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You are here: Home / 101Study Help / Resources by Book / Lamentations Bible Study Resources

Lamentations Bible Study Resources

September 24, 2020 by Krisan Marotta

Lamentations Bible Study Resources | WednesdayintheWord.com

Study questions, maps, charts, key words, history, background, outlines, and links to help you study the Old Testament book of Lamentations.


Jump to: Background; ** Maps; ** Key Words; ** Encyclopedias; ** Commentaries; ** Articles; ** GotQuestions ** Next **


Basics

  • Author: Jeremiah, probably soon after the fall of Jerusalem in 586 BC (although the author is not identified in the book).
  • The title, “Lamentations,” was derived from a translation of the title as found in the Latin Vulgate translation of the Septuagint, and conveys the idea of “loud cries.”
  • The entire book is poetic.
  • Themes: Mourning over Jerusalem’s destruction; confession of sin and acknowledgment of God’s justice; hope in God’s future restoration
  • Jeremiah sometimes speaks for himself, sometimes speaks for the captives and sometimes speaks for the personified city of Jerusalem.

For more detail, see: Chronology of Jeremiah

Outline

  • Chapter 1 – The Destruction of Jerusalem
  • Chapter 2 – The Anger of YHWH
  • Chapter 3 – The Prayer for Mercy
  • Chapter 4 – The Siege of Jerusalem
  • Chapter 5 – The Prayer for Restoration

Structure

  • The first, second, fourth and fifth laments all contain 22 verses, reflecting the number of letters in the Hebrew alphabet.
  • Each verse in the first and second laments contains three poetic lines.
  • Each verse in the fourth contains two lines.
  • Each verse in the fifth contains but one line.
  • The first four laments are alphabetic acrostics.
  • In the first, second and fourth, each numbered verse begins with the letter of the Hebrew alphabet dictated by the traditional order of that alphabet.
  • The third (middle) lament the three lines of each unit all begin with the sequenced order of the letters of the alphabet (thus three aleph lines followed by three beth lines, etc.)
  • The fifth lament continues to reflect the alphabetic pattern in its 22-line structure, but the initial letters of these lines do not follow the alphabetic sequence.
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Section 1: Background

Background & Outlines

Jeremiah Chronology

Jeremiah in the New Testament

Chart: Bible History at a glance

Blue Letter Bible: Old Testament Timeline

Biblehub: The Divided Kingdom

Chart: Kings of Israel & Judah

Bible Atlas: Assyria

Bible Atlas: Babylon

Bible Atlas: Jerusalem

Ray C Stedman: Overview of the Book

John MacArthur: Author, Date, Background

NIV: Introduction to Lamentations

ESV: Introduction to Lamentations

ESV: The Global Message of Lamentations

James van Dine: Analysis of Lamentations

JVernon McGee: Notes and Outlines – Jeremiah and Lamentations

David Malick: An Introduction to the Book of Lamentations

David Malick: An Argument of the Book of Lamentations

James Orr: Key to Lamentations

Charles Swindoll: Book of Lamentations Overview

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Section 2: Maps

Maps from Holman Bible Atlas

The Kingdoms of Israel and Judah

The Kingdoms of Israel and Judah (1)

The Kingdoms of Israel and Judah (2)

The Kingdoms of Israel and Judah (3)

The Campaign of Shishak

Conflicts between Israel and Aram-Damascus

The Omride Dynasty

The Golden Ages of the 9th & 8th centuries BCE

Phoenician Trade and Civilization

Trade Routes throughout the Middle East

Elijah and Elisha

The Revolt of Jehu

The Rise of Assyria

Israel & Judah in the days of Jeroboam II and Uzziah

The Assyrian Empire under Tiglath-Pileser III

Fall of Samaria and Deportation of Israelites

The Fall of the Kingdom of Israel

Assyrian Districts after the Fall of Samaria

Prophets of the 8th Century BCE

Judah Alone amid International Powers

Hezekiah’s Preparation for Revolt

Judah under King Hezekiah

Hezekiah’s Jerusalem

Sennacherib’s Campaign against Judah

Assyria in the 7th century BCE

The Rise of the Neo-Babylonian Empire

The Reign of Josiah

The Districts of Judah under King Josiah

The Golden Age of King Josiah

Nebuchadnezzar’s Campaigns against Judah

The Persian Period

World Powers of the 6th century BCE

The Conquests of Cyrus the Great

The Persian Empire

The Return of the Jewish Exiles to Judah

Judah in the 5th century BCE

Palestine after the Exile

ESV Study Bible Maps

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Section 3: Key Words

Key Words

LORD (46x/43v) – Strong’s H3068 in Lam 1:5; Lam 1:9; Lam 1:11; Lam 1:12; Lam 1:17; Lam 1:18; Lam 1:20; Lam 2:6; Lam 2:7; Lam 2:8; Lam 2:9; Lam 2:17; Lam 2:20; Lam 2:22; Lam 3:18; Lam 3:22; Lam 3:24; Lam 3:25; Lam 3:26; Lam 3:40; Lam 3:50; Lam 3:55; Lam 3:59; Lam 3:61; Lam 3:64; Lam 3:66; Lam 4:11; Lam 4:16; Lam 4:20; Lam 5:1; Lam 5:19; Lam 5:21; Strong’s H136 in Lam 1:14; Lam 1:15; Lam 2:1; Lam 2:2; Lam 2:5; Lam 2:7; Lam 2:18; Lam 2:19; Lam 2:20; Lam 3:31; Lam 3:36; Lam 3:37; Lam 3:58;

how (6x/5v) -Strong’s H351a in Lam 1:1; Lam 2:1; Lam 4:1; Lam 4:2.; Strong’s H4100 in Lam 2:13.

