Lamentations 2:5

Translation
King James Version
The Lord was as an enemy: he hath swallowed up Israel, he hath swallowed up all her palaces: he hath destroyed his strong holds, and hath increased in the daughter of Judah mourning and lamentation.
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KJV (with Strong's)
The Lord H136 was as an enemy H341: he hath swallowed up H1104 Israel H3478, he hath swallowed up H1104 all her palaces H759: he hath destroyed H7843 his strong holds H4013, and hath increased H7235 in the daughter H1323 of Judah H3063 mourning H8386 and lamentation H592.
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Complete Jewish Bible
Adonai became like an enemy; he swallowed up Isra'el, swallowed up all its palaces, and destroyed all its strongholds. For the daughter of Y'hudah he has multiplied mourning and moaning.
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Berean Standard Bible
The Lord is like an enemy; He has swallowed up Israel. He has swallowed up all her palaces and destroyed her strongholds. He has multiplied mourning and lamentation for the Daughter of Judah.
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American Standard Version
The Lord is become as an enemy, he hath swallowed up Israel; He hath swallowed up all her palaces, he hath destroyed his strongholds; And he hath multiplied in the daughter of Judah mourning and lamentation.
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World English Bible Messianic
The Lord has become as an enemy, he has swallowed up Israel; He has swallowed up all her palaces, he has destroyed his strongholds; He has multiplied in the daughter of Judah mourning and lamentation.
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Geneva Bible (1599)
The Lord was as an enemie: he hath deuoured Israel, and consumed all his palaces: hee hath destroyed his strong holdes, and hath increased in the daughter of Iudah lamentation and mourning.
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Young's Literal Translation
The Lord hath been as an enemy, He hath swallowed up Israel, He hath swallowed up all her palaces, He hath destroyed His fortresses, And He multiplieth in the daughter of Judah Mourning and moaning.
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See also
Lamentations 2:2Jeremiah 30:14Lamentations 2:42 Kings 25:9Jeremiah 52:132 Chronicles 36:162 Chronicles 36:17
In the KJVVerse 20,338 of 31,102

Study This Verse

SUMMARY

Lamentations 2:5 vividly portrays the Lord's direct and devastating judgment upon Jerusalem, depicting Him as an active adversary against His own covenant people. This verse powerfully communicates the complete obliteration of Israel's national identity, the destruction of its symbolic centers of power and security—palaces and strongholds—and the resultant overwhelming surge of national grief and despair for the "daughter of Judah." It starkly underscores the severe, righteous consequences of persistent covenant unfaithfulness.

CONTEXT

  • Literary Context: Lamentations 2 is the second of five acrostic poems, each offering a lament over the catastrophic destruction of Jerusalem and its temple in 586 BC. While Chapter 1 personifies Jerusalem as a desolate widow, Chapter 2 shifts the focus dramatically to emphasize the Lord's direct and intentional role in the calamity. The preceding verses detail the fierce intensity of God's anger and His deliberate actions in tearing down, consuming, and casting off His people. Verse 5 specifically highlights the extent of this divine hostility, setting the stage for the subsequent descriptions of profound suffering and the perceived absence of divine help that permeate the remainder of the chapter, culminating in the prophet's desperate plea for God to "look and see" the suffering in Lamentations 2:20. This verse acts as a pivotal declaration of divine agency in the unfolding tragedy.

  • Historical & Cultural Context: The book of Lamentations is traditionally attributed to the prophet Jeremiah, who bore witness to the horrific siege and subsequent fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonian Empire under Nebuchadnezzar. This pivotal event, meticulously documented in historical accounts such as 2 Kings 25, marked the definitive end of the Kingdom of Judah and the beginning of the Babylonian exile. For the Israelites, the destruction of their sacred city, its royal palaces, and its formidable strongholds was not merely a military defeat but a profound theological crisis. The temple and Jerusalem were considered tangible symbols of God's presence and His unwavering covenant faithfulness. Their obliteration signified the terrifying fulfillment of the covenant curses outlined in passages like Deuteronomy 28, where disobedience was explicitly warned to lead to national ruin and exile. Within their cultural and theological framework, the concept of divine judgment for sin was deeply ingrained, making the portrayal of God as an "enemy" profoundly shocking yet comprehensible within the context of their covenant relationship.

