The final line of the Hebrew text, which is in quotes in both Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation, marks the transition to the second half of the chapter. From this point on Jerusalem speaks of herself in the first person, except in verse 17.

All her people groan: groan is the same word used in verses 4 and 8. The groaning in this case is due to the pains of starvation. Bread translates a word whose ordinary meaning is “bread,” but in the context of starving people the meaning is food in general, and therefore as in Good News Translation, “something to eat.” In some languages there is no general word for food, but many specific words depending upon the nature of the food, whether, for example, its form is solid or liquid, cooked or uncooked.

They trade their treasures for food: treasures translates the same Hebrew word used in verses 7 and 10, “precious things.” Good News Translation and others consider these to be literally “treasures,” meaning objects of great value, personal possessions. However, the same expression is used in Hosea 9.16, referring to people’s offspring, and Good News Translation there translates “the children so dear to them.” In Lamentations 2.4 Good News Translation translates this expression as “those who were our joy and delight.” Here in this verse AB says “They gave their darlings for food…,” and Gordis agrees with this rendering. Because there is no certain solution to this problem, translators may take treasures to mean either “offspring” or “wealth.” The point in exchanging their children or their personal possessions is to obtain food in order to revive their strength or, as Good News Translation says, “to keep themselves alive.”

In verse 9 Jerusalem was depicted as crying out to the LORD for help. The final unit of verse 11 is again a cry addressed to the LORD. By themselves the quotation marks used in Revised Standard Version are not sufficient to indicate who cried to the LORD. Good News Translation makes clear that it is “the city” (meaning the people of the city) that cries out, and this is probably correct. Look, O LORD, and behold is a close formal rendering of the Hebrew “See, Yahweh, and look.” The use of two verbs of similar meaning serves to make the plea stronger.

For I am despised: despised translates a word meaning “lowered, demeaned, disgraced.” In some languages this may be translated “Look at me, God, and see how little I have become” or “… how I have become a nobody.”

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 .

In this verse the theme of violent death runs through all three units. In the first unit it has taken the youth and old men. In the second unit the order of subject and verb is the reverse from that in the first unit, a device called chiasmus. For a definition of chiasmus, see the Glossary. This is only partially seen in Revised Standard Version. The thoughts, however, are closely parallel in meaning. The third unit makes clear who has killed the people, and uses different words for “kill” in each half-line. See discussion below.

In the dust of the streets is literally “on the ground in open places,” where streets translates the same word found in the last unit of verse 19, which Good News Translation translates “street corner,” and Revised Standard Version “street.” See comments on verse 19.

Lie the young and the old: the young and the old refers to people of all ages and both sexes. No one escapes. In order to avoid the picture of people lying down to rest in the streets, it may be necessary to say, for example, “Young people and old people alike lie dead in the streets.”

My maidens and my young men: my maidens translates “my virgins.” See note of explanation on 1.4. My is Jerusalem speaking. However, Good News Translation has avoided the first person and thus retains the general sense as in the first unit. Translators may find it is better to do the same rather than introduce my in the second unit. Young men refers to youths who are mature adults but still not married.

Have fallen by the sword is the literal Hebrew text. The Septuagint adds “and by famine,” which New English Bible accepts. Hebrew Old Testament Text Project and most translations follow the Hebrew. Fallen by the sword or “killed by enemy swords” (Good News Translation) may require some adjustments in translation, particularly in languages in which the sword is unknown. In some cases an equivalent weapon may be substituted; for example, “The enemy has thrown spears and killed my young men and women.” It is also possible to use a verb which requires the use of a weapon; for example, “The enemy has stabbed my young men and women.” Of course it is also possible to avoid any reference to weapons and say, for example, “The enemy has killed my young men and women.”

In the day of thy anger thou hast slain them: for day of thy anger see 1.12 and 2.1.

Slaughtering without mercy: slaughtering is generally used with reference to killing animals to be eaten as food; but it can also be used figuratively to mean killing many people in a brutal manner, massacring (Psa 37.14), and this understanding is reinforced by without mercy. Another interpretation is that slaughtering as used here is related to the reference in verse 22 to a religious festival. The noun related to this verb is used in Isaiah 34.6, where “sacrifice” and “slaughter” are parallel terms; there the victims are the people of Edom, but here they are the people of Jerusalem. In other words, the poet is saying that the Lord is preparing his sacrificial victims, not bulls or rams, but his own people. Translators may follow either interpretation, and in many languages the translation will not be affected. However, in languages in which slaughtering is not used figuratively for the brutal slaying of enemies, we may have to say simply “killing them brutally.” If there is a special term for killing enemies in war, that term will be appropriate. If without mercy does not indicate a brutal manner, the term may need other descriptive words. For other comments on without mercy, see verse 2.

