Topical Encyclopedia
Definition and Overview:Lamentation refers to the act of expressing deep sorrow, mourning, or regret. In the biblical context, it is often associated with the expression of grief over sin, suffering, or the destruction of Jerusalem. The term is most prominently associated with the Book of Lamentations in the Old Testament, traditionally attributed to the prophet Jeremiah. This book is a collection of poetic laments for the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 B.C. by the Babylonians.
Biblical Context:1.
The Book of Lamentations: · The Book of Lamentations is composed of five chapters, each functioning as a separate poem. These poems are structured as acrostics, with the first four chapters following the Hebrew alphabet. The book vividly describes the desolation of Jerusalem and the suffering of its people, serving as a poignant reminder of the consequences of sin and disobedience to God.
· Key themes include the justice of God, the reality of suffering, the call to repentance, and the hope for restoration. Despite the overwhelming grief, the book also contains expressions of faith in God's mercy and compassion.
Lamentations 3:22-23 states, "Because of the LORD’s loving devotion we are not consumed, for His mercies never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness!"
2.
Purpose and Themes: · The primary purpose of Lamentations is to provide a theological reflection on the destruction of Jerusalem and to offer a means for the community to process their grief and seek reconciliation with God. It serves as a reminder of the seriousness of sin and the need for repentance.
· The book emphasizes God's sovereignty and righteousness, acknowledging that the suffering experienced by the Israelites was a result of their covenant unfaithfulness. Yet, it also highlights God's enduring love and the possibility of redemption and renewal.
3.
Expressions of Lament in the Psalms: · Lamentation is not confined to the Book of Lamentations; it is a common theme throughout the Psalms. Many psalms are categorized as laments, where the psalmist cries out to God in times of distress, seeking His intervention and deliverance. For example,
Psalm 13:1-2 begins with, "How long, O LORD? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me?"
· These psalms often follow a pattern of complaint, petition, and expression of trust in God, demonstrating a deep reliance on Him even in the midst of suffering.
4.
Prophetic Lamentations: · The prophets frequently used lamentation as a rhetorical device to convey the seriousness of Israel's sin and the impending judgment. Jeremiah, known as the "weeping prophet," often expressed lament over the spiritual state of the nation and the coming destruction (
Jeremiah 9:1: "Oh, that my head were a spring of water and my eyes a fountain of tears, I would weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people!").
· These prophetic laments served as both a warning and a call to repentance, urging the people to return to God and seek His forgiveness.
Theological Significance:Lamentation in the Bible underscores the reality of human suffering and the brokenness of the world due to sin. It provides a framework for believers to express their grief and sorrow while maintaining faith in God's ultimate justice and mercy. Through lamentation, the faithful are invited to bring their deepest pains before God, trusting in His compassion and the hope of restoration. The practice of lamentation is a vital aspect of the believer's spiritual journey, fostering a deeper reliance on God and a greater understanding of His redemptive purposes.
Easton's Bible Dictionary
(Hebrews qinah), an elegy or dirge. The first example of this form of poetry is the lament of David over Saul and Jonathan (
2 Samuel 1:17-27). It was a frequent accompaniment of mourning (
Amos 8:10). In
2 Samuel 3:33, 34 is recorded David's lament over Abner. Prophecy sometimes took the form of a lament when it predicted calamity (
Ezek. 27:2, 32;
28:12;
32:2, 16).
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
1. (
n.) The act of bewailing; audible expression of sorrow; wailing; moaning.
2. (n.) A book of the Old Testament attributed to the prophet Jeremiah, and taking its name from the nature of its contents.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
LAMENTATIONlam-en-ta'-shun.
SeeBURIAL, III, 2; IV, 4, 5, 6.
Greek
3602. odurmos --lamentation...lamentation. Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine Transliteration: odurmos Phonetic Spelling:
(od-oor-mos') Short Definition:
lamentation, wailing Definition
...2355. threnos -- alamentation.
... 2354, 2355. threnos. 2356 . alamentation.... See 2354 (). Word Origin from threomai
(cry aloud, shriek) Definition alamentation.lamentation....
2870. kopetos -- a beating of the head and breast
... the head and breast. Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine Transliteration: kopetos Phonetic
Spelling: (kop-et-os') Short Definition:lamentation Definition: beating...
2805. klauthmos -- weeping
... weeping. Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine Transliteration: klauthmos Phonetic Spelling:
(klowth-mos') Short Definition: weeping,lamentation Definition: weeping...
3629. oiktirmon -- merciful
... Cognate: 3629 (an adjective, derived from 3627 , "express visceral-compassions") --
compassionate, experiencing deep pity (lamentation) as for people who look...
2875. kopto -- to cut (off), strike, by ext. to mourn
... kop'-to) Short Definition: I cut off, mourn Definition: (a) I cut, cut off, strike,
smite, (b) mid: I beat my breast or head inlamentation, lament, mourn...
Strong's Hebrew
5092. nehi -- a wailing,lamentation, mourning song... nehi. 5093 . a wailing,
lamentation, mourning song. Transliteration: nehi Phonetic
Spelling: (neh-hee') Short Definition: wailing.
...lamentation, wailing.
...5093. nihyah -- a wailing,lamentation
... nihyah. 5094 . a wailing,lamentation. Transliteration: nihyah Phonetic Spelling:
(nih-yaw') Short Definition: bitter.... Feminine of nhiy;lamentation -- doleful...
1958. hi --lamentation, wailing
... 1957, 1958. hi. 1959 .lamentation, wailing. Transliteration: hi Phonetic Spelling:
(he) Short Definition: woe.... woe. For nhiy;lamentation -- woe. (For hiyr...
