The Book of Lamentations
Lamentations mourns the fall of Jerusalem to Babylon in 586 BC, yet in the midst of catastrophe affirms that God's mercies are new every morning.
- Testament
- Old (5 chapters)
- Type
- Major Prophet
- Author
- Traditionally Jeremiah, though the book itself is anonymous.
- Date
- Composed shortly after the fall of Jerusalem in 586 BC.
Permission to grieve
The book is five acrostic poems of mourning — line after line of grief without rushing to fix it. Christians have always returned to Lamentations in times of catastrophe: it gives words to disaster without forcing premature comfort.
Mercy in the wreckage
Even in the depths, the book turns: 'It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness' (3:22-23). This is the source of the great hymn.
Key verses (KJV)
“It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.” — Lamentations 3:22-23 (KJV)
“The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.” — Lamentations 3:25 (KJV)
“Turn thou us unto thee, O LORD, and we shall be turned; renew our days as of old.” — Lamentations 5:21 (KJV)
How to read Lamentations
Read it whole, in one sitting, slowly. Five short chapters. Don't try to extract lessons; let it be what it is — public grief in the presence of God.
Read Lamentations on your iPhone
Read the full book of Lamentations in Quiethaven — choose your translation, read offline, and pick up where you left off. Pair it with a daily verse and a prayer timer.
Read Lamentations free on iPhone.
Download on the App Store