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 .

Verse 31 is exceptionally short in Hebrew, and so New English Bible alters the Hebrew by providing an object for the verb, “his servants.” Good News Translation, in line with the verses before this, has a first person plural object. Cast off for ever requires an object in order to be meaningful. Here we may say, for example, “cast off anyone,” or better, “reject anyone.” Good News Translation “reject us” in some languages may be rendered “abandon us,” “turn his back to us,” or “say ‘No’ to us.”

The words “is merciful” are transferred by Good News Translation from verse 32, will have compassion, to verse 31.

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 .

Behold (as in 1.18) is a plea addressed to the LORD, meaning “Look and see.” Their sitting and their rising is a figure of speech, which emphasizes the totality of their activities. The thought is similarly expressed in Deuteronomy 6.7 “… when you sit … and when you walk … when you lie down and when you rise.” The sense is “all the time, no matter what you are doing, anytime, day or night.” Good News Translation “From morning to night” means “all the time.”

For burden of their songs see 3.14.

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 .

It may be that there is a connection in the poet’s mind between the political alliances with Egypt and Assyria in verse 6 and the recollection of the sins of bygone fathers in this verse. Those belonging to a previous generation had sinned but were no longer alive to suffer for their sins. So, in accordance with the principles expressed in Exodus 20.5, their descendants were suffering for their sins.

In the light of Exodus 20.5; Jeremiah 16.10-13; 31.29-30; and Ezekiel 18, it is unlikely that the fathers are the immediate fathers of the survivors, who were either killed or are now in exile in Babylonia, although this cannot be ruled out. Most likely Our fathers means “Our ancestors” (Good News Translation), those who lived before us. And are no more is a phrase which means they are no longer living, or they are now dead.

Bear their iniquities means “bear the burden of their sins” or “suffer the punishment for their sins.” In some languages it may be necessary to say, for example, “We suffer now because they sinned” or “They sinned and now we suffer because of their sins.”

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 .

Verse 22 continues Jerusalem’s plea for the LORD to punish her enemies just as he is punishing Jerusalem.

Let all their evil-doing come before thee shows Jerusalem pleading to God that her enemies be punished for their wickedness. This expression is idiomatic and means “Look at, examine, observe for the purpose of judging.” In some languages it will be necessary to translate, for example, “Look at the evil deeds they have done” or “Punish them for their wicked deeds.” Good News Translation “Condemn them…” expresses the idea well.

Deal with them as thou hast dealt with me: deal translates a general verb meaning “to treat”; that is, “treat them as you have treated me.” A translation which spells out the sense of the general verb may be, for example, “make them suffer the way you have made me suffer.”

Because of all my transgressions: transgressions is the same as in verse 5. See there for comments. In some languages it may be clearer to place this expression before the plea; for example, “You have made me suffer because I rebelled against you. Now make my enemies suffer too.”

For my groans are many: the final unit is introduced by the Hebrew particle ki, which normally introduces a clause of reason, and therefore Revised Standard Version has for. In some languages it will be necessary to make the relation between these final two half-lines and those before them clearer by saying, for example, “I say all of this as I groan in suffering.”

The speaker closes the chapter by adding my heart is faint, which translates “my heart (is) faint.” Here the heart stands for the whole person. This expression is often rendered idiomatically; for example, “my insides tremble” or “my liver has vanished.”

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 .

The two half-lines of verse 10 say much the same thing. God is compared to a bear and a lion waiting to pounce on their prey, as in Hosea 13.7-8. In Amos 5.18-19 the bear and the lion are used as images of the Day of the LORD. The translation of bear and lion will depend upon familiarity with these two animals. Where they are unknown the translator may substitute local animals, provided they are wild and capable of attacking a person. If no such animals exist, it is always possible to shift to a generic term; for example, “He is like a wild animal that waits for me and pounces on me.” If this solution is still unsatisfactory, the translator may have to drop the simile of the animal attack and say, for example, “He waited for me to attack me. He kept himself in hiding.” In some cases it may be more natural to reverse the order of these two half-lines.

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 .