How does the city sit lovely, that was full of people! how has she become as a widow! she that was great among the nations, and princess among the provinces, how has she become a slave!
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George Leo Haydock
AD 1849
City. David had conquered many. Jerusalem was long considered as the finest city in those parts.
Tributary. It had been so to the Assyrians, Egyptians, and Chaldeans, 4 Kings xxiv. 1. From this and similar passages, it would seem that the city was still existing: yet in others it appears to have been demolished. Here then the prophet declares what it had been: (Calmet) unless he wrote part after the death of Josias. (Haydock)
The beholders are astonished at the change and misery of the city. (Worthington)
ALEPH: ‘doctrine’, that man may know both himself and God. This, the Jewish people did not have and were thus subject to the enemies.
How does the city sit solitary: He proclaims that the overthrow of the poor city and the fall of the crooked people not only took place under the Chaldeans, but were to be fulfilled to even greater extent under Titus and Vespasian. In fact, before the final captivity, she is not rightly said to be sitting alone, if not perhaps due to some exaggeration of pain. They are said to have been left by the Chaldeans as poor cultivators of the land, over whom Godolias is put in charge, and the city is not entirely destroyed, but is, after the death of Christ, dispersed to become desolated, so that neither stone upon stone, nor the people, shall be left in her. For against them, returned from captivity, grew the rod of anger, since they were not turned towards the Lord through the prophets’ admonitions and reproofs, but had always been ungrateful to the mercies...
St. Paschasius. There are Canticles of Canticles; there are also Lamentations of Lamentations.
The book of Solomon is called the ‘Canticles of Canticles’, Jeremiah’s Threni the
‘Lamentations of Lamentations’. For as the Canticles excel, in which the
bridegroom or the bride enjoys sweet embraces, so do the Lamentations, in
which the bridegroom’s absence from the bride is deplored by many ways of
weeping, whence it is said: How doth the city sit solitary &c. In those Canticles,
several persons are introduced to wedding bliss; in these Lamentations, many
are deplored who have been taken away. Canticles are proper in the heavenly
fatherland, lamentations in this life’s misery. Therefore, David says: A hymn
becomes You in Zion, O God, and elsewhere: Blessed is the man whose help is from thee;
in his heart he hath disposed to ascend by steps, in the vale of tears, in the place which he hath
set.
St. Paschasius. He laments by means of a fourfold alphabet, as both we and the wo...
Aleph- doctrine
How- with admiration, with affection
does the city- Jerusalem, the Church or the soul
sit- after the fashion of one crying; humiliated
solitary- of the help from God and his angels; once populous
that was full- assembled of people and tribes and tongues
of people- by contradiction
becomes as- not really
mistress of the Gentiles- the subdued; sins
a widow- by her kings and priests; from the aid of God; her spouse absent
princes- among prelates; among ancestors
provinces- churches, senses; whom she had made tributary, SHE WAS MADE TRIBUTARY, that is to the Chaldeans
made tributary- to demons, vices or the Chaldeans
As this opening verse states: "She that was great among the nations," that is, once subject to her. As Ezekiel 5:5 declares: "This is Jerusalem; I have set her in the center of the nations."
Then is displayed that the people's glory was once distinguished by their tributes. For: "she that was a princess among the cities has become a vassal" Because, once tributes were made to her. As 2 Samuel 8:2 declares: "and he (David) defeated Moab." And the Moabites became servants to David and brought tribute.
And, King Solomon had divided his kingdom within such glories, as setting forth distinctive projects to single cities. As recorded in I Kings 4:21: "Solomon ruled over all the kingdom from the Euphrates to the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt; they brought tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life." Also Proverbs l2:21 states: "The hand of the diligent will rule, while the slothful will be put to forced labor."
Now to this Verse 1 is applied the first le...
