THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSTIY OF AMERICA Forgotten and Forsaken by God (Lam 5:19-20): The Community in Pain in Lamentations and Related Old Testament Texts A DISSERTATION Submitted to the Faculty of the School of Theology and Religious Studies Of The Catholic University of America In Partial fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree Doctor of Philosophy © Copyright All Rights Reserved By Lina Rong Washington, D.C. 2012 Forgotten and Forsaken by God (Lam 5:19-20): The Community in Pain in Lamentations and Related Old Testament Texts Lina Rong Director: Christopher T. Begg, S.T.D., Ph.D. This study takes Lamentations as an integrated unity of form and content, and considers the mini-acrostic in Lam 5:19-20 as crucial for the interpretation of the whole book. It applies a holistic approach and a dialogic interpretation to the book of Lamentations. This dissertation first examines the extent to which an intrinsic connection exists between the acrostic structure and the content of the book; it reads the book as a whole from the angle of the mini-acrostic in Lam 5:19-20 and explores whether and how this mini- acrostic underlines the main themes running through the book. It also explores the dialogic interaction among the voices within Lamentations and between Lamentations and other related communal laments in the Hebrew Bible regarding mood change and admission of guilt. Finally, the dissertation examines the significance of Lamentations for contemporary suffering individuals and communities. The book of Lamentations makes evident that mood change in biblical laments is not a uni-directional movement from lament to praise: it can also move from praise to lament or to alternate between the two. Lamentations remains in lament without moving into praise and insists that God continues to be their dialogue partner. Admission of guilt is heard in Lamentations, but it is one voice in the book and has to be understood in the context of the articulation of pain that dominates the book. This dissertation affirms that Lamentations 5 serves as the climax of the book using a more carefully designed structure than the previous four alphabetic acrostics, while chapter 3 forms the center with its triple acrostic. Lamentations also exemplifies the dialogic nature of truth, the social value of lament, and the significance of remaining in lament when necessary. This dissertation by Lina Rong fulfills the dissertation requirements for the doctoral degree in Biblical Studies approved by Christopher Begg, Ph.D., S.T.D., as Director, and by Robert Miller II, Ph.D., and David Bosworth, Ph.D. as Readers. Christopher Begg, Ph.D., S.T.D., Director Robert Miller II, Ph.D., Reader David Bosworth, Ph.D., Reader ii Table of Contents List of Abbreviations ……………………………………………………………............. vii Acknowledgements ……………………………………………………………………. viii Chapter One: History of Research and Overview of Dissertation ……………………. 1 A. Introduction …………………………………………………………………….. 1 B. Texts and Versions of Lamentations ………………………………………….. 2 C. Relationship between Lamentations and Mesopotamian Laments …………….. 5 1. Similarities between Lamentations and Mesopotamian Laments …….. 8 2. Differences between Lamentations and Mesopotamian Laments …….. 9 D. Overall Message of Lamentations …………………………………………….. 12 1. Message of Hope as One Voice rather than The Voice …………….. 13 2. Admission of Sin and Guilt as Perfunctory rather than Primary …….. 19 3. Importance of Lament vs. Devaluation of Lament …………………….. 20 E. Dialogic Interaction between Lamentations and Prophetic Literature …….. 21 1. Connections between Lamentations and Second Isaiah …………….. 22 2. Connections between Lamentations and the Wider Prophetic Corpus …….. 23 F. Unity of and Relationship between Structure and Content in Lamentations …….. 26 1. Proposed Key Themes in Lamentations …………………………….. 27 2. Proposed Patterns in Lamentations …………………………………….. 28 3. Alphabetic Acrostics in Lamentation …………………………………….. 32 G. Approach of This Study …………………………………………………….. 34 1. A Holistic Approach to Lamentations …………………………………….. 35 2. Importance of Poetic Closure …………………………………………….. 35 3. A Dialogic Interpretation …………………………………………….. 37 4. Lament as Authentic Prayer …………………………………………….. 39 5. Outline of Dissertation …………………………………………………….. 40 Chapter Two: Acrostic in Lamentations …………………………………………….. 42 A. Introduction …………………………………………………………………….. 42 B. Function of the Acrostic in Lamentations …………………………………….. 44 iii C. Characteristic of the Acrostic in Lamentations …………………………….. 48 1. Concentric Structure of Lamentations …………………………………….. 48 2. Concentric Pattern in the Acrostic Poems …………………………...... 50 3. Reversal of Ayin and Peh Letters …………………………………….. 55 4. Triple Acrostic in Lamentations 3 …………………………………….. 