Why did Israel choose to serve Assyria and Egypt in Lamentations 5:6? Text of Lamentations 5:6 “We have submitted to Egypt and Assyria to satisfy our hunger with bread.” Immediate Literary Setting Lamentations 5 is Israel’s communal lament after the 586 BC fall of Jerusalem. Verse 6 sits inside a catalogue of national disgrace (vv. 1–18) and a plea for divine restoration (vv. 19–22). The verb translated “submitted” (נָתַן יָד, nātan yād, lit. “given the hand”) denotes political capitulation or vassal treaty (cf. 2 Kings 10:15; Jeremiah 50:15). Historical Backdrop 1. Assyria dominated the Near East from the mid-8th century until its collapse at Nineveh in 612 BC and final defeat at Harran/Carchemish (609–605 BC). 2. Egypt re-emerged as a regional power under Pharaoh Necho II (610–595 BC), briefly controlling Judah (2 Kings 23:31-35). 3. Babylon inherited Assyria’s holdings after Carchemish and began deportations (605, 597, 586 BC). Although Assyria as a state was gone by 586 BC, “Assyria” remained a stock term for any northern imperial overlord (much like “Persia” later stood for the entire Achaemenid realm). Jeremiah, the traditional author of Lamentations, had lived through Judah’s flip-flopping between Egypt (Jeremiah 37:5–7) and the northern empire (Jeremiah 27:1-11). Verse 6 condenses decades of political opportunism into a single confession. Why Turn to Egypt and Assyria? 1. Survival Economics • Siege-induced famine is documented in the Lachish Letters (c. 588 BC) and confirmed stratigraphically at Lachish Level III and Jerusalem’s City of David burn layer. • Capitulating “to get bread” reflects Deuteronomy’s curse for covenant breach: “In hunger … you will serve the enemies the LORD sends against you” (Deuteronomy 28:48). 2. Political Realism without Faith • Judah’s leaders treated Yahweh’s covenant promises as negotiable and sought “stronger” patrons (Isaiah 30:1-3; Hosea 7:11). • Contemporary Babylonian Chronicles (BM 21946) list heavy tribute from subjugated states, corroborating the economic pressure Judah felt. 3. Fear of Babylon • After Josiah’s death, Egypt seemed a counterweight to Babylon (2 Kings 24:1,7). Earlier, Assyria had felt safer than facing Aram-Israel (2 Kings 16:7-9). The pattern: choose any power except God. 4. Misreading Providence • Hezekiah’s miraculous deliverance from Assyria (2 Kings 19) had been reduced to folklore rather than covenant reminder. Subsequent kings hoped a different pagan ally might repeat the miracle minus repentance. Theological Analysis Covenant Violation • Turning to Egypt explicitly reverses the Exodus (Hosea 11:5). • “Assyria” evokes the Northern Kingdom’s downfall (2 Kings 17). Judah ignored the object lesson spelled out by the prophets (Jeremiah 2:18,36; Isaiah 31:1). Idolatry of Self-Preservation • Material need eclipsed spiritual fidelity; yet Yahweh had pledged bread for obedience (Leviticus 26:5) and warned of scarcity for rebellion (Leviticus 26:26). Verse 6 is the lived outcome of Leviticus 26. Corporate Confession • Unlike earlier royal edicts, Lamentations is the people’s voice: “We submitted.” The verse demonstrates communal recognition that foreign dependency was sin, not savvy diplomacy. Prophetic Warnings Fulfilled • Isaiah 30–31 and Jeremiah 42–43 had forbidden an Egyptian alliance. • Hosea called Ephraim “a silly dove … calling to Egypt, going to Assyria” (Hosea 7:11). Lamentations 5:6 proves Hosea’s description survived the Northern exile and infected Judah. Archaeological Witness • Bullae bearing “Yehukal son of Shelemiah” (Jeremiah 37:3) and “Gedaliah son of Pashhur” (Jeremiah 38:1) surfaced in the City of David, verifying officials who advised pro-Egypt policies. • The Babylonian ration tablets (Ebabbar archive) list “Jehoiachin, king of Judah,” confirming exile logistics precisely as 2 Kings 25:27–30 reports. • Elephantine Papyri (5th cent. BC) show Jewish soldiers still seeking Egyptian patronage generations later—an enduring habit rooted in the mindset lamented in 5:6. Christological Trajectory Israel’s failure highlights the need for a faithful Son who would reject worldly shortcuts (Matthew 4:8-10). Jesus, the true Israel, trusts the Father for bread (John 6:32-35) and becomes the Bread of Life, reversing the famine-fear that drove Judah to Egypt and Assyria. Contemporary Application for Believer and Skeptic The archaeological and textual consistency behind Lamentations validates the Bible’s historical reliability, while the psychological realism of Judah’s fear resonates cross-culturally. The episode invites every era to examine its own “Egypts and Assyrias,” challenging both believer and skeptic to consider whether any substitute savior can bear the weight that only the risen Christ can carry (1 Corinthians 15:17). |
    |