Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Lamentations 4:11
The LORD hath accomplished his fury; he hath poured out his fierce anger, and hath kindled a fire in Zion, and it hath devoured the foundations thereof.
11. hath kindled a fire ] metaphorical, as in Lam 1:13, Lam 2:3.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
An unusual fire, which burns up not only the roof and superstructure, but the foundations, leaving no bottom for hopes of being restored. See Deu 32:22.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
11. fire . . . devoured . . .foundations (Deu 32:22;Jer 21:14). A most rare event.Fire usually consumes only the surface; but this reached even to thefoundation, cutting off all hope of restoration.
Lamed.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
The Lord hath accomplished his fury,…. Which rose up in his mind, and which he purposed in himself to bring upon the sinful people of the Jews:
he hath poured out his fierce anger; the vials of his wrath in great abundance, even all he meant to pour out upon them:
and hath kindled a fire in Zion, and it hath devoured the foundations thereof: not in the strong hold of Zion only, but in the whole city of Jerusalem, which was set on fire by the Chaldeans, as instruments, according to the will of God; and which not only consumed the houses of it, but even the foundations of them; so that it looked as if there was no hope of its ever being rebuilt. Aben Ezra interprets this fire of the famine.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
He at length concludes that nothing was wanting to complete the extreme vengeance of God; for had the Jews been chastised in an ordinary way, they would have still extenuated their sins, as we know that they were not easily led to repentance. Hence the Prophet, to shew that their offenses had not been slight, but that they had been extremely wicked before God, says that the whole of God’s wrath had been executed: Jehovah has completed his wrath The expression is indeed harsh to Latin ears; but the meaning is, that he had executed his extreme judgment.
He afterwards adds, He has poured forth the indignation of his wrath. God is indeed content with moderate punishment, provided men be awakened from their torpor; but when he pours forth his wrath, there is no hope of repentance. It is then a sign of final despair when God’s vengeance overflows like a deluge. But when Jeremiah thus speaks, he does not contend with God, but rather reminds the Jews of what they deserved, as it was stated yesterday. There is, then, no doubt but that he argues, from the grievousness of their punishment, that there was no reason for the Jews to flatter themselves any longer, since God had dealt so severely with them.
He then, in other words, points out the same thing, that God had kindled a fire which devoured or consumed the very foundations. Fire is wont rather to take hold on the roofs of houses, or, when it creeps farther, it does not proceed beyond the surface. It is a very rare thing for it to penetrate into the foundations. Let us at the same time know that the Prophet speaks metaphorically of the destruction of the city, for it was such as left nothing remaining. For when some ruins remain, there is some intimation of a future restoration at least the minds of beholders are inclined to hope that what has fallen is to be restored; but when the buildings are not only pulled down, but also demolished from their foundations, then the destruction seems to be without any hope of restoration. And this is what the Prophet means when he says, that the fire had consumed, not only what was above ground, but the very foundations of Jerusalem. It follows, —
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
HOMILETICS
EXEGETICAL NOTES.
() Lam. 4:11 is a conclusion from the immediately preceding verses, as Lam. 4:6 is from those preceding it. Jehovah has accomplished, i.e., has put forth a full measure of, His fury; has poured out the fierceness of His anger, and one method of its action is He has kindled a fire in Zion, and has devoured her foundations. The scenes of horror which have been depicted show the meeting-place of Zions guilt and its Divine punisher. Gods fierce wrath is the blast which consumes flagrant iniquities. The entire demolition of the former principles dominating the Israelites is thus symbolised, and so signifies that room is made for the new spirit which shall possess the restored captivity when they lay again the foundations of the House of the Lord.
A change of features is to be presented now by sketching, not so much the disasters on classes of the people, as the causes by which they were produced, and the baffled hopes ensuing.
() Lam. 4:12. The kings of the earthmen who might be considered expertsbelieved not, neither all the inhabitants of the worldmen who were moved by appearances and common hearsaythat an adversary should enter into the gates of Jerusalem. This belief cannot be merely a deep subjective conviction. Whether or not the city was previously taken is a matter of no importance. What is stated is a general opinion. The unverified belief would be grounded on the knowledge of the strong situation and careful fortifications of Jerusalem, which, with the means of siege then at command, might be considered almost impossible of capture. It was invested a year and a half before capture by the greatest warrior of the age. Besides this, there may well have been, since the remarkable repulse of Sennacherib, a wide-spread supposition, as when the tribes emerged from the desert, that the God of Israel was very mighty in the defence of His worshippers, and would not let His sacred city be subjugated.
