1 Bex Stern Rosenblatt [email protected] Lamentations 2 1. Look at each verse and identify: the speaker, the central image or images, whom the speaker is addressing, which other characters appear in the vese, what the tone of the speaker is, and what the speaker might be trying to accomplish. little) עולל ,(wipe out) שחת ,(swallow up ) בלע ,(nose) אף ,(hand) יד Look at the words .2 appointed time.) Who uses each of) מועד ,(destroy) שבר ,(pour) שפך ,(faint) עתף ,(one these words? How do their meanings develop? Why might they repeat? 3. What are the first speaker’s central concerns here? How does the first speaker characterize themself? What might the first speaker be trying to accomplish? What might the first speaker’s tone be? How does the first speaker think and speak about God? About Jerusalem? About the destruction? Does the first speaker develop over the course of the chapter? How does the first speaker compare to themself as presented in Lamentations 1? 4. What are Jerusalem’s central concerns here? How does Jerusalem characterize herself? What words are used to refer to Jerusalem? What groups of people constitute Jerusalem? What places, objects, and buildings constitute Jerusalem? What might Jerusalem be trying to accomplish? What might Jerusalem’s tone be? How does Jerusalem think and speak about God? About the first speaker? About the destruction? Does Jerusalem develop over the course of the chapter? How does Jeruaslem compare to herself as presented in Lamentations 1? 5. What occasion might this Lamentation describe? What images are used? How vivid are they? Does it seem to describe a specific historical moment or a generalized recounting of destruction? When might this Lamentation have been written? Who might have been reciting it? 2 איכה פרק ב Lamentations 2 א ֵאיָכה֩ יִָע֨יב ְבּאַפּ֤וֹ ׀ ֲאדֹנָי֙ ֶאת־ַבּת־ִציּ֔וֹן Alas/how can the lord cover Daughter Zion .1 in a cloud (of anger) from his nose? ​ ִהְשִׁל֤יְך ִמָשַּׁמ֨יִם֙ ֶאֶ֔רץ ִתְּפֶאֶ֖רת יְִשָׂרֵא֑ל He sent from the heavens to earth the splendor וְֽלֹא־זַָכ֥ר ֲהדֹם־ַרְגָל֖יו ְבּי֥וֹם אַֽפּוֹ׃ ,of Israel And he did not remember his footstool on the day of (the anger) of his nose. 1. How does the start of Lamentations 2 compare to the start of Lamentations 1? How is Jerusalem presented in each? What words are used to describe her? What is the focal point in each? ב ִבַּלּ֨ע ֲאדֹנָ֜י וְלֹ֣א ָחַמ֗ל ֵא֚ת ָכּל־נְא֣וֹת The lord has swallowed up and not had pity .2 for all the pastures of Jacob. יֲַֽעקֹ֔ב He has overthrown in his overflowing, the ָהַר֧ס ְבֶּעְבָרת֛וֹ ִמְבְצֵר֥י ַבת־יְהוָּד֖ה fortified cities of Daughter Judah He has brought to the earth. He has defiled the ִהִגּ֣יַע ָלאֶָ֑רץ ִחֵלּ֥ל ַמְמָלָכ֖ה וְָשֶֽׂריָה׃ .kingdom and her princes 1. What are the objects of the lord’s wrath in this verse? What sorts of things is the lord interested in destroying? What might be the link between these things? in the BDB. What other contexts is it used in? What meanings are חלל Look up .2 appropriate here? ג ָגַּד֣ע ָבֳּחִרי־אַ֗ף כֹּ֚ל קֶ֣רן יְִשָׂרֵא֔ל He has hewn down in fierce nose all the .3 ֽ ֶ .horn of Israel ֵהִשׁ֥יב אָח֛וֹר יְִמינ֖וֹ ִמְפּנֵ֣י אוֹיֵ֑ב He has returned back his right hand from וַיְִּבַע֤ר ְבּיֲַֽעקֹב֙ ְכֵּא֣שׁ ֶלָהָב֔ה ֽאְָכָל֖ה ָסִֽביב׃ .before the enemy ֽ He has blazed against Jacob like a flaming fire, consuming all around. 