Saturday, September 28, 2013 Lamentations 3-4, Psalm 68, II Peter 1
In the original Hebrew, the first four chapters of Lamentations is an acrostic. The fifth chapter is not acrostic but it does have 22 verses, the same as the number of letters in the Hebrew alphabet. For fun, today’s reflection will also be an acrostic. Each observation about the reading begins will a letter of the name of the book.
Laments Over Jerusalem
Lamentations is a book of mournful poetry over the state and destruction of the city of Jerusalem.
Alphabetically Acrostic.
The acrostic nature of Lamentations follows the Hebrew alphabet in alphabetical order.
Messianic Foreshadowing
The Messiah, the Christ suffers much on the Cross. The verses in chapter three point to One that also suffers for the people.
Elegy Limping Meter
A mournful 3:2 meter is very prevalent in the original Hebrew and can even be heard in some of the English translations
Name of the Book in Hebrew is How!
The fist word of Lamentation is How!, as in how can this happen?. This first word also gives the book its name in Hebrew.
Trust in God, Even in the Hard, Bad Times
One theme of the book is to trust in God even when things are not going well. Lamentations encourages us to rely on God even in the midsts of destruction.
Agony of the People
The pain and suffering of the people is forefront in this book.
Timing is 586 B.C.E.
Lamentations is thought to have been written right after the destruction of the city of Jerusalem by the Babylonians.
I
The third chapter is written in the first person singular, I.
On fasting days this text is often read.
On the Jewish faith it is read on the Ninth of Av, a day to commemorate the destruction of the temple. Christians often read this text during Holy week.
Need for Repentance.
Lamentations encourages the reader to be repentant.
Sins
In Lamentations, it is the sins of the people which bring on God's inflicting of pain and destruction.
Keep Reading!
Spencer Potter
In the original Hebrew, the first four chapters of Lamentations is an acrostic. The fifth chapter is not acrostic but it does have 22 verses, the same as the number of letters in the Hebrew alphabet. For fun, today’s reflection will also be an acrostic. Each observation about the reading begins will a letter of the name of the book.
Laments Over Jerusalem
Lamentations is a book of mournful poetry over the state and destruction of the city of Jerusalem.
Alphabetically Acrostic.
The acrostic nature of Lamentations follows the Hebrew alphabet in alphabetical order.
Messianic Foreshadowing
The Messiah, the Christ suffers much on the Cross. The verses in chapter three point to One that also suffers for the people.
Elegy Limping Meter
A mournful 3:2 meter is very prevalent in the original Hebrew and can even be heard in some of the English translations
Name of the Book in Hebrew is How!
The fist word of Lamentation is How!, as in how can this happen?. This first word also gives the book its name in Hebrew.
Trust in God, Even in the Hard, Bad Times
One theme of the book is to trust in God even when things are not going well. Lamentations encourages us to rely on God even in the midsts of destruction.
Agony of the People
The pain and suffering of the people is forefront in this book.
Timing is 586 B.C.E.
Lamentations is thought to have been written right after the destruction of the city of Jerusalem by the Babylonians.
I
The third chapter is written in the first person singular, I.
On fasting days this text is often read.
On the Jewish faith it is read on the Ninth of Av, a day to commemorate the destruction of the temple. Christians often read this text during Holy week.
Need for Repentance.
Lamentations encourages the reader to be repentant.
Sins
In Lamentations, it is the sins of the people which bring on God's inflicting of pain and destruction.
Keep Reading!
Spencer Potter
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