The Book of Lamentations - Analysed and Explained in Summary - Volumes 1, 2, and 3 of "The Analysed Bible" by G. Campbell Morgan.
To the best of our knowledge we are of the understanding that this book, taken from Volumes 1, 2, & 3 of the "Analysed Bible" by G. Campbell Morgan published in 1907, and freely available elsewhere on the internet is in the public domain.
LAMENTATIONS - LAMENTATIONS OF JEREMIAH
PART A: THE SOLITARY CITY - Lamentations 1:1-1:22
A1. The Desolation - Lam. 1:1-1:11
A2. The Confession - Lam. 1:11-1:22
Part B: THE SOURCES OF HER SORROW - Lamentations 2:1-2:22
B1. The Act of the Lord - Lam. 2:1-2:10
B2. The Affliction of Iniquity - Lam. 2:11-2:17
B3. The Appeal of Penitence - Lam. 2:18-2:22
Part C: THE PROPHET'S IDENTIFICATION - Lamentations 3:1-3:66
C1. In Affliction - Lam. 3:1-3:21
C2. In Assurance - Lam. 3:22-3:33
C3. In Appeal - Lam. 3:34-3:54
C4. In Assurance - Lam. 3:55-3:66
Part D: THE DESOLATION - Lamentations 4:1-4:22
D1. The Description - Lam. 4:1-4:12
D2. The Cause - Lam. 4:13-4:16
D3. Vain Help - Lam. 4:17-4:20
D4. Hope - Lam. 4:21-4:22
PART E: THE APPEAL OUT OF SORROW - Lamentations 5:1-5:22
E1. "Remember O Lord" - Lam. 5:1-5:18
E2. "Turn Thou us unto Thee" - Lam. 5:19-5:22
Introduction
In the Septuagint the Lamentations are prefaced with these words: "And it came to pass, that after Israel had been carried away captive, and Jerusalem made desolate, Jeremiah sat weeping, and lamented this lament over Jerusalem, and said. ..." This serves to show that, long before the coming of Christ, they were considered by Jewish scholars to be the work of Jeremiah.
In his prophecy Jeremiah is revealed as a man having a keen sense of the righteousness of judgment because of sin, and yet overwhelmed with sorrow for his people. Throughout the whole of his ministry he shrank from the difficulty of his work, and yet manifested heroic loyalty to the will of God. In this brief book of Lamentations the spirit of the man is strikingly revealed. There is no exultation over the fulfilment of his predictions; and there is a twofold loyalty manifest throughout, first to God in the confession of sin, and then to his people in the expression of their sorrow.
The chapter-division of the book is the natural one. It consists of five poems, the titles of which may thus be written: The Solitary City (1); the Sources of her Sorrow (2); the Prophet's Identification (3); the Desolation (4); the Appeal out of Sorrow (5).
A. The Solitary City - Lamentations 1:1-1:22
In this poem there are two movements. The first describes the desolation of the city as to her relationships with other nations, and as to her internal condition, declaring the cause to be that she "hath grievously sinned." In the second the city personified bewails her affliction, appealing to the passer-by, and describes her sorrow; she then confesses the justice of the desolation which has overtaken her, appealing to Jehovah for sympathy and deliverance.
B. The Sources of the Sorrow - Lamentations 2:1-2:22
In the second poem the prophet dealt with the sources of the sorrow. He first affirmed that it was the result of the direct action of Jehovah, and was manifest in material and spiritual judgments. He then broke out into a description of the affliction of iniquity, as to the actual sufferings endured, and the even more painful contempt of the nations. The poem ends with a double appeal : first that of the prophet to the people, in which he urged them to penitence; and secondly that of the people to Jehovah, in which they described their affliction.
C. The Prophet's Identification - Lamentations 3:1-3:66
In this central and longest poem Jeremiah identified himself completely with the experiences of his people. In the first movement, in language which throbs with pain, he described his own sorrows, recognizing, through all, the action of Jehovah, as the almost monotonous repetition of the pronoun "He" reveals. This recognition of the fact that judgment is the work of Jehovah, compelled the ending of this dirge by the affirmation of hope. The next movement is one of assurance, in which the prophet, having in the previous section recognized Jehovah's activity in judgment, now recognized His activity in mercy. This section ends with an expression of submission to judgment and a song of hope. The third movement is one of appeal, in which the prophet first recognized the justice of the Divine visitation, and then earnestly appealed to the people to turn to God in true penitence, ending with a declaration of his own sorrows. The final movement is one which first celebrates in song the deliverances already wrought for the prophet by Jehovah, and concludes with a declaration of his consequent assurance that God would jet act on behalf of His people.
D. The Desolation - Lamentations 4:1-4:22
The fourth poem is for the most part a dirge of desolation, which nevertheless ends in a song of hope. The prophet described the disaster in Zion, and the consequent degradation of the people, and then proceeded to show that the sins of the prophets and the priests constituted the cause of the disasters, and declared that these prophets and priests were therefore hated of the people. In the next place he showed how vain had been their hope of help from men, and described the remorselessness of their enemies. The last movement is a satirical address to Edom, and a declaration to Zion of coming deliverance.
E. The Appeal out of Sorrow - Lamentations 5:1-5:22
The final poem is an appeal to Jehovah. It first calls upon Him to remember, describing the actual desolation, the affliction of all classes, and the consequently prevalent sorrow. Then, affirming confidence in the abiding throne of Jehovah, it appeals to Him to turn them unto Him. The last word of this poem and collection is a wail out of the then present distress.