Lamentations 1:1 (DRB)

Passage

Aleph. How doth the city sit solitary that was full of people! how is the mistress of the Gentiles become as a widow: the princes of provinces made tributary!

Nearby Context

Lamentations 1:1 Aleph. How doth the city sit solitary that was full of people! how is the mistress of the Gentiles become as a widow: the princes of provinces made tributary!

Lamentations 1:2 Beth. Weeping, she hath wept in the night, and her tears are on her cheeks: there is none to comfort her among all them that were dear to her: all her friends have despised her, and are become her enemies.

Lamentations 1:3 Ghimel. Juda hath removed her dwelling place, because of her affliction, and the greatness of her bondage; she hath dwelt among the nations, and she hath found no rest; all her persecutors have taken her in the midst of straits.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "aleph", "doth", "city", "solitary", "full", "people", "mistress", and "gentiles". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "aleph" and "doth", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The next verse adds "Beth Weeping she hath wept in the...", so "aleph" and "doth" should be read forward into that movement. In Lamentations context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "aleph" and "doth" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.