1. Lamentations 1:3 (NEG79)
  2. Explication du texte

What is the purpose of introducing the national name Judah together with the capital city, Jerusalem?

Lamentations 1:3 (NEG79)

3 Juda est en exil, victime de l'oppression et d'une grande servitude; Il habite au milieu des nations, Et il n'y trouve point de repos; Tous ses persécuteurs l'ont surpris dans l'angoisse.

Judah refers here to the kingdom of Judah and its inhabitants. Jerusalem, personified as mother to the kingdom, bewails the kingdom's population. Judah is therefore personified as daughter of the land.1

As the name of the nation is introduced, the scene and scope of suffering is expanded. The personification of Jerusalem and Judah is used hyperbolically: the whole nation of Judah did not go into exile, but it is the exile of the skilled people, leaders and other citizens that is highlighted. These deportations intensified Jerusalem’s grief, loneliness, and loss.