1. Where in Lamentations 1 have you seen “return back?” What are your connotations for these words? How are they being used here? 3 ד ָדַּר֨ך קְשׁתּ֜וֹ ְכּאוֹיֵ֗ב נִָצּ֤ב יְִמינוֹ֙ ְכָּצ֔ר He has bent (trodden) his bow like an .4 ְ ַ enemy, standing his right hand like an וַֽיֲַּהרֹ֔ג כֹּ֖ל ַֽמֲחַמֵדּי־ָע֑יִן .adversary ְבּאֶֹ֨הל֙ ַבּת־ִציּ֔וֹן ָשַׁפְ֥ך ָכֵּא֖שׁ ֲחָמֽתוֹ׃ And he killed all the precious things of the eye In the tent of Daughter Zion he poured out like fire his rage. 1. Who were the enemies and adversaries in Lamentations 1? Who spoke about them? Who is the enemy and adversary now? Where else have we send a simile, someone being like something? Why might the speaker use a simile now? 2. What is his right hand doing here? What was it doing in verse 3? ה ָהיָ֨ה ֲאדֹנָ֤י ׀ ְכּאוֹיֵב֙ ִבַּלּ֣ע יְִשָׂרֵא֔ל The lord has become like an enemy, he .5 swallowed up Israel. ​ ִבַּלּע֙ ָכּל־אְַרְמנוֶֹת֔יָה ִשֵׁח֖ת ִמְבָצָר֑יו He has swallowed up all her palaces, he וַיֶֶּ֨רב֙ ְבַּבת־יְהוָּד֔ה ַֽתֲּאנִיָּ֖ה וֲַֽאנִיָּֽה׃ .wiped out his fortified cities And he has made great in Daughter Judah moaning and lamenting. 1. Compare this verse to verse 2. Who is doing the destroying? What verbs are used? What are the objects of destruction? ו וַיְַּחמֹ֤ס ַכַּגּן֙ ֻשׂכּ֔וֹ ִשֵׁח֖ת ֽמֲֹעד֑וֹ -He has done violence as if it were a garden .6 his booth, he has wiped out its appointed time. ​ ִשַׁכּ֨ח יְהוָ֤ה ׀ ְבִּציּוֹן֙ מוֵֹע֣ד וְַשָׁבּ֔ת YHWH has made Zion forget appointed time וַיִּנְאַ֥ץ ְבּזַַֽעם־אַפּ֖וֹ ֶמֶ֥לְך וְכֵֹהן׃ .and Shabbat ֽ And he has spurned, in the indignation of his nose, king and priest. 1. What might the purpose of the garden be here? Think of a few possible explanations. Where else do gardens appear in the Bible? (Look in a BDB) Who is the one injured here? 2. God is mentioned by name here for the first time. Why might God be mentioned here by name? Why might God not have been mentioned by name before this? 4 ז זָנַ֨ח ֲאדֹנָ֤י ׀ ִמזְְבּחוֹ֙ נִֵא֣ר ִמקָדּשׁ֔וֹ The lord has rejected his altar, he has .7 ְ .abhorred his sanctuary ִהְסִגּיר֙ ְבּיַד־אוֹיֵ֔ב חוֹמֹ֖ת אְַרְמנוֶֹת֑יָה He has delivered up, into the hand of the ק֛וֹל נְָתנ֥וּ ְבֵּבית־יְהוָ֖ה ְכּי֥וֹם מוֵֹעד׃ .enemy, the walls of her palaces ֽ ֽ They have given (their) voice in the house of YHWH like on the day of an appointed time. 1. Who is the enemy here? Who is causing the destruction? What is God’s role in this verse? ח ָחַשׁ֨ב יְהוָ֤ה ׀ ְלַהְשִׁחית֙ חוַֹמ֣ת ַבּת־ִציּ֔וֹן YHWH has planned to wipe out the wall of .8 ֹ .Daughter Zion נָָ֣טה ָק֔ו ֽלא־ֵהִשׁ֥יב יָד֖וֹ ִמַבֵּלַּ֑ע He has extended a (measuring) line, he has וַיֲַּֽאֶבל־ֵח֥ל וְחוָֹמ֖ה יְַחָדּ֥ו ֻאְמָללוּ׃ .not returned his hand from swallowing up ֽ And he has caused rampart and wall to mourn, together they have withered. 