Let all their wickedness come before thee; and do unto them, as thou hast done unto me for all my transgressions: for my sighs are many, and my heart is faint.
Tau : Entre delante de ti toda su maldad, y haz con ellos como hiciste conmigo por todas mis rebeliones. Porque muchos son mis suspiros, y mi corazón está dolorido.
Verse 22. Let all their wickedness come before thee] That is, Thou wilt call their crimes also into remembrance; and thou wilt do unto them by siege, sword, famine, and captivity, what thou hast done to me. Though thy judgments, because of thy long-suffering, are slow; yet, because of thy righteousness, they are sure.
For my sighs are many] My desolations continue; and my heart is faint-my political and physical strength almost totally destroyed.
Imprecations in the sacred writings are generally to be understood as declarative of the evils they indicate; or, that such evils will take place. No prophet of God ever wished desolation on those against whom he was directed to prophesy.
Ver. 22. Let all their wickedness come before thee , etc.] The Targum adds, “in the day of the great judgment;” but it seems to refer to present time, at least to the time fixed by the Lord for their ruin; and which the church imprecates, not from a spirit of revenge, but from a holy zeal for the glory of God; desiring that the wickedness of her enemies might be remembered by the Lord, so as to punish them in righteousjudgment for the same: and do unto them as thou hast done unto me for all my transgressions ; she owns that what was done to her was for her sins, and therefore could not charge God with injustice; only she desires the same might be done to her enemies, who were equally guilty: some render it, “glean them” f40 ; or rather, “gather them as a vintage”; or as grapes are gathered: “as thou hast gathered me”; as thou hast took me, and cast me into the winepress of thy wrath, and there hast trodden and squeezed me; (see Lamentations 1:15); so do unto them: for my sighs [are] many, and my heart [is] faint ; her sighs were many because of her afflictions, and her heartfaint because of her sighing.
Matthew Henry Commentary The miserablestate of Jerusalem, the just consequences of its sins (Lam. 1:1-11) Jerusalem represented as a captive female, lamenting, an seeking the mercy of God. (Lam. 1:12-22)
Lam. 1:1-11 The prophet sometimes speaks in his own person; at othe times Jerusalem, as a distressedfemale, is the speaker, or some of the Jews. The description shows the miseries of the JewishnationJerusalem became a captive and a slave, by reason of the greatness of her sins; and had no rest from suffering. If we allow sin, our greates adversary, to have dominion over us, justly will other enemies also be suffered to have dominion. The people endured the extremities of famin and distress. In this sad condition Jerusalem acknowledged her sin, an entreated the Lord to look upon her case. This is the only way to make ourselves easy under our burdens; for it is the just anger of the Lor for man's transgressions, that has filled the earth with sorrows lamentations, sickness, and death.
Lam. 1:12-22 Jerusalem, sitting dejected on the ground, calls on thos that passed by, to consider whether her example did not concern them Her outward sufferings were great, but her inward sufferings wer harder to bear, through the sense of guilt. Sorrow for sin must be great sorrow, and must affect the soul. Here we see the evil of sin and may take warning to flee from the wrath to come. Whatever may be learned from the sufferings of Jerusalem, far more may be learned from the sufferings of Christ. Does he not from the cross speak to every on of us? Does he not say, Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by? Le all our sorrows lead us to the cross of Christ, lead us to mark his example, and cheerfully to follow him __________________________________________________________________
