(Lam 5:19-20): the Community in Pain in Lamentations and

291 Pages·2012·2.23 MB·English

by  Lina Rong

THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSTIY OF AMERICA

Forgotten and Forsaken by God (Lam 5:19-20): The Community in Pain in
Lamentations and Related Old Testament Texts

A DISSERTATION

Submitted to the Faculty of the
School of Theology and Religious Studies
Of The Catholic University of America
In Partial fulfillment of the Requirements
For the Degree
Doctor of Philosophy
©
Copyright
All Rights Reserved
By
Lina Rong

Washington, D.C.

2012
Forgotten and Forsaken by God (Lam 5:19-20): The Community in Pain in
Lamentations and Related Old Testament Texts

Lina Rong
Director: Christopher T. Begg, S.T.D., Ph.D.

This study takes Lamentations as an integrated unity of form and content, and
considers the mini-acrostic in Lam 5:19-20 as crucial for the interpretation of the whole
book. It applies a holistic approach and a dialogic interpretation to the book of Lamentations.
This dissertation first examines the extent to which an intrinsic connection exists
between the acrostic structure and the content of the book; it reads the book as a whole from
the angle of the mini-acrostic in Lam 5:19-20 and explores whether and how this mini-
acrostic underlines the main themes running through the book. It also explores the dialogic
interaction among the voices within Lamentations and between Lamentations and other
related communal laments in the Hebrew Bible regarding mood change and admission of
guilt. Finally, the dissertation examines the significance of Lamentations for contemporary
suffering individuals and communities.
The book of Lamentations makes evident that mood change in biblical laments is not
a uni-directional movement from lament to praise: it can also move from praise to lament or
to alternate between the two. Lamentations remains in lament without moving into praise and
insists that God continues to be their dialogue partner. Admission of guilt is heard in
Lamentations, but it is one voice in the book and has to be understood in the context of the
articulation of pain that dominates the book.
This dissertation affirms that Lamentations 5 serves as the climax of the book using a
more carefully designed structure than the previous four alphabetic acrostics, while chapter 3
forms the center with its triple acrostic. Lamentations also exemplifies the dialogic nature of
truth, the social value of lament, and the significance of remaining in lament when necessary.
This dissertation by Lina Rong fulfills the dissertation requirements for the doctoral degree in
Biblical Studies approved by Christopher Begg, Ph.D., S.T.D., as Director, and by Robert
Miller II, Ph.D., and David Bosworth, Ph.D. as Readers.

Christopher Begg, Ph.D., S.T.D., Director

Robert Miller II, Ph.D., Reader

David Bosworth, Ph.D., Reader
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Table of Contents

List of Abbreviations ……………………………………………………………............. vii
Acknowledgements ……………………………………………………………………. viii
Chapter One: History of Research and Overview of Dissertation ……………………. 1
A. Introduction …………………………………………………………………….. 1

B. Texts and Versions of Lamentations ………………………………………….. 2

C. Relationship between Lamentations and Mesopotamian Laments …………….. 5
1. Similarities between Lamentations and Mesopotamian Laments …….. 8
2. Differences between Lamentations and Mesopotamian Laments …….. 9

D. Overall Message of Lamentations …………………………………………….. 12
1. Message of Hope as One Voice rather than The Voice …………….. 13
2. Admission of Sin and Guilt as Perfunctory rather than Primary …….. 19
3. Importance of Lament vs. Devaluation of Lament …………………….. 20

E. Dialogic Interaction between Lamentations and Prophetic Literature …….. 21
1. Connections between Lamentations and Second Isaiah …………….. 22
2. Connections between Lamentations and the Wider Prophetic Corpus …….. 23

F. Unity of and Relationship between Structure and Content in Lamentations …….. 26
1. Proposed Key Themes in Lamentations …………………………….. 27
2. Proposed Patterns in Lamentations …………………………………….. 28
3. Alphabetic Acrostics in Lamentation …………………………………….. 32

G. Approach of This Study …………………………………………………….. 34
1. A Holistic Approach to Lamentations …………………………………….. 35
2. Importance of Poetic Closure …………………………………………….. 35
3. A Dialogic Interpretation …………………………………………….. 37
4. Lament as Authentic Prayer …………………………………………….. 39
5. Outline of Dissertation …………………………………………………….. 40

Chapter Two: Acrostic in Lamentations …………………………………………….. 42

A. Introduction …………………………………………………………………….. 42

B. Function of the Acrostic in Lamentations …………………………………….. 44
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C. Characteristic of the Acrostic in Lamentations …………………………….. 48
1. Concentric Structure of Lamentations …………………………………….. 48
2. Concentric Pattern in the Acrostic Poems …………………………...... 50
3. Reversal of Ayin and Peh Letters …………………………………….. 55
4. Triple Acrostic in Lamentations 3 …………………………………….. 58
5. Absence of the Acrostic in Lamentations 5 …………………………….. 59
6. Mini-Acrostic in Lam 5:19-20 …………………………………….. 60

D. Different Voices and the Acrostic Structure …………………………….. 64
1. Voices of the Narrator and City Zion …………………………….. 65
2. Voice of the Strong Man …………………………………………….. 68
3. Voice of the Community: Refusing Closure …………………………….. 70
4. Absence of God’s Voice …………………………………………….. 74

E. Conclusion …………………………………………………………….. 75

Chapter Three: Exegesis of Lamentations …………………………………………….. 77

A. Introduction …………………………………………………………….. 77

B. Structure of Lamentations …………………………………………………….. 77

C. Exegesis of Lamentations …………………………………………….. 78
1. Lamentations 1: No Comforter for Zion …………………………….. 78
2. Lamentations 2: the Anger of Yhwh …………………………………….. 93
3. Lamentations 3: A Man of Constant Sorrow ……………………………. 108
4. Lamentations 4: Unlimited Suffering ……………………………. 125
5. Lamentations 5: Communal Lament Prayer ……………………. 136