1. Why does God destroy here? What are his motives? What is his method? How do they compare to his method and motives earlier in Lamentations 2? ט ָטְבע֤וּ ָבאֶָ֨רץ֙ ְשָׁעֶר֔יָה ִאַבּ֥ד וְִשַׁבּ֖ר Her gates have sunk into the earth, he has .9 ֽ .made perish and destroyed her bars ְבִּריֶח֑יָה ,Her king and princes are among the nations ַמְלָכּ֨הּ וְָשֶׂר֤יָה ַבגּוֹיִם֙ ֵא֣ין תּוָֹר֔ה .there is no Torah ֹ Also her prophets do not find revelation from ַגּם־נְִביֶא֕יָה ֽלא־ָמְצא֥וּ ָחז֖וֹן ֵֽמיְהוָֽה׃ .YHWH 1. Who is mentioned in this verse? Have they been mentioned before? What is their traditional role? What is their role here? י יְֵשׁב֨וּ ָלאֶָ֤רץ יְִדּמוּ֙ זִקנֵ֣י ַבת־ִציּ֔וֹן The elders of Daughter Zion have sat on .10 ֽ ְ .the earth and been silent ֶֽהֱעל֤וּ ָעָפר֙ ַעל־רֹאָשׁ֔ם ָֽחְגר֖וּ ַשִׂקּ֑ים They have raised up dust upon their head הוִֹר֤ידוּ ָלאֶָ֨רץ֙ רֹאָשׁ֔ן ְבּתוּלֹ֖ת יְֽרוָּשָׁלם׃ masc.), they have girded themselves with) ִ .sackcloth They have brought down to earth their head (fem), the maidens of Jerusalem. 2. Who is mentioned in this verse? Have they been mentioned before? What is their traditional role? What is their role here? 5 יא ָכּל֨וּ ַבְדָּמע֤וֹת ֵעינַי֙ ֳחַמְרְמר֣וּ ֵמַע֔י My eyes are finished by tears, my insides .11 churn. ​ נְִשַׁפְּ֤ך ָלאֶָ֨רץ֙ ְכֵּבִד֔י ַעל־ֶשֶׁ֖בר ַבּת־ַעִמּ֑י My liver is poured to the earth over the ֵֽבָּעֵט֤ף עוֵֹלל֙ וְיוֹנֵ֔ק ִבְּרחֹב֖וֹת ִקְריָֽה׃ ,destruction of the Daughter of My People By the little one and the infant becoming faint in the squares of the metropolis. 1. Why might Jerusalem begin to speak here? Is she responding to the first speaker? What might have prompted her to speak? How does her description of the situation compare to the first speaker’s description? Whom does she mention? יב ְלִאמָֹּתם֙ יֹֽאְמר֔וּ אַיֵּ֖ה ָדָּג֣ן וָיָ֑יִן To their mothers they say, “where is the .12 grain and wine?’ ​ ְבִּֽהְתַעְטָּפ֤ם ֶֽכָּחָלל֙ ִבְּרחֹב֣וֹת ִע֔יר While they are becoming faint like one ְבִּהְשַׁתֵּפְּ֣ך נְַפָשׁ֔ם ֶאל־ֵח֖יק ִאמָֹּתם׃ ,pierced in the square of the city ֽ ’While pouring out their soul in their mothers bosom. 1. What image is painted here? How is the image conveyed? Look at the order of the words in this verse. How might the order contribute to the forming of the image? יג ָמה־ֲאִעיֵד֞ך ָמ֣ה ֲאַדֶמּה־ָלּ֗ך ַהַבּת֙ What can I bear witness for you? To what .13 ֽ ְ ְ can I make you similar, oh Daughter יְר֣וָּשַׁלִ֔ם ?Jerusalem ָמ֤ה אְַשׁוֶה־ָלְּך֙ וֲַאנֲַֽחֵמְ֔ך ְבּתוַּל֖ת ַבּת־ִציּ֑וֹן To what can I compare you so that I might comfort you, Maiden Daughter Zion? ִֽכּי־ָגד֥וֹל ַכּיָּ֛ם ִשְׁבֵרְ֖ך ִמ֥י יְִרָפּא־ָֽלְך׃ For large as the sea is your destruction. Who can heal you? 1. The first speaker addresses Jerusalem here. What might the speaker be responding to? ,נחם What is the speaker asking? What might the speaker be trying to do? Where had comfort, appeared in Lamentations 1? What is it doing here? How do the speaker’s questions here compare to the questions with which the speaker has opened each of the laments we’ve read? יד נְִביאַ֗יְִך ָח֤זוּ ָלְך֙ ָשׁ֣וְא וְָתֵפ֔ל Your prophets prophesied to you .14 ֹ ,falsehood and delusion וְֽלא־ִגלּ֥וּ ַעל־ֲעוֺנְֵ֖ך ְלָהִשׁ֣יב ְשׁבוֵּתְ֑ך And they did not uncover your iniquity to וַיֱֶּ֣חזוּ ָלְ֔ך ַמְשׂא֥וֹת ָשׁ֖וְא וַּמדּוִּחים׃ .return your captivity ֽ And they prophesied for you portions, false and deceptive. 6 1.