Read Lamentations 3.1-24. In 3.1-66: Multiple responses to suffering. Speakers and moods shift throughout this chapter, making a neat outline difficult. Has the material been adjusted to fit the acrostic pattern? Does the jaring style mimic the dislocation 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 explicitly 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 the teeth (v. 16). In verse 15: Wormwood (also v. 19) is a bitter-tasting plant (Jer 9.14). In verse 19: Gall: Bile (see comment on 2.1). In verses 21-24: Statement of confidence, a feature of individual lament. Comments or Questions..
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