Chapter Four: Mood Change in Lamentations and Related OT Texts ……………. 144

A. Introduction ……………………………………………………………. 144

B. Scholarly Discussions of Mood Change in Biblical Laments ……………. 145
1. Emphasis on the Certainty of a Hearing ……………………. 146
2. Lament has No Meaning in and of Itself ……………………………. 147
3. A Lacuna in Scholarship: Mood Change from Praise to Lament ……. 149

C. Mood Change in Selected Lament Psalms
and Scholarly Discussion of them ……………………………………. 152
1. Psalm 12: Return to Lament after a Salvation Oracle ……………. 153
2. Psalm 44: A Communal Lament from Trust to Lament ……………. 159
3. Psalm 88: A Psalm of Pure Lament ……………………………. 166
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D. Mood Change in the Book of Lamentations ……………………………. 172
1. Mood Change in Lamentations 3 ……………………………………. 173
2. Remaining in Lament in Lamentations ……………………………. 176

E. Conclusion …………………………………………………………… 178

Chapter Five: Admission of Guilt in Lamentations and Related OT Laments …… 179

A. Introduction …………………………………………………………… 179

B. Relationship between Biblical Laments and Penitential Prayers …………… 180
1. Historical Development of Biblical Laments …………………… 180
2. Relationship between Communal Laments and Penitential Prayers …… 184

C. Function of Admission of Guilt in Selected OT Laments …………… 187
1. Isa 63:7-64:11: the Anger and Absence of Yhwh and the Straying of Israel 188
2. Jer 14:1-15:9: Appeal to Yhwh to Act “for your name’s sake” …… 197
3. Psalm 79: “Deliver us and forgive our sins for your name’s sake” …… 206

D. Admission of Guilt in Lamentations …………………………………… 211
1. Occurrences of Admission of Guilt in Lamentations …………… 211
2. Function of Admission of Guilt in Lamentations …………………… 216

E. Conclusion ............................................................................................ 217

Chapter Six: Significance of Lamentations for
Suffering Individuals and Communities …………………………………… 219

A. Introduction …………………………………………………… 219

B. Ways the Suffering Community Deals with Pain in Lamentations …… 220
1. Lamentations as a Polyphonic Text …………………………… 221
2. Lamentations holds Yhwh as “You” …………………………… 225
3. Images of God in Lamentations and Lamentations Rabbah …………… 226

C. Significance of Lamentations for Suffering Individuals and Communities …… 234
1. Importance of Social Sharing of Emotion …………………… 234
2. Importance of Human Role in God-Human Dialogue …………… 237
3. Necessity of Remaining in Lament when Needed …………………… 241

D. Conclusion …………………………………………………………… 252

Chapter Seven: Review of Findings and Possibilities for Further Study …………… 254
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A. Review of Findings …………………………………………………… 254
1. Lamentations as a Literary Unity of Form and Content …………… 254
2. Lamentations 5 as the Climax of the Book …………………… 255
3. Significance of Remaining in Lament in Lamentations …………… 256
4. A Dialogic Sense of Truth in Lamentations …………………… 257

B. Possibilities for Further Study …………………………………… 258
1. Significance and Meaning of Partial Acrostics …………………… 258
2. Imagery and Iconography of Lament in Ancient Near East …………… 259
3. The Value of Lament and Definition of Hope ………………….... 260

Bibliography …………………………………………………………………… 262

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List of Abbreviations
Most of the abbreviations used in this dissertation are according to the “Instructions
for Contributors to the Catholic Biblical Quarterly (CBQ).” The following are not found in
the CBQ list:
AOTC Abingdon Old Testament Commentaries
ArBib The Aramaic Bible
BCOT Baker Commentary of the Old Testament
CBR Currents in Biblical Research
EvJ Evangelical Journal
HCOT Historical Commentary on the Old Testament
HTIBS Historic Texts and Interpreters in Biblical Scholarship
JFSR Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion
JHS Journal of Hebrew Scriptures
JSem Journal for Semitics
LHBOTS Library of Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Series
OTE Old Testament Essays
SemeiaSt Semeia Studies
SubBi Subsidia biblica
VTG VT Graecum
TThSt Trierer Theologische Studien

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Acknowledgements

My experiences as a doctoral student in the United States have been enriching, fruitful,
and unforgettable. I thank all of my professors, friends, and classmates who have been
accompanying me during these five years of my studying here.
I am grateful to the Catholic University of America for granting me full tuition
scholarships, and to the Maryknoll Society for covering my living expenses and health insurance.
My heartfelt gratitude goes to Fr. Christopher Begg, my dissertation director, a fine
scholar, a caring pastor, and an accommodating mentor with a sharp mind and quick wits. He
constantly amazes me with his prompt replies, thorough reviews, erudition, and gentleness. My
sincere thanks go to Dr. Robert Miller and Dr. David Bosworth, my two readers, for their
valuable suggestions and timely reviews. I thank Dr. Miller for providing me various information
in a wider academic field and possibilities for further research. I owe a lot to Dr. Bosworth, a
lover and researcher of lament literature himself, who generously lent me his article even before
its publication and forwarded me important data for my research; a conversation with him always
inspires me.
I thank Fr. Frank Matera, for his listening to my struggles, for his concern,
encouragement, and support.
I am extremely grateful to Fr. Larry Lewis, MM, the director of the Maryknoll China
Project, to Anli Lin Hsu, his executive assistant, to Sr. Janet Carroll, MM, for their constant
encouragement, concern, care, and support.
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