Lamentations 1:1-3
“How the city sits solitary, that was full of people! She has become as a widow, who was great among the nations! She who was a princess among the provinces has become tributary. She weeps bitterly in the night, and her tears are on her cheeks. Among all her lovers she has none to comfort her. All her friends have dealt treacherously with her. They have become her enemies. Judah has gone into captivity because of affliction, and because of great servitude. She dwells among the nations. She finds no rest. All her persecutors overtake her within the straits.”
The book of Lamentations is a collection of poetic laments, traditionally attributed to Jeremiah, mourning the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in 586 BCE by the Babylonians, and the subsequent exile of its people. These verses open the book, painting a stark picture of the city's devastation and the people's suffering.
What does it mean for a community to experience such profound loss and isolation, and where do they look for comfort?