Lamentations 5
Lamentations 5 is the final chapter, capturing the deep suffering and sorrow of the people of Judah. This chapter shows both the community’s groaning and an urgent plea offered to God. Unlike the earlier chapters, it is relatively short, and externally, lines of similar length appear repeatedly in succession. While this chapter vividly portrays the specific pain and loss brought by the fall of Jerusalem, it is also characterized by its plea for God’s mercy and restoration.
1verseRemember, LORD, what has come on us. Look, and see our reproach.
2verseOur inheritance has been turned over to strangers, our houses to aliens.
3verseWe are orphans and fatherless. Our mothers are as widows.
4verseWe must pay for water to drink. Our wood is sold to us.
5verseOur pursuers are on our necks. We are weary, and have no rest.
6verseWe have given our hands to the Egyptians, and to the Assyrians, to be satisfied with bread.
7verseOur fathers sinned, and are no more. We have borne their iniquities.
8verseServants rule over us. There is no one to deliver us out of their hand.
9verseWe get our bread at the peril of our lives, because of the sword in the wilderness.
10verseOur skin is black like an oven, because of the burning heat of famine.
11verseThey ravished the women in Zion, the virgins in the cities of Judah.
12versePrinces were hanged up by their hands. The faces of elders were not honored.
13verseThe young men carry millstones. The children stumbled under loads of wood.
14verseThe elders have ceased from the gate, and the young men from their music.
15verseThe joy of our heart has ceased. Our dance is turned into mourning.
16verseThe crown has fallen from our head. Woe to us, for we have sinned!
17verseFor this our heart is faint. For these things our eyes are dim:
18versefor the mountain of Zion, which is desolate. The foxes walk on it.
19verseYou, LORD, remain forever. Your throne is from generation to generation.
20verseWhy do you forget us forever, and forsake us for so long a time?
21verseTurn us to yourself, LORD, and we will be turned. Renew our days as of old.
22verseBut you have utterly rejected us. You are very angry against us.
Structure and Flow
- Verses 1–18: It describes in detail the people of Judah’s various sufferings—everything they have lost, from property and family to social standing and even their religious identity. Scenes follow in which widows and orphans, the young and the old, leaders and common people all experience sorrow, shame, and oppression.
- Verses 19–22: It concludes with confession and a plea to God—asking that God rules forever and that the people return to Him. Near the end, the heartfelt prayer, “Restore us,” is repeated, allowing us to catch sight of restoration and hope beyond the hardships of reality.
Overall Meaning
Lamentations 5 suggests that amid suffering, along with human weakness, hope for God still remains in the place of that despair. The poet acknowledges the people’s sin and the judgment it has brought, yet he continues to cry out to God for restoration. Looking to the possibility of restoration, he earnestly asks for God’s providence and grace at every site of suffering.
Points to Ponder
- Honesty in confessing to God the desperate reality as it is
- A faithful attitude of placing hope in God even in the midst of suffering
- A prayer of intercession, bearing together the pain of the entire community
Apply It to Yourself
- Take a moment to consider whether you have the courage to lay your hardships or wounds before God honestly
- Grow the heart that holds on to hope while continuously praying for the restoration of me, my family, and the community
This is the last chapter of Lamentations.