Lamentations

Lamentations is a written work that is used as an explanation for hardship, specifically the destruction of Jerusalem (586 B.C.). As we discussed in class, the emotions described in this narrative are comparable to those associated with any sort of loss. I think that this relates to the universal purposes of religion.

A core purpose of religion is to explain the unknown and to give reasons for why hardships happen. This work tries to answer both of these questions. Lamentations depicts the series of emotions and events that occur when dealing with a tragedy: distress, realization, forgiveness, and finally, hope. In addition, religion was developed to bring people together, and unfortunately, tragedies tend to do just this. This work shows the progression of the previously listed emotions to the outcome of a strengthened belief in God. The last few lines of Lamentations describe the renewed sense of faith. The narrator states, “But you, O Lord, reign forever; your throne endures to all generations. Why have you forgotten us completely? Why have you forsaken us these many days? Restore us to yourself, O Lord, that we may be restored; renew our days as of old—unless you have utterly rejected us, and are angry with us beyond measure.” This quote clearly reveals the immeasurable devotion to God, even after a terrible catastrophe. Lamentations closely relates to common day situations through the emotions discussed and the outcomes of tragedies.