Thomas Aquinas Commentary Lamentations 1:5

"Her adversaries are become the head, her enemies prosper; For Jehovah hath afflicted her for the multitude of her transgressions: Her young children are gone into captivity before the adversary." — Lamentations 1:5 (ASV)

Here the prophet weeps over the oppression of the captives.

He weeps first for the captivity of the children, and second, for the adults, as it is written: and from the daughter of Zion all her beauty is departed (Lamentations 1:6).

Concerning the first of these—the captivity of the children—he makes three points.

1. He describes the exaltation of Israel’s enemies in power. Her adversaries, namely the Chaldeans, have become her lords, as if dominating them. Regarding riches, her enemies are enriched. As it is written, He shall be as the head, and you shall be the tail (Deuteronomy 28:44).
2. He gives the reason for this exaltation: it is because the Lord has spoken, pronouncing judgments against her, so to speak, either by inspiring nations to attack or by making predictions through Moses. This judgment is for the multitude of her iniquities, as Jeremiah prophesied: I will suddenly speak against a nation, and against a kingdom, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy it (Jeremiah 18:7).
3. He presents the captivity of her children, that is, the little children of the people. As Isaiah says, Therefore is my people led away captive, because they had not knowledge (Isaiah 5:13).

At the beginning of this verse is the Hebrew letter He, signifying that these are the judgments the Lord spoke through Moses.

This is the eighth topic of complaint.See previous note.

When the text says, for the multitude, this introduces the first part of what is known in rhetoric as an assumptive argument, specifically, a concession.“And the judicial kind is itself also distributed under two divisions—one absolute, and one which takes in something besides as an addition, and which may be called assumptive. The absolute division is that which of itself contains in itself an inquiry into right and wrong. The assumptive one is that which of itself supplies no firm ground for objection, but which takes to itself some topics for defense derived from extraneous circumstances. And its divisions are four—concession, removal of the accusation from oneself, a retorting of the accusation, and comparison. Concession when the person on his trial does not defend the deed that has been done, but entreats to be pardoned for it: and this again is divided into two parts—purgation and deprecation. Purgation is when the fact is admitted, but when the guilt of the fact is sought to be done away. And this may be on three grounds—of ignorance, of accident, or of necessity. Deprecation is when the person on his trial confesses that he has done wrong, and that he has done wrong on purpose, and nevertheless entreats to be pardoned. But this kind of address can be used but very rarely” (Cicero, De inventione 1.11).

Allegorically, her adversaries are the heretics who extinguish knowledge in the Church. They have become her lords by prevailing in disputes, and they are enriched by their eloquence. The Lord has spoken in that He has permitted this. Her children are new believers, and they are led into captivity when they are separated from the Church.

Morally, her adversaries are the demons. They have become her lords by corrupting our intentions, and they are enriched by the multiplicity of our sins. The Lord has spoken by permitting this. Her children are the soul’s impulses and affections, and the oppressor is the demon. As the psalmist says, They that trouble me will rejoice when I am moved (Psalms 12:5).