“They have heard that I sigh: there is none to comfort me: all mine enemies have heard of my trouble; they are glad that thou hast done it: thou wilt bring the day that thou hast called, and they shall be like unto me.”
My Notes
What Does Lamentations 1:21 Mean?
Jerusalem speaks in first person: "They have heard that I sigh: there is none to comfort me." Her sighing is public — everyone can hear it. But nobody offers comfort. The hearing and the not-comforting coexist: people know she's suffering and don't act.
The pivot comes with a theological declaration: "thou hast done it." Jerusalem acknowledges that her enemies' gloating is possible because God caused the catastrophe. The enemies are glad, but God is the author. The destruction isn't enemy triumph — it's divine judgment that enemies happen to enjoy watching.
The final phrase is a prayer of hope within despair: "thou wilt bring the day that thou hast called, and they shall be like unto me." The enemies who are gloating now will face their own judgment day. They'll experience what Jerusalem is experiencing. The ones mocking her suffering will receive the same suffering.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Have you experienced people celebrating your suffering? How did you respond?
- 2.What does it mean to acknowledge 'thou hast done it' — that God authored your difficulty?
- 3.How do you pray for justice without crossing into vindictiveness?
- 4.Does knowing the mockers will face their own day bring comfort or discomfort?
Devotional
Everyone hears me sighing. Nobody comforts me. My enemies are glad — glad that God did this to me. And then, from the pit of this grief, a prayer: the day You've appointed is coming, and they'll be like me.
The honesty of this verse is breathtaking. Jerusalem doesn't pretend God isn't responsible. She says directly: "thou hast done it." The enemies are gloating, yes — but they're gloating at God's work, not their own. The destruction is divine, and Jerusalem knows it.
This creates a painful theological situation: your enemies are celebrating what God did. They're gleeful about your divine discipline. They didn't cause it — God did. But they're enjoying it as if it were their victory. And there's nothing you can do about either: the discipline came from God, and the mockery comes from enemies.
The prayer that emerges — "they shall be like unto me" — isn't vindictive so much as prophetic. Jerusalem sees what her enemies don't: that the same God who judged Jerusalem will judge them. The day is appointed. The mockery has a shelf life. The gloating will give way to their own sighing, and then they'll understand what it feels like.
When people celebrate your suffering — when they enjoy watching you go through what God is putting you through — this prayer gives you language: their day is coming. Not because you're cursing them, but because the same justice that reached you will reach them.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
They have heard that I sigh: there is none to comfort me,.... That is, the nations, as the Targum; the neighbouring…
They have heard ... - Or, “They heard that I sigh,” that I have “no comforter.” Thou wilt bring the day ... - literally,…
They have heard that I sigh - My affliction is public enough; but no one comes to comfort me.
They are glad that thou…
The complaints here are, for substance, the same with those in the foregoing part of the chapter; but in these verses…
The second and third lines are metrically irregular, as failing to fulfil the conditions of the "limping rhythm" of the…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture