In this verse the poet is evidently speaking of the situation following immediately upon the capture of Jerusalem by the Babylonians. He and others tried to escape, and he tells of their dangerous journey through the hills and the desert. He is probably referring to the wild, hilly country between Jerusalem and Jericho over which the king and his companions traveled in an attempt to cross the Jordan. A prose account of these events is to be found in 2 Kings 25.3-4.
Our pursuers, meaning the enemies who chased us, are said to be swifter than the vultures in the heavens. Vultures and “eagles” (Good News Translation) are both included in the Hebrew term. The poet has in mind not only the swiftness of the bird but, particularly here, its eagerness to swoop down on its prey. Those trying to escape from the Babylonian army could easily liken themselves to small creatures threatened by a bird of prey such as the eagle.
Translators are free to name a bird that is best known locally as a bird of prey. In areas where both the vulture and the eagle are known, the translator’s experience with the habits of these birds may confirm that “eagle” is more suitable in this context; eagles aggressively seek living prey, while vultures seek dead bodies. In the heavens does not designate the abode of God but only calls attention to soaring birds that locate their prey from high in the sky. We may translate, for example, “Our enemies swooped down on us like eagles out of the sky.”
The second pair of half-lines, which are closely parallel in sense, describe the extent to which these people were pursued by their enemies. Chased translates a word which means “go in hot pursuit of.” It is used in Genesis 31.36, where Jacob asks Laban “What is my sin that you have hotly pursued me?” See also 1 Samuel 17.53. New English Bible says “they are hot on our trail over the hills.”
Lay in wait translates the same verb used in 3.10 and means “ambush, make a surprise attack on” someone. For wilderness see 4.3. In some areas people live where the land is largely flat, and “hills” and mountains are unknown. In such cases descriptive terms such as “land that goes up and down” or “land that is up high” may give entirely wrong impressions. In many cases an illustration serves to supplement the local expressions.
Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. A Handbook on Lamentations. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1992. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .