Lamentations - Caput 4

Lamentations 4.1 ALEPH quomodo obscuratum est aurum mutatus est color optimus dispersi sunt lapides sanctuarii in capite omnium platearum Lamentations 4.2 BETH filii Sion incliti et amicti auro primo quomodo reputati sunt in vasa testea opus manuum figuli Lamentations 4.3 GIMEL sed et lamiae nudaverunt mammam lactaverunt catulos suos filia populi mei crudelis quasi strutio in deserto Lamentations 4.4 DELETH adhesit lingua lactantis ad palatum eius in siti parvuli petierunt panem et non erat qui frangeret eis Lamentations 4.5 HE qui vescebantur voluptuose interierunt in viis qui nutriebantur in croceis amplexati sunt stercora Lamentations 4.6 VAV et maior effecta est iniquitas filiae populi mei peccato Sodomorum quae subversa est in momento et non ceperunt in ea manus Lamentations 4.7 ZAI candidiores nazarei eius nive nitidiores lacte rubicundiores ebore antiquo sapphyro pulchriores Lamentations 4.8 HETH denigrata est super carbones facies eorum et non sunt cogniti in plateis adhesit cutis eorum ossibus aruit et facta est quasi lignum Lamentations 4.9 TETH melius fuit occisis gladio quam interfectis fame quoniam isti extabuerunt consumpti ab sterilitate terrae Lamentations 4.10 IOTH manus mulierum misericordium coxerunt filios suos facti sunt cibus earum in contritione filiae populi mei Lamentations 4.11 CAPH conplevit Dominus furorem suum effudit iram indignationis suae et succendit ignem in Sion et devoravit fundamenta eius Lamentations 4.12 LAMED non crediderunt reges terrae et universi habitatores orbis quoniam ingrederetur hostis et inimicus per portas Hierusalem Lamentations 4.13 MEM propter peccata prophetarum eius iniquitates sacerdotum eius qui effuderunt in medio eius sanguinem iustorum Lamentations 4.14 NUN erraverunt caeci in plateis polluti sunt sanguine cumque non possent tenuerunt lacinias suas Lamentations 4.15 SAMECH recedite polluti clamaverunt eis recedite abite nolite tangere iurgati quippe sunt et commoti dixerunt inter gentes non addet ultra ut habitet in eis Lamentations 4.16 FE facies Domini divisit eos non addet ut respiciat eos facies sacerdotum non erubuerunt neque senum miserti sunt Lamentations 4.17 AIN cum adhuc subsisteremus defecerunt oculi nostri ad auxilium nostrum vanum cum respiceremus adtenti ad gentem quae salvare non poterat Lamentations 4.18 SADE lubricaverunt vestigia nostra in itinere platearum nostrarum adpropinquavit finis noster conpleti sunt dies nostri quia venit finis noster Lamentations 4.19 COPH velociores fuerunt persecutores nostri aquilis caeli super montes persecuti sunt nos in deserto insidiati sunt nobis Lamentations 4.20 RES spiritus oris nostri christus dominus captus est in peccatis nostris cui diximus in umbra tua vivemus in gentibus Lamentations 4.21 SEN gaude et laetare filia Edom quae habitas in terra Hus ad te quoque perveniet calix inebriaberis atque nudaberis Lamentations 4.22 THAU conpleta est iniquitas tua filia Sion non addet ultra ut transmigret te visitavit iniquitatem tuam filia Edom discoperuit peccata tua

Lamentations : Caput 4

Reflection on Lamentations Chapter 4 Lamentations Chapter 4 contrasts Jerusalem's past glory with its present misery. This powerful text invites us to reflect on the impact of Jerusalem's fall on all levels of society. It depicts the suffering of different social groups, from nobles to children, and addresses profound themes such as hunger, dehumanization, and the fall of leaders. Furthermore, Lamentations 4 acknowledges the fulfillment of prophetic warnings. Through this reflection, we invite you to explore five biblical passages that resonate with the themes of judgment and consequences present in this powerful chapter.

Isaiah 3:16-17

The Lord said: "The women of Zion are arrogant, they walk with their heads held high, they look impudently, they walk with a pretentious step, they make their anklets jingle. Therefore the Lord will cover the heads of the women of Zion with plagues; the Lord will shave their foreheads. »

This passage reflects the contrast between Jerusalem's past glory and its present humiliation, a central theme of Lamentations 4.

Ezekiel 7:19

"They will cast their silver into the streets, and their gold will be as filth. Your silver and gold will not be able to save you in the day of the Lord's anger. They will not satisfy their hunger or fill their stomachs, for it has become a stumbling block that led them to sin." »

This verse echoes the theme of Lamentations 4 on the uselessness of riches in the face of God's judgment.

Jeremiah 19:9

"I will make them eat the flesh of their sons and their daughters, and they will eat each other's flesh, because of the anguish and the affliction which their enemies, those who seek their lives, will bring upon them. »

This horrible prophecy is fulfilled in Lamentations 4:10, illustrating the severity of God's judgment.

Deuteronomy 28:56-57

"The most delicate and sensitive among you, so delicate and sensitive that she would not risk setting the sole of her foot on the ground, will look with envy on the husband she loves, on her own son and daughter, and on the placenta that comes out of her womb and in the children she bears, for she will hear them devoured secretly in her misery during the siege and anguish that the enemy will impose on him at the gates."

This covenant curse in Deuteronomy foretells the horrors described in Lamentations 4, showing that such calamities are the consequence of the breaking of the covenant.

Hosea 13:16

"The inhabitants of Samaria will pay for their guilt, because they have rebelled against their God. They will be put to death by the sword; their children will be dashed to pieces, and their pregnant women will have their wombs ripped open. »

This prophecy against Samaria uses language similar to that of Lamentations 4, emphasizing the horror of divine judgment.

As we meditate on these passages, we are called to reflect on the gravity of our actions and the consequences that follow. May these words inspire us to remain faithful and seek God's mercy in our lives.