Book of Lamentations: Poetic Expressions of Painful Loss

Book of Lamentations: Poetic Expressions of Painful Loss The book of Lamentations is another book you won't understand unless you understood the context of Israel's history at the time it was written. It is believed by most scholars that Lamentations was written by Jeremiah the "weeping" prophet who despite being persecuted and harangued for most of his prophetic ministry, bewailed the travails of Judah under the conquest of the ruthless Babylonian army around 586 BC. Lamentations derives its name from the Talmud which uses a word meaning dirge, elegy or wailings. The Hebrew title for the book uses the word Ekhah - meaning Alas, How? which is the first word to start three out of the five songs that make up the book. The lament is a call to Judah to consider how they got to this devastating judgment day.