Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Lamentations 5:5
Our necks [are] under persecution: we labor, [and] have no rest.
5. Our pursuers are upon our necks ] The expression is a strange one, as applied to those remaining in the land. Since in the original the consonants of “upon” are identical with those for “yoke,” we may either substitute the latter for the former (so Ball), rendering the yoke of our neck, and altering “our pursuers” to they made heavy, or, with this latter change consider that both words (“yoke” and “upon”) were originally in the Heb. text, The yoke on our neck they have made heavy. This latter rendering is mentioned by Lhr, and favoured by Pe.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Our necks … – i. e. we were pursued so actively that our enemies seemed to be leaning over our necks ready to seize us.
We labor – We were wearied, there was no rest for us: being chased incessantly.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Lam 5:5
Our necks are under persecution, we labour, and have no rest.
Zions sufferings
1. The words explained. This is the miserable servitude of a conquered people, this is the insulting and domineering pride of a potent and victorious enemy. When enemies come in power, menaces and insultations speak the pride, the venom, and bitterness of their hearts, whilst the Egyptians are Israels masters, they will make their lives bitter with hard bondage in mortar, and cause them to serve with rigour (Exo 1:13-14).
2. Insultations, aggravations of the Churchs miseries. You may see by the deportment of these Assyrians to the Jews, what was their disposition, what was their nature. If you open the vessel you may taste the liquor. You may judge of wicked mens hearts by their speeches, by their usage of the saints (Mat 12:34).
3. Wicked men care not what they do to augment the troubles of the saints.
4. The reason why their necks are under persecution. But why do they complain of the yoke, the burden, the persecution upon their necks; what, were not the rest of their members sensible of the pressure? though the rest were affected, yet now the principal weight lies upon their necks, because themselves had ever been a stiff-necked people before the Lord (Isa 48:4; Jer 7:25-26; Eze 22:29). You may sometimes read of peoples sin in the punishments that are laid upon them by the Lord (Hos 4:6; Hos 4:14; Zec 7:12-13).
5. Sorrow without intermission very grievous. Intermissions are mercies, but pressures continued are very tedious; hop? deferred breaketh the heart, and misery daily augmented cannot but be crushing to the spirit. Wicked men, when they get Gods people under their commands, are very insatiable in their exactions (Exo 5:7-8; Lam 1:3). But what have this people done that they can have no laxation, no ease, no rest, in the land of Babylon? There be two sins in special for which God brings this evil upon a people, violence to others (Jer 51:34-35; Jer 51:38), and insatiableness or restlessness in the ways of sin. It is very likely God now pays her home with her own coin. She hath been exacting, and grating upon her servants; she is now a servant, and her masters do the like unto herself. She would not cease or rest from sin, now God hath laid restlessness upon her as a punishment for sin. (D. Swift.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 5. Our necks are under persecution] We feel the yoke of our bondage; we are driven to our work like the bullock, which has a yoke upon his neck.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
As the generality of prisoners of war are made slaves, and put to hard and incessant labour, so in probability the most of the Jews were at first at least.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
5. Literally, “On our neckswe are persecuted”; that is, Men tread on our necks (Psa 66:12;Isa 51:23; compare Jos10:24). The extremest oppression. The foe not merely galled theJews face, back, and sides, but their neck. A just retribution, asthey had been stiff in neck against the yoke of God (2Ch30:8, Margin; Neh 9:29;Isa 48:4).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Our necks [are] under persecution,…. A yoke of hard servitude and bondage was put upon their necks, as Jarchi interprets it; which they were forced to submit unto: or, “upon our necks we are pursued” s; or, “suffer persecution”: which Aben Ezra explains thus, in connection with the La 5:4; if we carry water or wood upon our necks, the enemy pursues us; that is, to take it away from us. The Targum relates a fable here, that when Nebuchadnezzar saw the ungodly rulers of the children of Israel, who went empty, he ordered to sow up the books of the law, and make bags or wallets of them, and fill them with the stones on the banks of the Euphrates, and loaded them on their necks:
we labour, [and] have no rest; night nor day, nor even on sabbath days; obliged to work continually till they were weary; and, when they were, were not allowed time to rest themselves, like their forefathers in Egypt.
s “super colla nostra persecutionem passi sumus”, Pagninus, Montanus, Calvin; “vel patimur”, Vatablus, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Here he says that the people were oppressed with a grievous bondage. It is, indeed, a metaphorical expression when he says, that people suffered persecution on their necks. Enemies may sometimes be troublesome to us, either before our face, or behind our backs, or by our sides; but when they so domineer as to ride on our necks, in this kind of insult there is extreme degradation. Hence the Prophet here complains of the servile and even disgraceful oppression of the people when he says, that the Jews suffered persecution on their necks.