THE DESTRUCTION OF ZION
(Lam. 4:11-12)
I. Was thorough and complete. The Lord kindled a fire in Zion, and it devoured the foundations thereof (Lam. 4:11). The holy city, the pride of the Jews and the envy of their enemies, was utterly overthrown. Not only were its walls, towers, palaces, and Temple demolished, but its very foundations were dug up and scattered: one stone was not left upon another. It was degraded and spurned by the resolute destroyers as a heap of useless rubbish. It was impossible for the rage of man to make a more complete ruin. In the intention of the irate Chaldeans it was destroyed for ever. And yet the Divine Guardian of the holy city allowed all this!
II. Was undeniable evidence of the reality of the Divine anger. The Lord hath accomplished His fury: He hath poured out His fierce anger (Lam. 4:11). There was more of the righteous anger of Jehovah against the obstinate sin of His people in the destruction of Jerusalem, than there were skill and ferocity in the Chaldean army. The enemy would have been powerless to pierce the city bulwarks if the people had remained true to Jehovah, and sheltered themselves in humble trust beneath His all-powerful defence. But the wrath of God was provoked beyond the limit of further endurance, and the Chaldeans were used as the instruments of His vengeance. Surely the eyes of the suffering people were at last opened to see in the utter destruction of their beloved city that Jehovah was indeed angry with them.
III. Was a result deemed incredible by the nations. The kings of the earth, and all the inhabitants of the world, would not have believed that the adversary should have entered into the gates of Jerusalem (Lam. 4:12). Jerusalem was so strongly fortified, not only by massive walls and bulwarks, but by the strength and heroism of its inhabitants, that it was deemed impregnable to all warlike forces of that day. Moreover, it was regarded as the dwelling-place of the Great King, who had hitherto baffled all attempts to capture it. The recent defeat of Sennacherib, one of the greatest warriors of the age, was fresh in the memory of the people. The belief gained general currency that the city could not be taken. It was invested for a year and a half by the Chaldean forces, furnished with the most powerful engines of assault, before it was actually captured. Its fall was the amazement of the world. What was believed impossible had come to pass. Others saw, what the Jews were slow to acknowledge, that their God had deserted them and given them up to the destroyer.
LESSONS.
1. The holiest place may be polluted by sin,
2. Persistent sin provokes Divine vengeance.
3. Divine wrath is not poured out till every opportunity is given for repentance.
GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES
Lam. 4:11. The Divine anger.
1. Will accomplish all it threatens.
2. Is terrible in its active manifestation.
3. May well be dreaded by the impenitent.
Lam. 4:12. A worlds wonder.
1. That a divinely guarded city should fall.
2. That it should fall by the hands of the godless.
3. That some great sin must have been committed to make such a catastrophe possible.
ILLUSTRATIONS.Terrible destruction. One of the officers at Fredericksburg says:Howard, who was with me, says I exclaimed, Oh, great God, see how our men, our poor fellows, are falling! I remember that the whole plain was covered with men prostrate and falling. I had never before seen fighting like thatnothing approaching it in terrible uproar and destruction. As they charged, the artillery fire would break up their formation, and they would get mixed; then they would close up, go forward, receive the withering infantry fire, and those who were able would run to their houses and do all they could; then the next brigade coming up in succession would do their duty, and melt. It was like the snow coming down and melting on warm ground.
Concentration of power destroys. In the eighteenth century an immense burning-glass was constructed in France, in which all the heat falling on a great lens was then concentrated on a smaller one, till at the focus such was the heat that iron, gold, and other metals ran like melted butter. Another one, made in England by Parker, fused the most refractory substances, and diamonds were by it reduced to vapour.
The Divine sovereignty. God is free because no causes external to Himself have power over Him; and as good men are most free when most a law to themselves, so it is no infringement on Gods freedom to say that He must have acted as He acted; but rather He is absolutely free because absolutely a law Himself to Himself.Froude.
