Reading for December 6th

Read Lamentations 3.1-24. In 3.1-66: Multiple responses to suffering. Spakers and moods shift throughout this chapter, making a neat outline difficult. Has the material been adjusted to fit the acrostic pattern? Does the jarring style mimic the dissociation of trauma? In verses 1-24: An individual lament. Like other individual laments (Ps 38; 22), this section includes nonspecific complaints of suffering (vv. 1-19) and a statement of confidence in God (vv. 21-24). Identified neither with the poet who has spoken previously nor with Woman Zion, the speaker is an individual male (Heb., "geber"). He expilictly blames God for his troubles, comparing God to a wild animal (v. 10) and an enemy warrior (vv. 12-13). His troubles are not outlined but are compared to heavy chains (v. 7) and gravel to the teeth (v. 16). In verse 15: Wormwood (also v. 19) is a bitter-tasting plant (Jer 9.14). In verse 19: Gall: Bile. In verse 21-24: Statements of confidence, a feature of the individual lament. Comments or Questions..