Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible
Lamentations 2:13-17
The Prophet Addresses Jerusalem Recognising That That Her Unique State Is Such That He Can Offer No Comfort Because All Is Against Her (Lamentations 2:13).
The prophet sees the people of Jerusalem as being in a state never before experienced and as being unhealable. This is because their prophets are offering them foolishness, passers-by are looking at, and exclaiming in amazement at, what has happened to them, and their enemies are gloating over them, viewing what has happened to them as a triumph.
(Mem) What shall I testify to you?
What shall I liken to you, O daughter of Jerusalem?
What shall I compare to you?
That I may comfort you, O virgin daughter of Zion?
For your breach is great like the sea,
Who can heal you?
The prophet can think of no comparison that he can draw on so that he can comfort the people of Jerusalem. He does not know how to speak to them and advise them. Such is the situation that he does not know what to say. Never before had they found themselves so bereft. He sees them as unhealable. Their ‘breach' being great like the sea indicates a gaping wound (compare Isaiah 30:26; Jeremiah 6:14; Jeremiah 8:11; Jeremiah 10:19), which is seemingly unhealable. But the word is regularly translated as ‘destruction', and that is favoured by many.
(Nun) Your prophets have seen for you,
False and foolish visions,
And they have not uncovered your iniquity,
To bring back your captivity,
But have seen for you false oracles,
And causes of banishment.
Their dilemma was partly due to their prophets who had seen for them false and foolish visions which had resulted in their banishment (Jeremiah 2:8; Jeremiah 5:13; Jeremiah 6:14; Jeremiah 8:11; Jeremiah 14:14; Jeremiah 27:9; Jeremiah 28:1; Jeremiah 28:10; etc). Jeremiah had regularly had to counteract them. They had failed to uncover the iniquity of the people which alone could have prevented their captivity, and could even have once more restored them to their land. This was why they were in the state that they were..
(Samek) All who pass by,
Clap their hands at you,
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?”
Indeed their state was such that passers-by marvelled and demonstrated by their actions their feelings at what had happened to Jerusalem They clapped their hands in glee, hissed in derision, and wagged their heads in amazement, asking each other (and Jerusalem), “Is this the city that men called The perfection of beauty, the joy of the whole earth?” For ‘the perfection of beauty, the joy of the whole earth' compare Psalms 48:2; Psalms 50:2, speaking of Zion. See also Isaiah 13:19 of Babylon; Ezekiel 27:3 of Tyre. The city had been beautiful to behold. But now it was a heap of ruins.
(Pe) All of your enemies,
Have opened their mouth wide against you.
They hiss and gnash the teeth,
They say, ‘We have swallowed her up.
Certainly this is the day which we looked for,
We have found, we have seen it.'
Finally their open enemies had opened their mouths against them, hissed and gnashed their teeth, all indications of their hatred. And as they did so they had gloated, declaring that they had swallowed her up, and rejoicing because it was the day that they had looked for, the day which they had at last found so that they could see Jerusalem's demise.
(Ayin) YHWH has done what he purposed,
He has fulfilled his word which he commanded in the days of old,
He has thrown down,
And he has not pitied,
And he has caused the enemy to rejoice over you,
He has exalted the horn of your adversaries.
But it is now emphasised that it was not really the enemy who had done this. It was YHWH Who had accomplished a purpose determined long before. It was He Who had thrown them down. And He had not pitied them. He it was Who had caused their enemies to rejoice over them, and had given those enemies strength by making their horns victorious.
Yet in this lay hope. If it was YHWH Who had done it, YHWH could reverse it if only they sought Him in repentance.