Lamentations 2:22
You summoned my attackers on every side, as for the day of an appointed feast. In the day of the LORD's anger no one escaped or survived; my enemy has destroyed those I nurtured and reared.
You summoned my attackers on every side
The phrase "You summoned" indicates a divine orchestration, where God is seen as actively calling forth the adversaries. The Hebrew root for "summoned" is קָרָא (qara), which means to call or proclaim. This suggests that the calamity faced by Jerusalem was not random but allowed by God as a consequence of the people's disobedience. The phrase "on every side" emphasizes the totality and inescapability of the siege, reflecting the historical context of Jerusalem's destruction by the Babylonians in 586 BC. This was a time when the city was surrounded, and the people felt the full weight of divine judgment.

as for the day of an appointed feast
This comparison to "an appointed feast" is deeply ironic. Feasts in Israel were times of joy, celebration, and remembrance of God's provision and deliverance. The Hebrew word מוֹעֵד (moed) refers to a set time or season, often used for religious festivals. Here, the day of destruction is likened to such a feast, highlighting the reversal of fortune and the severity of the judgment. Instead of celebration, there is mourning and devastation, underscoring the seriousness of turning away from God.

In the day of the LORD’s anger
The "day of the LORD’s anger" is a recurring theme in prophetic literature, often associated with divine judgment. The Hebrew word for anger, אַף (aph), conveys a sense of intense displeasure and wrath. This phrase reminds readers of the covenant relationship between God and Israel, where blessings were promised for obedience and curses for disobedience (Deuteronomy 28). The historical context of the Babylonian exile serves as a fulfillment of these covenantal warnings.

no one escaped or survived
This stark statement underscores the totality of the judgment. The Hebrew words for "escaped" (פָּלַט, palat) and "survived" (שָׂרִיד, sarid) convey the idea of deliverance and remaining. The absence of escape or survival highlights the completeness of the destruction and serves as a sobering reminder of the consequences of sin. It also reflects the historical reality where many were killed, and others were taken into exile.

my enemy has destroyed those I nurtured and reared
The personal pronouns "my" and "I" reflect the deep lament and personal loss experienced by the speaker, traditionally understood as Jeremiah or a personified Jerusalem. The Hebrew words for "nurtured" (גָּדַל, gadal) and "reared" (רָבָה, rabah) suggest care, growth, and multiplication. This phrase poignantly captures the sorrow of seeing one's children, the next generation, fall victim to the enemy. It serves as a metaphor for the spiritual and physical devastation of the people of Jerusalem, emphasizing the tragic consequences of their collective disobedience.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Jeremiah
- Traditionally considered the author of Lamentations, Jeremiah is known as the "weeping prophet" who lamented the destruction of Jerusalem.

2. Jerusalem
- The city that faced destruction and devastation, central to the lament in this chapter.

3. The LORD
- The sovereign God whose anger is depicted as the cause of the calamity.

4. The Enemy
- Represents the Babylonian forces that besieged and destroyed Jerusalem.

5. The Survivors
- The people of Jerusalem who faced destruction and captivity.
Teaching Points
The Consequences of Disobedience
The destruction of Jerusalem serves as a stark reminder of the consequences of turning away from God. It calls believers to examine their own lives for areas of disobedience.

God's Sovereignty in Judgment
The passage highlights God's control over nations and events, even in judgment. Believers are reminded of the importance of trusting in God's sovereignty, even when circumstances are dire.

The Reality of Divine Anger
God's anger is not arbitrary but a response to persistent sin. This teaches the seriousness of sin and the need for repentance.

Hope Amidst Despair
While the passage is somber, it encourages believers to seek God even in times of despair, knowing that His ultimate plan is for restoration.

The Role of Lament in Faith
Lamentations teaches that expressing grief and lament is a valid and important part of faith, allowing believers to process pain and seek God’s comfort.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the destruction of Jerusalem in Lamentations 2:22 reflect the warnings given in Deuteronomy 28?

2. In what ways can we see God's sovereignty at work in the events described in Lamentations 2:22?

3. How can understanding the consequences of disobedience in Lamentations 2:22 impact our daily walk with God?

4. What role does lament play in your personal faith journey, and how can it lead to spiritual growth?

5. How can the themes of judgment and hope in Lamentations 2:22 be reconciled with the message of redemption found in the New Testament?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Deuteronomy 28
This chapter outlines the blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience, which are echoed in the consequences faced by Jerusalem.

Jeremiah 25
Jeremiah prophesies the seventy-year Babylonian captivity, which is the backdrop for the events in Lamentations.

Psalm 137
Reflects the sorrow and longing of the exiled Israelites, similar to the lament in Lamentations.