The curse of sin. It is the Trojan horse; it hath sword and famine and pestilence in the belly of it. Sin is a coal that not only blacks, but burns. Sin creates all our troubles; it puts gravel in our bread, wormwood in our cup. Sin rots the name, consumes the estates, buries relations. Sin shoots the flying roll of Gods curses into a family and kingdom (Zec. 5:4). It is reported of Phocas, having built a wall of mighty strength about his city, there was a voice heard, Sin is in the city, and that will throw down the wall.
Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell
II. AN EXPLANATION OF THE JUDGMENT
Lam. 4:11-20
TRANSLATION
(11) The LORD has given vent to His wrath. He has poured out His fierce anger. He has kindled a fire in Zion, which has consumed her foundations. (12) Neither the kings of the earth nor the inhabitants of the world believed that the adversary and the enemy would enter the gates of Jerusalem. (13) It was because of the sins of her prophets and the iniquities of her priests who shed the blood of innocent persons in the midst of her. (14) They staggered like blind men in the streets. They were polluted with blood so that none could touch their garments. (15) Turn back! Unclean! men cried to them; Turn back! Turn back! Do not touch! When they fled away and wandered, men said among the nations, They shall no more sojourn there. (16) The face of the LORD has scattered them, He will no more regard them. They do not respect priests nor do they favor elders. (17) Our eyes failed continuing to look for our help in vain; in our watching we watched for a nation which could not save. (18) They hunted our steps preventing us from walking in our streets. Our end drew near, our days were filled up because our end had come. (19) More swift were our pursuers than the eagles of the heavens. Upon the hills they chased us, in the wilderness they laid in wait for us. (20) The breath of our nostrils, the anointed of the LORD, was captured in their pits, the one of whom we had said, Under his shadow we shall live among the nations.
COMMENTS
In Lam. 4:11-20 the poet begins to explain the horrendous calamity which has befallen Judah. The ultimate cause of Zions downfall was the burning wrath of the Lord (Lam. 4:11). The leaders of the city, and in fact all the inhabitants of the world, believed that Jerusalem was invulnerable (Lam. 4:12). The idea that the Lord would not destroy His special abode probably was based upon the miraculous last-minute deliverance of Jerusalem from the armies of the Assyrian Sennacherib in the days of king Hezekiah (Isaiah 37).
In Lam. 4:13-20 the prophet points out two of the reasons Gods anger was stirred up against the inhabitants of Judah. First he mentions the sins of the prophets and priests (Lam. 4:13-16). Not only were these leaders guilty of perverting the word of the Lord, they were also guilty of murder, perhaps not directly, but indirectly (Lam. 4:13). Because of their counsel and encouragement many innocent people had been executed by the government. When Jerusalem came under the Chaldean siege and the city eventually fell these leaders who had confidently predicted divine deliverance were thrown into confusion. They were so defiled by blood that men could not touch them (Lam. 4:14). Their countrymen treated them as though they were unclean lepers. People who met them in the way applied to them the warning cry which lepers were to use if anyone approached them. Shunned by their own countrymen these discredited religious leaders fled to foreign lands. But even there these priests and prophets were not wanted. They were forced to become vagabonds wandering from one land to another (Lam. 4:15). It is the face of the Lord i.e., His anger, which has scattered these worthless leaders. Because they are not worthy of their office the Lord no longer regards them as prophets, priests, and elders nor do the people show to these leaders the respect and favor which the dignity of their office would normally evoke (Lam. 4:16).
