The Second Lament. 

        Here we have the undoubted work of an eye-witness of the siege; the lament was probably composed soon after the fall of the city. Its main theme is Jehovah’s anger with His people.

        In vers. 1-10 we have the casting off by God of people, land and sanctuary. In ver. 9 the A.V., “the law is no more,” seems to be more correct than the R.V., though its force might easily be misunderstood. The three groups of leaders, kings and princes, priests, prophets, are being referred to. It is the priestly guidance of life that has come to an end with the destruction of the temple.

        In vers. 11-17 he laments the punishment of Jerusalem and describes the callousness of the neighbouring nations. It is not clear whether ver. llff look back to the horrors of the siege, or whether they describe the misery of the survivors after the leading citizens had been deported.

        In ver. 18f Zion is called to give herself to prayer, and vers. 20ff are her response. Though the tenses in ver. 20 are future, the questions are rhetorical and refer to what had already happened.