Jerusalem (7x) – Strong’s H3389 in Lam 1:7; Lam 1:8; Lam 1:17; Lam 2:10; Lam 2:13; Lam 2:15; Lam 4:12.

city (6x) – Strong’s H5892b in Lam 1:1; Lam 1:19; Lam 2:12; Lam 2:15; Lam 3:51; Strong’s H7151 in Lam 2:11.

Zion (15x) – Strong’s H6726 in Lam 1:4; Lam 1:6; Lam 1:17; Lam 2:1; Lam 2:4; Lam 2:6; Lam 2:8; Lam 2:10; Lam 2:13; Lam 2:18; Lam 4:2; Lam 4:11; Lam 4:22; Lam 5:11; Lam 5:18.

daughter (21x/19v) – Strong’s H1323 in Lam 1:6; Lam 1:15; Lam 2:1; Lam 2:2; Lam 2:4; Lam 2:5; Lam 2:8; Lam 2:10; Lam 2:11; Lam 2:13; Lam 2:15; Lam 2:18; Lam 3:48; Lam 4:3; Lam 4:6; Lam 4:10; Lam 4:21; Lam 4:22.

enemy (9x)- Strong’s H340 in Lam 1:9; Lam 1:16; Lam 2:3; Lam 2:4; Lam 2:5; Lam 2:7; Lam 2:17; Lam 2:22; Lam 4:12; enemies (6x) – same word in Lam 1:2; Lam 1:5; Lam 1:21; Lam 2:16; Lam 3:46; Lam 3:52.

adversary (5x) – Strong’s H686c in Lam 1:5; Lam 1:7; Lam 1:10; Lam 2:4; Lam 4:12; adversaries (4x) – same word; Lam 1:5; Lam 1:7; Lam 1:17; Lam 2:17.

nations (5x) – Strong’s H1471 (among the) in Lam 1:1; Lam 1:3; Lam 1:10; Lam 2:9; Lam 4:15; Lam 4:20.

sin (1x) – Strong’s H2403b in Lam 4:6; sinned (3x) – Strong’s H2398 in Lam 1:8; Lam 5:7; Lam 5:16.

transgression (4x) – Strong’s H6588 in Lam 1:5; Lam 1:14; Lam 1:22.

anger (9x) – Strong’s H639 in Lam 1:12; Lam 2:1; Lam 2:3; Lam 2:6; Lam 2:21; Lam 2:22; Lam 3:43; Lam 3:66; Lam 4:11.

wrath (4x) – Strong’s H5678 Lam 2:2; Lam 3:1; Lam 4:11. ; Strong’s H2534 in Lam 2:4.

reject/rejected (5x) – Strong’s H2186a in Lam 3:31; Lam 2:7 Lam 3:17; Strong’s H5541a in Lam 1:15; Strong’s H3988a in Lam 5:22.

restore (4v) – Strong’s H7725 in Lam 1:11; Lam 1:19; Lam 2:14; Lam 5:21.

hope (4x) – Strong’s H8431 in Lam 2:18; Strong’s H3176 in Lam 3:21; Lam 3:24; Strong’s H8651b in Lam 3:29.

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Section 4: Encyclopedias

Dictionaries & Encyclopedias

American Tract Society Dictionary: Lamentations of Jeremiah

Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary: Lamentations, Theology of

Bridgeway Bible Dictionary: Lamentations

Easton’s Bible Dictionary: Lamentations, Book of

Fausset Bible Dictionary: Lamentations Of Jeremiah

Holman Bible Dictionary: Lamentations, Book of

Hastings’ Dictionary of the Bible: Lamentation

Kitto’s Popular Cyclopedia of Biblical Literature: Lamentations

Morrish Bible Dictionary: Lamentations of Jeremiah

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia: Lamentations, Book of

McClintock and Strong: Lamentations, Book of,

The Nuttall Encyclopedia: Lamentations, Book of

The Jewish Encyclopedia: Lamentations

1911 Encyclopedia Britannica: Lamentations

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Section 5: Commentaries

Commentaries & Study Bibles

Top 5 Commentaries on the Book of Lamentations by Keith Mathison

Best Commentaries on Lamentations – Challies Dot Com

Best commentaries: Lamentations

Biblehub Commentaries: Lamentations

Calvin’s Commentary on the Bible: Lamentations

Matthew Henry: Lamentations

Albert Barnes Notes: Lamentations

Reformation Study Bible Notes: Lamentations

Geneva Study Bible: Lamentations

Precept Austin Commentaries & Sermons: Lamentations

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Section 6: Articles

Articles

Donald Curtis: Lamentations: The Fall of Jerusalem

Kay Daigle: Lamentations 3:22-23 (And other Scriptures) Anchored during Times of Grief

Bob Deffinbaugh: The New Covenant in Jeremiah

Homer Heater: Notes on Book of Lamentations

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Section 7: Got Questions

GotQuestions.org

Book of Lamentations – Bible Survey

What are the Major Prophets and Minor Prophets?

What should we learn from the life of Jeremiah?

What is the Wailing Wall / Western Wall?

What is the meaning of sackcloth and ashes?

How can I learn to trust in the faithfulness of God?

 What is the Christian’s hope?

His mercies are new every morning

What does the Bible say about compassion?

What is Tisha B’Av?

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Section 8: Next

Next: Ezekiel

Previous: Jeremiah

Resources: by Book of the Bible

Photo by Pierre Bamin on Unsplash

(This article has been read 684 times plus 18 today.)

Related posts:

  1. Jeremiah Bible Study Resources
  2. Jonah Bible Study Resources
  3. Amos Bible Study Resources
  4. Joel Bible Study Resources
  5. Hosea Bible Study Resources

Filed Under: Resources by Book Tagged With: Lamentations, resources

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