Introduction
V. THE RESPONSE OF THE GODLY (THE FIFTH LAMENT) CH. 5
This poem, like the one in chapter 3, contains verses of only two lines each. It is the only non-acrostic chapter in the book, though like chapters 1, 2, and 4, it consists of 22 verses. The doleful qinah meter is also absent in this chapter, giving it a somewhat more positive tone. However, 45 words end in u (in all verses except 19), which gives the chapter a rather mournful tone when read aloud in Hebrew.
The chapter is more of a prayer than a lament, though its content focuses on the pitiful condition of the Judahites because of Jerusalem’s fall.
"The best fruit of anyone’s mourning is his praying to God." [Note: Ibid., pp. 136-37.]
Jeremiah’s prayer, which he voiced for his people, contains two petitions, namely: that God would remember the plight of His people (Lamentations 5:1-18), and that He would restore them to their promised covenant blessings (Lamentations 5:19-22; cf. Deuteronomy 30:1-11).
"The chapter comprises a confession of sin [Lamentations 5:16] and a recognition of the abiding sovereignty of God [Lamentations 5:19]." [Note: Harrison, Jeremiah and . . ., p. 238.]
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