John Gill's Bible Commentary Ver. 7. He hath hedged me about, that I cannot go out , etc.] When in prison, or in the dungeon, or during the siege of Jerusalem; though the phrase may only denote in general the greatness of his troubles, with which he was encompassed, and how inextricable they were; like a hedge about a vineyard, or a wall about a city, which could not easily be got over: he hath made my chain heavy ; his affliction intolerable. It is a metaphor taken from malefactors that have heavy chains put upon their legs, that they may not make their escape out of prison: or, “my brass” f55 ; that is, chains, or a chain made of brass; so the Targum, “he hath made heavy upon my feet fetters of brass.”
Matthew Henry Commentary
- The miserable state 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 distressed female, is the speaker, or some of the Jews. The description shows the miseries of the Jewish nation Jerusalem became a captive and a slave
, by reason of the greatness of her