58 5. Absence of the Acrostic in Lamentations 5 …………………………….. 59 6. Mini-Acrostic in Lam 5:19-20 …………………………………….. 60 D. Different Voices and the Acrostic Structure …………………………….. 64 1. Voices of the Narrator and City Zion …………………………….. 65 2. Voice of the Strong Man …………………………………………….. 68 3. Voice of the Community: Refusing Closure …………………………….. 70 4. Absence of God’s Voice …………………………………………….. 74 E. Conclusion …………………………………………………………….. 75 Chapter Three: Exegesis of Lamentations …………………………………………….. 77 A. Introduction …………………………………………………………….. 77 B. Structure of Lamentations …………………………………………………….. 77 C. Exegesis of Lamentations …………………………………………….. 78 1. Lamentations 1: No Comforter for Zion …………………………….. 78 2. Lamentations 2: the Anger of Yhwh …………………………………….. 93 3. Lamentations 3: A Man of Constant Sorrow ……………………………. 108 4. Lamentations 4: Unlimited Suffering ……………………………. 125 5. Lamentations 5: Communal Lament Prayer ……………………. 136 Chapter Four: Mood Change in Lamentations and Related OT Texts ……………. 144 A. Introduction ……………………………………………………………. 144 B. Scholarly Discussions of Mood Change in Biblical Laments ……………. 145 1. Emphasis on the Certainty of a Hearing ……………………. 146 2. Lament has No Meaning in and of Itself ……………………………. 147 3. A Lacuna in Scholarship: Mood Change from Praise to Lament ……. 149 C. Mood Change in Selected Lament Psalms and Scholarly Discussion of them ……………………………………. 152 1. Psalm 12: Return to Lament after a Salvation Oracle ……………. 153 2. Psalm 44: A Communal Lament from Trust to Lament ……………. 159 3. Psalm 88: A Psalm of Pure Lament ……………………………. 166 iv D. Mood Change in the Book of Lamentations ……………………………. 172 1. Mood Change in Lamentations 3 ……………………………………. 173 2. Remaining in Lament in Lamentations ……………………………. 176 E. Conclusion …………………………………………………………… 178 Chapter Five: Admission of Guilt in Lamentations and Related OT Laments …… 179 A. Introduction …………………………………………………………… 179 B. Relationship between Biblical Laments and Penitential Prayers …………… 180 1. Historical Development of Biblical Laments …………………… 180 2. Relationship between Communal Laments and Penitential Prayers …… 184 C. Function of Admission of Guilt in Selected OT Laments …………… 187 1. Isa 63:7-64:11: the Anger and Absence of Yhwh and the Straying of Israel 188 2. Jer 14:1-15:9: Appeal to Yhwh to Act “for your name’s sake” …… 197 3. Psalm 79: “Deliver us and forgive our sins for your name’s sake” …… 206 D. Admission of Guilt in Lamentations …………………………………… 211 1. Occurrences of Admission of Guilt in Lamentations …………… 211 2. Function of Admission of Guilt in Lamentations …………………… 216 E. Conclusion ............................................................................................ 217 Chapter Six: Significance of Lamentations for Suffering Individuals and Communities …………………………………… 219 A. Introduction …………………………………………………… 219 B. Ways the Suffering Community Deals with Pain in Lamentations …… 220 1. Lamentations as a Polyphonic Text …………………………… 221 2. Lamentations holds Yhwh as “You” …………………………… 225 3. Images of God in Lamentations and Lamentations Rabbah …………… 226 C. Significance of Lamentations for Suffering Individuals and Communities …… 234 1. Importance of Social Sharing of Emotion …………………… 234 2. Importance of Human Role in God-Human Dialogue …………… 237 3. Necessity of Remaining in Lament when Needed …………………… 241 D. Conclusion …………………………………………………………… 252 Chapter Seven: Review of Findings and Possibilities for Further Study …………… 254 v A. Review of Findings …………………………………………………… 254 1. Lamentations as a Literary Unity of Form and Content …………… 254 2. Lamentations 5 as the Climax of the Book …………………… 255 3. Significance of Remaining in Lament in Lamentations …………… 256 4. A Dialogic Sense of Truth in Lamentations …………………… 257 B. Possibilities for Further Study …………………………………… 258 1. Significance and Meaning of Partial Acrostics …………………… 258 2. Imagery and Iconography of Lament in Ancient Near East …………… 259 3. The Value of Lament and Definition of Hope ………………….... 260 Bibliography …………………………………………………………………… 262 vi List of Abbreviations Most of the abbreviations used in this dissertation are according to the “Instructions for Contributors to the Catholic Biblical Quarterly (CBQ ).” The following are not found in the CBQ list: AOTC Abingdon Old Testament Commentaries ArBib The Aramaic Bible BCOT Baker Commentary of the Old Testament CBR Currents in Biblical Research EvJ Evangelical Journal HCOT Historical Commentary on the Old Testament HTIBS Historic Texts and Interpreters in Biblical Scholarship JFSR Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion JHS Journal of Hebrew Scriptures JSem Journal for Semitics LHBOTS Library of Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Series OTE Old Testament Essays SemeiaSt Semeia Studies SubBi Subsidia biblica VTG VT Graecum TThSt