MPV Commentary

Historical Context of Lamentations
The book of Lamentations is placed among the Chetuvim in the Hebrew Bible, between Ruth and Ecclesiastes. However, it likely followed Jeremiah's prophecies originally. This can be inferred from Josephus' enumeration of prophetic books as thirteen, which would have included Jeremiah and Lamentations as one book.

The title "Lamentations" is derived from the Septuagint's translation, while the Jews refer to it as "How," from its first word in Hebrew. The book refers not only to the events at the capture of Jerusalem but also to the sufferings of its citizens from the beginning of the siege and possibly even before it.

The style of Lamentations is characterized by a mix between prophetic writing and the loftier rhythm of Moses, David, and Habakkuk. The Hebrew original is marked by terse conciseness, despite Jeremiah's diffuseness in his other writings. The five Elegies are grouped into stanzas as they arose in Jeremiah's mind, without any artificial system of arrangement.

Structure of Lamentations
The first three Elegies consist of triplets of lines (except for La 1:7 and 2:19), each beginning with the letters of the Hebrew alphabet in regular order. In some instances, two letters are transposed. The third Elegy has a unique structure where each line begins with the same letter. The fourth and fifth Elegies consist of two-line stanzas.

The alphabetical arrangement was likely adopted to assist memory. Some scholars suggest that the inversion of two Hebrew letters in certain stanzas may be due to the Chaldeans' different ordering system, but this is uncertain.

Composition of Lamentations
Lamentations consists of five Elegies, each divided into twenty-two stanzas or verses. The first four Elegies follow an alphabetical arrangement, while the fifth does not. The lines in Lamentations are longer than those found in other Hebrew poems and contain twelve syllables, marked by a cæsura about the middle.

The title "Lamentations" refers to the book's content, which includes the sufferings of Jerusalem's citizens from the beginning of the siege and possibly even before it. The language is true for good Josiah but too strong in favor of Zedekiah, except when viewed as representative of the crown in general.

The Jews read Lamentations on the ninth of Ab, a fast commemorating the destruction of their holy city. The book's style is midway between prophetic writing and the loftier rhythm of Moses, David, and Habakkuk.