2 Kings 25
Provides a historical account of the fall of Jerusalem, aligning with the events lamented in Lamentations.

Revelation 18
Describes the fall of Babylon, drawing a parallel to the destruction and judgment seen in Lamentations.
The Completeness of Jehovah's VisitationD. Young Lamentations 2:22
The Ministry of TerrorH. Macmillan, D. D.Lamentations 2:22
The Wicked Instruments of PunishmentJ. Udall.Lamentations 2:22
People
Jacob, Jeremiah
Places
Jerusalem, Zion
Topics
Anger, Annihilated, Appointed, Appointment, Arms, Assembly, Bore, Care, Cared, Consumed, Dandled, Destroyed, Destruction, Enemy, Escaped, Fears, Feast, Folded, Got, Hast, Hater, Holy, Invite, Kept, Lord's, Meeting, None, Nourished, Nursed, Reared, Remaining, Round, Safe, Solemn, Stretched, Summoned, Survived, Swaddled, Terrors, Wrath
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Lamentations 2:22

     5360   justice, God

Library
Watch-Night Service
"Ye virgin souls, arise! With all the dead awake; Unto salvation wise; Oil in your vessels take: Upstarting at the MIDNIGHT CRY, Behold Your heavenly bridegroom nigh." Two brethren then offered prayer for the Church and the World, that the new year might be clothed with glory by the spread of the knowledge of Jesus.--Then followed the EXPOSITION Psalm 90:1-22 "Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations. Yea Jehovah, WE, they children, can say that thou hast been our home, our safe
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 2: 1856

Chel. The Court of the Women.
The Court of the Gentiles compassed the Temple and the courts on every side. The same also did Chel, or the Ante-murale. "That space was ten cubits broad, divided from the Court of the Gentiles by a fence, ten hand-breadths high; in which were thirteen breaches, which the kings of Greece had made: but the Jews had again repaired them, and had appointed thirteen adorations answering to them." Maimonides writes: "Inwards" (from the Court of the Gentiles) "was a fence, that encompassed on every side,
John Lightfoot—From the Talmud and Hebraica

Appendix ix. List of Old Testament Passages Messianically Applied in Ancient Rabbinic Writings
THE following list contains the passages in the Old Testament applied to the Messiah or to Messianic times in the most ancient Jewish writings. They amount in all to 456, thus distributed: 75 from the Pentateuch, 243 from the Prophets, and 138 from the Hagiorgrapha, and supported by more than 558 separate quotations from Rabbinic writings. Despite all labour care, it can scarcely be hoped that the list is quite complete, although, it is hoped, no important passage has been omitted. The Rabbinic references
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

Departure from Ireland. Death and Burial at Clairvaux.
[Sidenote: 1148, May (?)] 67. (30). Being asked once, in what place, if a choice were given him, he would prefer to spend his last day--for on this subject the brothers used to ask one another what place each would select for himself--he hesitated, and made no reply. But when they insisted, he said, "If I take my departure hence[821] I shall do so nowhere more gladly than whence I may rise together with our Apostle"[822]--he referred to St. Patrick; "but if it behoves me to make a pilgrimage, and
H. J. Lawlor—St. Bernard of Clairvaux's Life of St. Malachy of Armagh

That the Ruler Should be Discreet in Keeping Silence, Profitable in Speech.
The ruler should be discreet in keeping silence, profitable in speech; lest he either utter what ought to be suppressed or suppress what he ought to utter. For, as incautious speaking leads into error, so indiscreet silence leaves in error those who might have been instructed. For often improvident rulers, fearing to lose human favour, shrink timidly from speaking freely the things that are right; and, according to the voice of the Truth (Joh. x. 12), serve unto the custody of the flock by no means
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great

Lii. Concerning Hypocrisy, Worldly Anxiety, Watchfulness, and his Approaching Passion.
(Galilee.) ^C Luke XII. 1-59. ^c 1 In the meantime [that is, while these things were occurring in the Pharisee's house], when the many thousands of the multitude were gathered together, insomuch that they trod one upon another [in their eagerness to get near enough to Jesus to see and hear] , he began to say unto his disciples first of all [that is, as the first or most appropriate lesson], Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. [This admonition is the key to the understanding
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Lamentations
The book familiarly known as the Lamentations consists of four elegies[1] (i., ii., iii., iv.) and a prayer (v.). The general theme of the elegies is the sorrow and desolation created by the destruction of Jerusalem[2] in 586 B.C.: the last poem (v.) is a prayer for deliverance from the long continued distress. The elegies are all alphabetic, and like most alphabetic poems (cf. Ps. cxix.) are marked by little continuity of thought. The first poem is a lament over Jerusalem, bereft, by the siege,
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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