Topical Bible: Jerusalem: The Jews: Lamented the Affliction of

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Jerusalem, the city chosen by God as the dwelling place for His Name, holds a central place in the history and spiritual life of the Jewish people. Throughout the Scriptures, Jerusalem is depicted not only as a city of great joy and divine presence but also as a place of profound lamentation and sorrow, especially during times of affliction and destruction.

The lamentation over Jerusalem's affliction is poignantly captured in the Book of Lamentations, traditionally attributed to the prophet Jeremiah. This book is a collection of dirges mourning the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 586 B.C. The opening verse sets the tone for the entire book: "How lonely lies the city, once so full of people! She who was great among the nations has become like a widow. The princess among the provinces has become a slave" (Lamentations 1:1). The imagery of a once-glorious city reduced to desolation and servitude reflects the deep sorrow and loss experienced by the Jewish people.

The affliction of Jerusalem is further lamented in Lamentations 2:11-12, where the prophet expresses his personal grief: "My eyes fail from weeping; my heart is poured out in grief because of the destruction of the daughter of my people, because children and infants faint in the streets of the city. They cry out to their mothers, 'Where is bread and wine?' as they faint like the wounded in the streets of the city, as their lives ebb away in their mothers' arms" . This vivid depiction of suffering underscores the profound impact of Jerusalem's fall on its inhabitants, particularly the most vulnerable.

The lamentation over Jerusalem is not limited to the Babylonian conquest. The Jewish people have historically mourned other periods of affliction, such as the Roman destruction of the Second Temple in A.D. 70. Jesus Himself, foreseeing this future devastation, lamented over Jerusalem: "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her, how often I have longed to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were unwilling!" (Matthew 23:37). This lament highlights the city's repeated rejection of God's messengers and the resulting consequences.

The Psalms also capture the sorrow of the Jewish people over Jerusalem's affliction. Psalm 137 is a poignant expression of the exiles' longing for their homeland: "By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat and wept when we remembered Zion. There on the poplars we hung our harps, for there our captors requested a song; our tormentors demanded songs of joy: 'Sing us a song of Zion'" (Psalm 137:1-3). The psalmist's refusal to sing the Lord's song in a foreign land underscores the deep connection between the Jewish identity and Jerusalem.

Throughout history, the lamentation over Jerusalem's affliction has been a recurring theme in Jewish liturgy and tradition. The annual fast of Tisha B'Av commemorates the destruction of both the First and Second Temples, serving as a day of mourning and reflection on the tragedies that have befallen the Jewish people. This enduring lamentation reflects the profound love and longing for Jerusalem, a city that remains central to Jewish faith and hope for restoration.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Nehemiah 1:2-4
That Hanani, one of my brothers, came, he and certain men of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Jeremiah, a Lesson for the Disappointed.
... when he died, "all the Israelites were gathered together and lamented him, and ... when
the army of the Chaldeans had besieged Jerusalem, the Jews accused him ...
/.../newman/parochial and plain sermons vol viii/sermon ix jeremiah a lesson.htm

How Caesar Raised Banks Round About the Upper City [Mount Zion] ...
... they fell upon their face, and greatly lamented their own ... set fire to the houses
whither the Jews were fled ... of the month Gorpieus [Elul] upon Jerusalem, a city ...
/.../chapter 8 how caesar raised.htm

That when David had Numbered the People, they were Punished; and ...
The Antiquities of the Jews. ... numerous the multitude were, and returned to Jerusalem
to the ... entirely macerated; some were choked, and greatly lamented their case ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 13 that when david.htm

Beginning at Jerusalem. --Luke xxiv. 47.
... As the Jerusalem sinners were of the highest sort among the Jews, so these Ephesian
sinners were of the highest sort among the Gentiles; Ephesians 2:1-3, 11, 12 ...
/.../bunyan/jerusalem sinner saved/beginning at jerusalem luke xxiv 47.htm

The Jerusalem Sinner Saved;
... As the Jerusalem sinners were of the highest sort among the Jews, so these Ephesian
sinners were of the highest sort among the Gentiles (Ephesians 2:1-3,11,12 ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/the jerusalem sinner saved.htm

Acts ix. 26, 27
... be chosen, he was the foremost: when the Jews were to ... pattern of the Lord; for even
Jesus wept over Jerusalem. ... If we all lamented with this sort of lamentation ...
/.../chrysostom/homilies on acts and romans/homily xxi acts ix 26.htm

"The Light of Life"
... In the illumination of Jerusalem, the people expressed their hope of ... The belief of
the Jews in regard to the ... could be circumcised nor dead be lamented in the ...
//christianbookshelf.org/white/the desire of ages/chapter 51 the light of.htm

Particular Index of Subjects.
... Jerusalem, his entry into, 224. his going to Jerusalem, 223. ... Immortality, illustrated
by nature, 551. Inconstancy lamented, 326. ... J. Jews, prayer of, 315, 316. ...
/.../adams/hymns for christian devotion/particular index of subjects.htm

How, after the Death of Joshua their Commander, the Israelites ...
The Antiquities of the Jews. ... the woman rode; and when they were near Jerusalem, having
gone ... So the ambassadors lamented not only the disaster that had befallen ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 2 how after the.htm

The Arabic Gospel of the Infancy of the Saviour (Nt Apocrypha)
... mother: Thirty years hence, O my mother, the Jews will crucify me at Jerusalem,
and these ... her in a crowd, and all wept and lamented, especially when ...
/.../the arabic gospel of the infancy of the saviour/the arabic gospel of the.htm