

in the tabernacle of the daughter of Zion he poured out his fury like fire that is, either in the temple, or in the city of Jerusalem, or both, which were burnt with fire, as the effect of divine wrath and fury; and which itself is comparable to fire; like a burning lamp of fire, as the Targum; or rather like a burning furnace or mountain; see (Nahum 1:6) .

The Lord was as an enemy
Who formerly was on their side, their God and guardian, their protector and deliverer, but now against them; and a terrible thing it is to have God for an enemy, or even to be as one; this is repeated, as being exceeding distressing, and even intolerable. Mr. Broughton renders it, "the Lord is become a very enemy"; taking "caph" for a note of reality, and not of similitude;

he has swallowed up Israel ;
the ten tribes, or the Jewish nation in general; as a lion, or any other savage beast, swallows its prey, and makes nothing of it, and leaves none behind: he has swallowed up all her palaces :
the palaces of Zion or Jerusalem; the palaces of the king, princes, nobles, and great men; as an earthquake or inundation swallows up whole streets and cities at once; (See Gill on Lamentations 2:2);

he has destroyed his strong holds :
the fortified places of the land of Israel, the towers and castles: and has increased in the daughter of Judah mourning and lamentation ;
exceeding great lamentation, for the destruction of its cities, towns, villages, and the inhabitants of them.