Lamentations 5:1
A focused desk for reading, commentary, cross-references, original language notes, and your own observations.
Lamentations 5:1
1 Remember, O LORD, what is come upon us: consider, and behold our reproach.
Chapter Context
Lamentations 5 is a funeral dirge chapter in the Old Testament that explores themes of sacrifice, salvation, discipleship. Written during just after Jerusalem's fall (c. 586 BCE), this chapter should be understood within its historical context: Written amid the devastating aftermath of Jerusalem's destruction by Babylon.
The chapter can be divided into several sections:
- Verses 1-5: Introduction and setting the context
- Verses 6-12: Development of key themes
- Verses 13-20: Central message and teachings
- Verses 21-22: Conclusion and application
This chapter is significant because it reveals key aspects of God's character through divine actions and declarations. When studying this passage, it's important to consider both its immediate context within Lamentations and its broader place in the scriptural canon.
Verse Study
Lamentations 5:1
1 Remember, O LORD, what is come upon us: consider, and behold our reproach.
Analysis
Chapter 5 is a communal prayer: "Remember, O LORD, what is come upon us: consider, and behold our reproach" (zechor YHWH meh-hayah lanu habitah ure'eh et-kherpatenu, זְכֹר יְהוָה מֶה־הָיָה לָנוּ הַבִּיטָה וּרְאֵה אֶת־חֶרְפָּתֵנוּ). The verb zakhar (זָכַר, "remember") is crucial. It's not that God forgets—His memory is perfect. But biblical "remembering" means acting on relationship. When God "remembered Noah" (Genesis 8:1), the flood waters receded. When He "remembered His covenant" (Exodus 2:24), deliverance began. Here, the plea is for God to act based on remembering His people. The dual verbs "consider" (habitah, הַבִּיטָה, "look attentively") and "behold" (re'eh, רְאֵה, "see") request God's attention to their "reproach" (cherpah, חֶרְפָּה)—shame, disgrace. The people acknowledge their humiliated state and appeal to God's compassion. This models appropriate prayer after judgment: not demanding or presuming, but humbly requesting God notice and act. Psalm 74:18-22, 79:8-12, and 89:46-51 express similar appeals for God to remember and intervene.
Historical Context
Chapter 5 functions as communal lament and petition, likely used in post-exilic worship as the ruined Jerusalem community appealed for full restoration. While some Jews returned after Cyrus's decree (538 BC), Jerusalem remained desolate until Nehemiah's rebuilding (445 BC). For decades, returnees lived amid ruins, facing opposition from surrounding peoples (Ezra 4, Nehemiah 4). The 'reproach' included:
- mockery from neighbors like Sanballat and Tobiah (Nehemiah 4:1-3)
- poverty and economic hardship (Nehemiah 5:1-5)
- vulnerability to enemies (Nehemiah 4:11-12)
- the temple's diminished glory compared to Solomon's (Ezra 3:12, Haggai 2:3).
The prayer 'remember...consider...behold' appeals to God's covenant relationship. Psalm 136's refrain 'His mercy endureth forever' repeats 26 times, emphasizing perpetual covenant love. God who remembered His covenant with Abraham (Genesis 15:18, Exodus 2:24) would remember His covenant with David and Jerusalem.
Reflection
- What does it mean to ask God to 'remember' us, and how does this relate to covenant relationship rather than divine forgetfulness?
- How does this prayer model appropriate humility and dependence when appealing to God after experiencing judgment for sin?
- What role does corporate prayer and lament play in church life, especially when communities face trials or consequences of past failures?
Word Studies
- Lord: יְהוָה / אֲדֹנָי (YHWH / Adonai) H3068 - The LORD / Lord
Cross-References
- References Lord: Lamentations 3:61, Psalms 79:12, Jeremiah 15:15, Habakkuk 3:2
- Parallel theme: Lamentations 2:15, 3:19, Nehemiah 4:4, Psalms 79:4