Lamentations 1 describes the city of Jerusalem as a destroyed shell of its former power and glory.
No Outline
Lamentations 1 does not lend itself to a simple outline.
Verses 1-11 are mostly in the 3rd person. Then verses 12-22 are mostly in the 1st person. However, this seems to be only a change in the point of view of the author, Jeremiah. There is no clear change in the substance of the verses.
There are 3 verses where Jeremiah cries out to God with the phrase “see Lord”: 9, 11, and 20. But these 3 cries do not seem to introduce or conclude a section.
There is another phrase that appears 4 times in Lamentations 1 and does not appear any where else in Tanach: ein menacheim la.
In this article I will examine what the commentators say about these 4 verses and the meaning of ein menacheim la.
But first, let’s look at point of Hebrew grammar that plays a role in understanding this phrase.
Grammar – The Hebrew Participle
This discussion of the participle is based on The First Hebrew Primer for Adults, Second Edition, by Ethelyn Simon.
Hebrew has two tenses: past (also called perfect) and future (also called imperfect). There is no present tense.
What is often called the present tense in Hebrew is actually a form called the active participle. A participle is a word that may be used as a verb, noun, or adjective.
The phrase I’m focusing on is: ein menacheim la.
The word menacheim, spelled mem-nun-chet-mem, is an active participle in the piel verb form.
The meaning of the root is comfort or console. Let’s look at how this basic idea can be expressed as a verb, a noun, or an adjective.
Verb
The participle as a verb acts like a present tense verb. Hence our phrase could be translated as “no one comforts her.”
Noun
When the participle is used as a noun, the normal rules of Hebrew nouns apply. In our case, “menacheim” would be a singular masculine noun.
Then a possible translation is “there is no comforter for her.”
Adjective
In this usage the participle describes something about a noun or pronoun.
It is often best to translate the participle used as an adjective with a phrase beginning with “who.”
In our phrase, a possible translation would be “there is no one who comforts her.”
Whether to treat “menacheim” as a verb, adjective, or noun depends on the context of each verse.
Now let’s look at each of the verses.
Lamentations 1:2
2. She weeps bitterly in the night, and her tears are on her cheeks; among all her lovers there is no comforter for her; all her friends have dealt treacherously with her, they are become her enemies.
Rabbi Steinsaltz summarizes that Jerusalem is portrayed as a helpless widow. Her “lovers” were her political allies.
She weeps bitterly – The Hebrew is two forms of the word “weep.” According to Rabbi Avigdor Cohen Tzedek the repetition hints at the destruction of the 1st and 2nd Temples.
Who are the lovers, comforters, friends, and enemies in this verse?
Rashi writes that lovers and friends are the same group.
Ibn Ezra disagrees. He writes that it’s bad enough that she has none of her friends to comfort her, but they have also turned and become her enemies.
It seems to me that Ibn Ezra perceives a transition from lovers to friends to enemies.
Rabbi Cohen Tzedek comments that wherever the word “ein” (translated here as “there is no [one]”) is used, it means at this time there isn’t. But in the future there will be. Here is God’s message of hope to the Jewish people:
12. I, I myself, am He who comforts you. Who are you, that you should be afraid of a man who shall die, and of the son of man who shall be made as grass.
Lamentations 1:9
9. Her impurity is on her hems; she had not considered her end; she came down astonishingly; there is no comforter for her. Lord, see my affliction, for the enemy has magnified himself.
Her impurity is on her hems – Rashi explains that this is a message of disgrace. The blood of menstruation is visible on her garments. That is to say, her sins are revealed and many people sinned openly.
The people who sinned didn’t think about what would happen in the future.
Rabbi Yosef Kara (France about 1165 – about 1240) explains that Jerusalem was like a wife that committed adultery. The phrase “she had not considered her end” means she did not pay attention to the rebuke of the prophets.
there is no comforter for her – the one who comes to comfort her is not able to comfort and encourage her by pointing out another nation that a similar thing happened to them. That’s why the verse ends “Lord, see my affliction, for the enemy has magnified himself.” [Rabbi Yosef Kara]
Lamentations 1:17
17. Zion spreads out her hands, there is no comforter for her; the Lord has commanded against Jacob adversaries around him; Jerusalem is like a menstruating woman among them.
Rabbi Steinsaltz writes “spreads out her hands” is a sign of surrender, defeat, and despair.
Ibn Ezra makes a distinction between Zion and Jerusalem. Jerusalem is the general name for the city. Zion is that part of the city where the king resides.
Even Zion requested comforters but there were none. Why? Because God decreed against Jacob and commanded his adversaries from all around him. They contaminated the city.
Rabbi Avigdor Cohen Tzedek finds a positive message in this verse.
The menstruating woman is unclean, but (after her period ends) she becomes clean by immersing in a ritual bath (mikvah). So too, in the future, God will purify the Jewish people. He quotes this verse as support for this idea:
25. Then I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean from all your filthiness; and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.
like a menstruating woman– she is distanced and disgraced [R. Steinsaltz].
Lamentations 1:21
21. They have heard that I sigh; there is no comforter for me; all my enemies have heard of my trouble; they are glad that You have done it; You will bring the day that You have announced, and they shall be like me.
You will bring the day that You have announced
The commentators disagree about how to understand the end of this verse.
Rashi understands it as a lamentation: if only You had brought on them the day that You proclaimed for me.
Rabbi Yeshaya Datrani haZaken (Italy about 1165 – about 1240) understands it as a past tense to be understood as a prayer for the future: bring the day and proclaim on them calamity.
Ibn Ezra write: My lovers mentioned before (verse 19) heard, and there is no comfort from them. My enemies heard my crying out and they rejoiced because You caused their rejoicing and You brought the day You proclaimed, and they came at your command until You will make them like me.
He also writes it could be understood as about the future: You will bring the day You proclaimed by the prophets, and there will happen to them what happened to me.
Summary
I have chosen to translate ein menacheim la as a noun in each verse: there is no comforter for her.
This seems to be how Rabbi Yosef Kara on verse 1:9 and Ibn Ezra on verse 1:17 understand the phrase.
The nations around Israel who acted as friends and allies should have been the ones to comfort Jerusalem. But they chose not to and even became enemies.
When we read Lamentations, we usually consider it a description of events that happened during Jeremiah’s lifetime. However, he wrote Lamentations before Jerusalem and the Temple were destroyed.
In other words, Lamentations was written as a prophecy.
I lead it to the reader to consider if the prophecy is still valid for our times. Are the parties who appear to be friends and allies of the modern State of Israel really friends?