7015. qinah -- an elegy, dirge
... 7014b, 7015. qinah. 7016 . an elegy, dirge. Transliteration: qinah Phonetic
Spelling: (kee-naw') Short Definition:lamentation....lamentation....
4553. misped -- a wailing
... Word Origin from saphad Definition a wailing NASB Word Usage lament (1),lamentation
(4), mourning (5), wailing (4).lamentation, mourning, wailing....
592. aniyyah -- mourning
... 1).lamentation, sorrow. From 'anah; groaning --lamentation, sorrow. see HEBREW
'anah. 591, 592. aniyyah. 593 . Strong's Numbers.
1058. bakah -- to weep, bewail
... bewail, complain, makelamentation, more, mourn, sore, with tears,. A primitive
root; to weep; generally to bemoan -- X at all, bewail...
4798. marzeach -- a cry
... mourning. Formed like mirzach; a cry, ie (of grief) alamentation -- mourning. see
HEBREW mirzach. 4797, 4798. marzeach. 4799 . Strong's Numbers.
5204. niy -- wailing
... wailing A doubtful word; apparently from nahah;lamentation -- wailing. see
HEBREW nahah. 5203, 5204. niy. 5204a . Strong's Numbers.
5089. noah -- eminency, distinction
... eminent (1). wailing. From an unused root meaning to lament;lamentation --
wailing. 5088, 5089. noah. 5090 . Strong's Numbers.
Library
And the Churches, Too, Will Wail with a MightyLamentation...
... Piece XXXIV. And the churches, too, will wail with a mightylamentation?
And the churches, too, will wail with a mightylamentation...
He Then Wonderfully Displays the Eternal Life, which is Christ, to...
... 2. He then wonderfully displays the Eternal Life, which is Christ, to those who
confess Him not, and applies to them the mournfullamentation of Jeremiah over...
The Redeemer's Return is Necessitated by theLamentation of all...
... Chapter One The Need of the Redeemer's Return VIII. THE REDEEMER'S RETURN
IS NECESSITATED BY THELAMENTATION OF ALL CREATION. The...
Certain Fulfilment of Prophecy.
... And then in Jerusalem there shall be greatlamentation, not thelamentation of mouths
or of lips, but thelamentation of the heart; and they shall rend not...
The Wailing of Risca
... Jeremiah 4:20. THE sorrow of the weeping prophet was exceeding heavy when
he uttered these words of bitterlamentation. A great...
How Joppa was Taken, and Tiberias Delivered Up.
... And muchlamentation there was when the ships were dashed against one another, and
a terrible noise when they were broken to pieces; and some of the multitude...
Spoken in Antioch in the Old Church, as it was Called...
... of? The present season is one for tears, and not for words; forlamentation,
not for discourse; for prayer, not for preaching. Such...
An Exhortation to Theodore after his Fall. Letter I.
... not any one who knew in the days of its glory that well-ordered mind of thine which
the devil has now set on fire, groan, imitating thelamentation of the...
Letter xxxix. To Paula.
... [833] And when we read that, for Moses and Aaron,lamentation was made after ancient
custom, this ought not to surprise us, for even in the Acts of the Apostles...
The Last Farewell in the Presence of the one Hundred and Fifty...
... gratefully secure its own safety; like that flock which was harassed by lions,
dispersed by tempest, or scattered in darkness, thelamentation of prophets who...
Thesaurus
Lamentation (45 Occurrences)... Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia.
LAMENTATION. lam-en-ta'-shun. See BURIAL, III,
2; IV, 4, 5, 6. Multi-Version Concordance
Lamentation (45 Occurrences).
...Lament (44 Occurrences)
... 2. (vt) To mourn for; to bemoan; to bewail. 3. (v.) Grief or sorrow expressed in
complaints or cries;lamentation; a wailing; a moaning; a weeping....
Lamented (19 Occurrences)
... (WEB). Genesis 50:10 They came to the threshing floor of Atad, which is beyond the
Jordan, and there they lamented with a very great and sorelamentation....
Wailing (44 Occurrences)
... Matthew 2:18 "A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and bitterlamentation: It was
Rachel bewailing her children, and she refused to be comforted because there...
Lamenting (8 Occurrences)
... n.) of Lament. 2. (n.)Lamentation.... Isaiah 29:2 And I have sent distress to Ariel,
And it hath beenlamentation and mourning, And it hath been to me as Ariel....
Weeping (237 Occurrences)
... & vb. n.) of Weep. 2. (n.) The act of one who weeps;lamentation with tears; shedding
of tears.... 6. (a.) Pertaining tolamentation, or those who weep. Int....
Tyrus (18 Occurrences)
... the midst of thee? (KJV). Ezekiel 27:2 Now, thou son of man, take up a
lamentation for Tyrus; (KJV). Ezekiel 27:8 The inhabitants...
Mourning (85 Occurrences)
... 2. (n.) The act of sorrowing or expressing grief;lamentation; sorrow.... Isaiah
29:2 then I will distress Ariel, and there will be mourning andlamentation....
Wail (50 Occurrences)
... 4. (n.) Loud weeping; violentlamentation; wailing.... Alas!' and they will call the
farmer to mourning, and those who are skillful inlamentation to wailing....
Loud (222 Occurrences)
... Matthew 2:18 "A voice was heard in Ramah,lamentation, weeping and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children; she wouldn't be comforted, because they are...
Resources
What is a lament in the Bible? | GotQuestions.orgWhat are the Stations of the Cross and what can we learn from them? | GotQuestions.orgWhat is the outer darkness in Matthew 22:13? | GotQuestions.orgLamentation: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
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