1. Lamentations 2:3 (ESV)
  2. Exposition

What is the implication of the Lord withdrawing “his right hand in the face of the enemy”?

Lamentations 2:3 (ESV)

3 He has cut down in fierce anger all the might of Israel; he has withdrawn from them his right hand in the face of the enemy; he has burned like a flaming fire in Jacob, consuming all around.

The right hand of the Lord symbolises his strength - both his saving protection (see Psalm 98:1) and his all-destructive power. In this context, the removal of God’s right hand meant that his protection has been withdrawn, leaving the city vulnerable to enemy attack.