The poet points to the stubborn and stupid resistance of the inhabitants of Jerusalem as the second explanation of the severity of Jerusalems judgment. Having committed the fundamental error of disobedience to the word of God the people of Judah stumbled on through those last years trusting confidently in false theological premises and human ingenuity. The poet points out four specific ways in which the nation had been deluded and deceived. (1) To the bitter end they had put their trust in foreign allies, particularly Egypt (Lam. 4:17). On one occasion Pharaoh had made an attempt to come to the aid of Jerusalem but his forces were driven off by the armies of Nebuchadnezzar, Jerusalems hope that Pharaoh Hophra could defeat the Babylonians proved vain. The troops of Nebuchadnezzar returned to the siege. (2) The nation had been led to believe that they could successfully resist the might of Babylon. But with each passing day it became ever more obvious that the end had come. Missiles hurled into the city from Chaldean siege towers made any public assembly within the city hazardous. It was stupid to continue to resist (Lam. 4:18). (3) The inhabitants of Jerusalem also mistakenly thought they could flee the falling city. But flight was in vain. The enemy like eagles swooping down upon the prey pounced upon any who tried to escape the siege (Lam. 4:19). (4) The inhabitants of Jerusalem were deceived in believing that they could find protection by adhering to Zedekiah the king of Judah. Because the life of a kingdom depends upon having a king, Zedekiah is called by the poet the breath of our nostrils. Zedekiah was the anointed of the Lord and the current representative of the house of David. The people were supremely confident that God would never allow the house of David to be completely overthrown. But Zedekiah was captured by the Chaldeans and deported to Babylon, a blind and broken man (Lam. 4:20). The people had been misled by their leaders into thinking that Jerusalem was inviolable and the dynasty of David unconquerable. They had placed their trust in man and had persistently refused to heed the word of God. They have no one but themselves to blame for the severity of Jerusalems sufferings.
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(11) And hath kindled a fire . . .The phrase is partly literal (2Ch. 36:19), partly figurative, for the complete destruction of Jerusalem by the wrath of Jehovah.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
11. Hath devoured the foundations As the foundations of the city were not literally destroyed at that time. Dr. Hornblower suggests that this is a prophecy of the more complete demolition of the city in later times, when not “one stone should be left upon another.” But there is no need of pressing this language. It implies total overthrow, but no importance attaches to the specification of “foundations” as that the threat must be literally fulfilled.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
The LORD hath accomplished his fury; he hath poured out his fierce anger, and hath kindled a fire in Zion, and it hath devoured the foundations thereof. The kings of the earth, and all the inhabitants of the world, would not have believed that the adversary and the enemy should have entered into the gates of Jerusalem.
The accomplishment of God’s purposes, and the astonishment of the heathen, in God’s chastisements of his people are very striking ob servations in this Chapter.
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Lam 4:11 The LORD hath accomplished his fury; he hath poured out his fierce anger, and hath kindled a fire in Zion, and it hath devoured the foundations thereof.
Ver. 11. The Lord hath accomplished his fury. ] Which he had long deferred, but now hath paid it home. Cave ne ira delata fiat duplicata.
He hath poured out his fierce anger.
He hath kindled a fire in Zion.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
The LORD. Hebrew. Jehovah. App-4.
kindled a fire. Reference to Pentateuch (Deu 32:22). App-92.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Lord: Lam 4:22, Lam 2:8, Lam 2:17, Deu 32:21-25, Jer 6:11, Jer 6:12, Jer 7:20, Jer 9:9-11, Jer 13:14, Jer 14:15, Jer 14:16, Jer 15:1-4, Jer 19:3-11, Jer 23:19, Jer 23:20, Jer 24:8-10, Eze 20:47, Eze 20:48, Eze 22:31, Dan 9:12, Zec 1:6, Luk 21:22
kindled: Deu 32:22, Jer 21:14
Reciprocal: 1Ch 11:5 – the castle 2Ch 34:25 – my wrath Psa 78:49 – cast Isa 59:18 – fury Jer 4:4 – lest Jer 17:27 – then Jer 21:12 – lest Jer 32:29 – and set Jer 36:7 – for Jer 42:18 – As mine Eze 5:13 – shall mine Eze 6:12 – thus Eze 7:8 – pour Eze 20:21 – accomplish Eze 30:8 – when I Eze 36:18 – I poured Nah 1:2 – is furious Nah 1:6 – his fury Zep 2:2 – before the fierce
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Lam 4:11. This verse is both prophecy and history. The city of Jerusalem (or Zion) was then in the hands of the Babylonians, and the people were about all in the foreign land. But they were doomed to stay there until they served out the sentence of the 70-year captivity; and all this was because of the Lords anger at their sins.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Yahweh had executed His wrath by punishing Jerusalem (cf. Lam 1:12; Lam 2:2-4; Lam 2:6; Lam 3:1). Like a fire, His anger burned among His people (Lam 2:3). Ironically, He consumed the city with fire.