Lamentations 1-3 and Psalms 137 describes the aftermath of the tragedy of the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC by the Babylonians. The tribulation is written in the form of poems or hymns. In the passages, the people of Jerusalem mourn their city and express their sorrow over the suffering brought by their conquerers. A main focus in the texts is God’s judgement on the people for their sinful nature. God’s wrath is exemplified through the complete dissemination through the Babylonian empire.
These texts are significant because they show the thoughts of God’s people regarding the results of calamity and malice on the earth. The author of this text, thought by many as the prophet Jeremiah, describes so much suffering with children having to beg for food, people dying by the sword, and even parents having to resort to cannibalism. Another source of their grief, comes from the burning of their city and approximately 400-year old Solomon’s temple. Yet, through all of this misery there manages to be a light at the end of the tunnel as they believe that God
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Jeremiah had prophesied the fall for over 40 years and was not well-liked by the people because of his doom-filled prophecies. Then in 586 BC, Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian army overtook Jerusalem while it was under King Zedekiah just as Jeremiah predicted. Over an 18-month long siege, Jerusalem was taken looted and destroyed. Many of the people were killed, enslaved, exiled or they fled to Egypt. (Huey, 446) Even though, the people didn’t believe Jeremiah’s warnings he stilled mourned for the city and the people, and showed great compassion for them. Traditionally, people credit Lamentations to Jeremiah especially because he was a known witness of the destruction of Jerusalem. Psalms and Lamentations both fall within the time period after the invasion of Babylon which invoked strong emotions from the Jews who were affected by