In Lamentations 2:15, what is a
lament,
and what is signified by wagging the head?By Jack Kettler
“All
that pass by
clap their hands at thee; they hiss and wag their
head at the daughter of
Jerusalem, saying, is this the city that men call
the perfection of beauty, the
joy of the whole earth?” (Lamentations 2:15)
What
is
a lament? A lament is a fervent emotional expression
of grief or sorrow.
Background
In
586
B.C., the King of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, destroyed
Jerusalem. Jeremiah
did not perish in the destruction of Jerusalem under
the Babylonian King. Instead,
God spared Jeremiah and had him record his sorrow
for the utter ruin of
Jerusalem.
Modern-day
prosperity
teachers would no doubt have difficulty with a
lament. Nevertheless,
a lament is not unique to Jeremiah and other Old
Testament prophets.
What
would
be prophetic about Jeremiah’s lament as a weeping
prophet?
“Oh,
that my head
were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that
I might weep
day and night for the slain
of the daughter of my people!” (Jeremiah 9:1)
(emphasis mine)
Jesus
has
been described as the weeping Savior because, on
many occasions, His sorrow
was visible.
“And
when he was
come near, he beheld the city, and wept
over it.” (Luke 19:41)
Jesus
laments
the future destruction of Jerusalem and especially
His sufferings in
Matthew 23:37-38.
“O
Jerusalem,
Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and
stonest them which are sent unto
thee, how often would I have gathered thy children
together, even as a hen
gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would
not! Behold, your house is
left unto you desolate.” (Matthew 23:37-38)
“Then
saith he
unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto
death: tarry ye here, and
watch with me.” (Matthew 26:38)
In
the
above passages from Matthew, the reader sees Jesus
lamenting Jerusalem’s
coming destruction by the Romans in 70A.D. and His
suffering on the cross.
Ellicott's
Commentary
for English Readers
pictures the enemies of Jerusalem:
“(15)
All that
pass by. - The triumphant exultation of the enemies
of Zion came to add
bitterness to her sorrows. They reminded her of what
she had been in the past
and contrasted it with her present desolation.
The
perfection of
beauty . . . - Like phrases are used of Zion in
Psalm 48:2; Psalm 50:2; of Tyre
in Ezekiel 27:3. Now that beauty was turned into
squalor and desolation.” (1)
At
the
start, it was asked what does wagging head convey.
“All
that pass by
clap their hands at thee; they hiss and wag
their head at the daughter
of Jerusalem, saying, is this the city that men call
the perfection of beauty, the
joy of the whole earth?” (Lamentations 2:15)
In particular, note Matthew
23:39:
“And
they that
passed by reviled him, wagging
their heads.” (Matthew 23:39)
To
“wag”
the head is a typical gesture of mockery or
derision.
In closing:
In
light
of God’s love for Israel, His righteous judgment and
sorry are seen in
Jeremiah’s lament. Jeremiah’s lament stands out as a
type of Christ sharing the
pains of believers.
“Study
to
shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that
needeth not to be ashamed,
rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2 Timothy
2:15)
Notes:
1.Charles
John
Ellicott, Bible
Commentary for
English Readers, Lamentations, Vol.11,
(London, England, Cassell and
Company), p. 18.
Mr.
Kettler
has previously published articles in the Chalcedon Report and Contra
Mundum. He and his wife Marea attend the
Westminster, CO, RPCNA Church. Mr.
Kettler is the author of books defending the
Reformed Faith. Books can be
ordered online at www. Jack Kettler .com