Ratapan 3:35-36

3:35 to deprive a person ¹  of his rights ² 

in the presence of the Most High,

3:36 to defraud a person in a lawsuit –

the Lord ³  does not approve ⁴  of such things!

Ratapan 3:57

3:57 You came near ⁵  on the day I called to you;

you said, ⁶  “Do not fear!”

Ratapan 3:60

3:60 You have seen all their vengeance,

all their plots against me. ⁷ 

Ratapan 5:18

5:18 For wild animals ⁸  are prowling over Mount Zion,

which lies desolate.

[3:35]  ¹ tn The speaking voice is still that of the גֶּבֶר (gever, “man”), but the context and line are more universal in character.

[3:35]  ² tn Heb “to turn away a man’s justice,” that is, the justice or equitable judgment he would receive. See the previous note regarding the “man.”

[3:36]  ³ tc The MT reads אֲדֹנָי (’adonay, “the Lord”) here rather than יהוה (YHWH, “the Lord”). See the tc note at 1:14.

[3:36]  ⁴ tn Heb “the Lord does not see.” The verb רָאָה (ra’ah, “to see”) is here used in reference to mental observation and approval: “to gaze at” with joy and pleasure (e.g., 2 Kgs 10:16; Mic 7:9; Jer 29:32; Isa 52:8; Job 20:17; 33:28; Pss 54:9; 106:5; 128:5; Son 3:11; 6:11; Eccl 2:1). If the line is parallel to the end of v. 35 then a circumstantial clause “the Lord not seeing” would be appropriate. The infinitives in 34-36 would then depend on the verbs in v. 33; see D. R. Hillers, Lamentations (AB), 71.

[3:57]  ⁵ tn The verb could be understood as a precative (“Draw near”). The perspective of the poem seems to be that of prayer during distress rather than a testimony that God has delivered.

[3:57]  ⁶ tn The verb could be understood as a precative (“Say”).

[3:60]  ⁷ tc The MT reads לִי (li, “to me”); but many medieval Hebrew mss and the ancient versions (Aramaic Targum, Syriac Peshitta, Latin Vulgate) all reflect a Vorlage of עָלָי (’alay, “against me”).

[5:18]  ⁸ tn Heb “jackals.” The term “jackals” is a synecdoche of species (= jackals) for general (= wild animals).