THEME, a series of dirges in the form of an acrostic, written as if for a National Funeral, portraying the capture and destruction of Jerusalem.

In the Septuagint Version the following introductory words are found, “And it came to pass after Israel was led into captivity that Jeremiah sat weeping and lamenting and lamented this lamentation over Jerusalem.”

In the Hebrew Scriptures chapters 1, 2, 4, and 5 have each twenty-two verses, and each verse begins with one the of the twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet in order In chapter three the first three verses begin with aleph, the second three with beth, and so on throughout. The fifth chapter has twenty-two verses, but no acrostic.

SYNOPSIS OF THE BOOK
(1) The ruin of Jerusalem and misery of the exiles, because of their sins, ch. 1 # La 1:1
(2) Jehovah, the ancient defender of Israel, has given up his people to their awful fate, ch. 2
# La 2:1
(3) Jeremiah’s grief over the afflictions of his people,-his trust God, and his own persecution, ch. 3 # La 3:1
(4) The former glory of Israel contrasted with their present misery, ch. 4 # La 4:1
(5) A prayer for mercy, ch. 5 # La 5:1

KEY VERSE
# La 1:12