Lamentations 2:6

Authorized King James Version

And he hath violently taken away his tabernacle, as if it were of a garden: he hath destroyed his places of the assembly: the LORD hath caused the solemn feasts and sabbaths to be forgotten in Zion, and hath despised in the indignation of his anger the king and the priest.

Word-by-Word Analysis
#1
וַיַּחְמֹ֤ס
And he hath violently taken away
to be violent; by implication, to maltreat
#2
כַּגַּן֙
as if it were of a garden
a garden (as fenced)
#3
שֻׂכּ֔וֹ
his tabernacle
a booth (as interlaced)
#4
שִׁחֵ֖ת
he hath destroyed
to decay, i.e., (causatively) ruin (literally or figuratively)
#5
מוֹעֵ֣ד
hath caused the solemn feasts
properly, an appointment, i.e., a fixed time or season; specifically, a festival; conventionally a year; by implication, an assembly (as convened for
#6
שִׁכַּ֨ח
to be forgotten
to mislay, i.e., to be oblivious of, from want of memory or attention
#7
יְהוָ֤ה׀
the LORD
(the) self-existent or eternal; jeho-vah, jewish national name of god
#8
בְּצִיּוֹן֙
in Zion
tsijon (as a permanent capital), a mountain of jerusalem
#9
מוֹעֵ֣ד
hath caused the solemn feasts
properly, an appointment, i.e., a fixed time or season; specifically, a festival; conventionally a year; by implication, an assembly (as convened for
#10
וְשַׁבָּ֔ת
and sabbaths
intermission, i.e (specifically) the sabbath
#11
וַיִּנְאַ֥ץ
and hath despised
to scorn; or (in ecclesiastes 12:5), by interchange for h5132, to bloom
#12
בְּזַֽעַם
in the indignation
strictly froth at the mouth, i.e., (figuratively) fury (especially of god's displeasure with sin)
#13
אַפּ֖וֹ
of his anger
properly, the nose or nostril; hence, the face, and occasionally a person; also (from the rapid breathing in passion) ire
#14
מֶ֥לֶךְ
the king
a king
#15
וְכֹהֵֽן׃
and the priest
literally one officiating, a priest; also (by courtesy) an acting priest (although a layman)

Analysis

The salvation theme here intersects with the metanarrative of redemption running from Genesis to Revelation. Biblical theology recognizes this as part of a unified storyline from the promise in Genesis 3:15 to its fulfillment in Christ. The phrase emphasizing divine sovereignty contributes to our systematic understanding of Christian doctrine and connects to the broader scriptural witness about God's saving work from the Exodus to the cross.

Historical Context

The literary and historical milieu of the literary conventions and historical circumstances of biblical literature shapes this text's meaning. The historical development of salvation within the theological tradition of Lamentations Understanding the ancient worldview that shaped the author's theological expression helps modern readers appreciate why the author emphasizes divine sovereignty in this particular way.

Questions for Reflection