The meaning is, that the enemies so domineered at the, it pleasure, that the Jews dared not to raise up their heads. They were, indeed, worthy of this reward — for we know that they had an iron neck; for when God would have them to bear his yoke, they were wholly unbending; nay, they were like untameable wild beasts. As, then, their hardness had been so great, God rendered to them a just reward for their pride and obstinacy, when their enemies laid such a burden on their necks. (225)
But the Prophet sets forth here this indignity, that he might turn God to mercy; that is, that the Chaldeans thus oppressed as they pleased the chosen people.
He adds, that they labored and had no rest. He intimates by these words that there were no limits nor end to their miseries and troubles; for the phrase in Hebrew is, We have labored and there was no rest. It often happens that when one is pressed down with evils for a short time, a relaxation comes. But the Prophet. says that there was no end to the miseries of the people. Then to labor without rest is the same as to be pressed down with incessant afflictions, from which there is no outlet. Their obstinacy was worthy also of this reward, for they had fought against God, not for a few months or years only, but for many years. We know how long the Prophet called them without any success. Here, however, he seeks favor with God, by saying that the people were miserable without limits or end.
(225) Not one of the versions or the Targ., though they all differ, gives a satisfactory rendering of this clause. Some take, “on our neck we have been pursued,” as meaning, We have been closely pursued. So Gataker. Others, as Lowth and Henderson, regarding על a noun, signifying a yoke, give a construction of this kind, “With the yoke on our neck we have been pursued” or persecuted, according to the words of Moses in Deu 28:48. The former seems the best, —
On our neck (closely) have we been pursued, We labored and had no rest.
Then comes in what they did when thus pursued by their enemies, —
To Egypt gave we the hand, To Assyria, to be satisfied with bread.
To give the hand, in this case, was to put it forth as suppliants to ask help. This seems to refer to a, time previous to their exile. — Ed.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(5) Our necks are under persecution.Better, were under pursuit: i.e., the enemies were pressing close on them, always, as in our English phrase, at their very heels.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
5. Our necks are under persecution, etc. More literally, On our necks we are persecuted. That is, our pursuers follow us so closely as to be on our very necks.
We labour Rather, are wearied, a necessary consequence of this hot and relentless pursuit.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Our pursuers are on our necks,
We are weary, and have no rest.
The ‘pursuers’ are probably the men set to watch over them as they went about their working day, or as they followed other pursuits. These ‘pursuers’ were seemingly relentless in ensuring that they did not slacken off. Instead of them being ‘on our necks’ we would say that they were ‘on our backs’ (get off my back). And the relentless pressure was proving too much. They were very weary and were finding no opportunity to rest. (see Deu 28:43).
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Lam 5:5 Our necks [are] under persecution: we labour, [and] have no rest.
Ver. 5. Our necks are under persecution. ] For that we would not stoop to the sweet yoke of thine obedience, but held it heavy, now, we are under an intolerable yoke of extreme slavery.
We labour, and have no rest.
a Bishop King on Jonah, lec, vii.
b Mr Ley’s Fast Sermon before Parliament, April 26, 1643.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Our necks are under persecution = Our pursuers are upon our necks.
persecution = pursuers.
and. Some codices, with two early printed editions and Syriac, read this “and” in the text.
have no rest = no respite was granted us.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Our necks are under persecution: Heb. On our necks are we persecuted, Lam 1:14, Lam 4:19, Deu 28:48, Deu 28:65, Deu 28:66, Jer 27:2, Jer 27:8, Jer 27:11, Jer 27:12, Jer 28:14, Mat 11:29, Act 15:10
labour: Neh 9:36, Neh 9:37
Reciprocal: Psa 18:39 – subdued Psa 107:12 – he brought Jer 13:9 – After Lam 3:7 – made Mic 2:3 – necks
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Lam 5:5. Neck is from a word that Strong defines, “The back of the neck (as that on which burdens are bound).” The verse refers to the hardships imposed on them.