A Well-Named Passage: Lamentations 1:1-8

In this passage, Jeremiah is expressing a multitude of grief over the loss of Jerusalem, which is why the name “lamentations” fits so well. To lament is to express deep sorrow, regret, or unhappiness about something. It is a type of mourning that is often very vocal and has many facets to it. The name of this passage adequately describes what is to come in the following verses- it is a length passage that elaborately explains the pain Jeremiah feels for Jerusalem.

The first thing that I noticed was the use of personification and substitution (in parts/whole). Jeremiah refers to Jerusalem as a singular female, whether he is talking about the city itself or its people. Using this personification, Jeremiah is able to relay emotions about the city and actions or emotions of the people of the city. This allows the lamentation to be more personal, more specific, and more relatable, because it is as if he is crying for a loved-one.

Jeremiah also is able to better expound upon the sadness through his use of punctuation (several exclamation points in the first verse alone) and his use of amplification (more specifically exuscitatio). Jeremiah is putting into words his own sorrow and the sorrow of the city and exciting those emotions in others. He does this by expounding on the basic ideas. For example, he could have left verse two by simply writing “she weepeth sore in the night” but then he goes on to say “and her tears are on her cheeks.” Essentially, those are saying the same thing- she’s sad- but by adding a little more depth and description to it, he’s inciting more emotion. He does this several times in this chapter.