1. Lamentations 1:1–22 (ESV)
  2. Exposition

How many voices do we find in Lamentations 1 and what is its purpose?

Lamentations 1:1–22 (ESV)

1 How lonely sits the city that was full of people! How like a widow has she become, she who was great among the nations! She who was a princess among the provinces has become a slave.

There are two voices: the author’s voice and that of Jerusalem as personified by a widow. The voices are arranged as follows:

  1. The voice of the author (Lamentations 1:1–9a)

  2. The voice of Jerusalem (Lamentations 1:9b)

  3. The voice of the author (Lamentations 1:10–11a)

  4. The voice of Jerusalem (Lamentations 1:11–16)

  5. The voice of the author (Lamentations 1:17)

  6. The voice of Jerusalem (Lamentations 1:18–22).

Such a dialogue serves to magnify the tragedy.1