Bible Book Summaries › Lamentations
Lamentations: Summary & Key Themes
The Book of Lamentations at a glance, before you read it.
| Written by | Jeremiah (traditional) |
|---|---|
| Written for | survivors of Jerusalem’s fall |
| Type | Poetry |
| Chapters | 5 |
| Position | Book 25 of 66 · book 25 of the Old Testament |
Summary
Five poems of grief over Jerusalem’s destruction, with a turn to hope in the middle: God’s mercies are new every morning.
Main themes
- grief
- honest lament
- hope
Key verse
It is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.Lamentations 3:22 (KJV)
How to read Lamentations
Read it in one sitting first; it is short enough. Ask three questions as you go: what did this mean to the first readers, what does it show about God, and what does it ask of me?
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