  • Key Themes: Lamentations 2:5 contributes significantly to several overarching themes that permeate the book. Firstly, Divine Judgment is paramount, as the Lord is explicitly depicted as the primary agent of destruction, not merely permitting the catastrophe but actively orchestrating it due to Israel's persistent sin and idolatry, a theme consistently articulated throughout the prophetic books, for instance, in Jeremiah 7. Secondly, the theme of Utter Desolation is powerfully conveyed through the repeated, visceral imagery of "swallowing up" and "destroying," indicating a complete and irreversible ruin of all that was once secure and glorious. This total destruction extends from the people themselves to their fortified cities and royal residences. Finally, the verse introduces and intensifies the theme of Profound Grief and Lamentation, as the "daughter of Judah" is depicted as being overwhelmed by "mourning and lamentation," reflecting the deep national sorrow and despair over their catastrophic loss and humiliation, a common expression of suffering found in passages like Psalm 137.

EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS

Key Word Analysis

  • enemy (Hebrew, ʼôyêb', H341): This term (H341) is an active participle derived from a root meaning "to hate," thus signifying "hating" or "an adversary." Its application to the Lord in this context is profoundly startling, as it describes God Himself acting in a hostile capacity against His own covenant people. This word conveys not merely opposition but an active, aggressive antagonism, underscoring the severity of God's righteous judgment and the complete reversal of His protective role due to Israel's profound unfaithfulness.
  • swallowed up (Hebrew, bâlaʻ', H1104): This primitive root (H1104) means "to make away with (specifically by swallowing); generally, to destroy; cover, devour, eat up, be at end, spend up." The powerful repetition of this verb within the verse underscores the completeness and voracity of the destruction. It paints a vivid, almost grotesque, picture of total consumption, leaving nothing behind. This highlights the overwhelming, irreversible, and comprehensive nature of God's judgment upon the nation of Israel, their palaces, and their strongholds.
  • mourning (Hebrew, taʼănîyâh'); lamentation (Hebrew, ʼănîyâh', H8386): These two closely related nouns (H8386 and H592, respectively) both derive from roots meaning "to groan" or "to mourn." Their pairing in the verse serves to emphasize the pervasive and intense sorrow that engulfed the "daughter of Judah." "Mourning" often refers to a deep, internal sorrow or grief, while "lamentation" typically suggests its outward, audible expression—such as wailing, crying, and public displays of grief. The phrase "increased... mourning and lamentation" signifies an exponential, overwhelming, widespread, and ceaseless state of national grief, directly resulting from the divine devastation.

Verse Breakdown

  • "The Lord was as an enemy:" This opening clause is the most shocking and central declaration of the verse. It asserts that God, who had historically been Israel's covenant protector, deliverer, and ally, had now fundamentally reversed His posture and was acting with the hostility and aggression of an adversary. This is not a passive allowance of evil but a direct statement of His active, judicial opposition to His people's persistent sin.
  • "he hath swallowed up Israel," Immediately following the declaration of God's hostile posture, this phrase identifies the primary object of His destructive action: the entire nation of Israel, specifically the remnant of Judah. The verb "swallowed up" conveys a sense of total consumption and annihilation, suggesting that the very identity, existence, and corporate life of the people were being consumed by divine wrath.
  • "he hath swallowed up all her palaces:" The scope of destruction extends beyond the people to encompass the very symbols of their national pride, wealth, and royal power. "Palaces" (H759) refers to royal residences, citadels, and grand structures, indicating that no place of human authority, luxury, or perceived permanence was spared from God's consuming judgment, signifying the complete collapse of the social, political, and economic order.
  • "he hath destroyed his strong holds," This clause further emphasizes the totality and thoroughness of the devastation. "Strong holds" (H4013) refers to fortifications, castles, or fortified cities—structures meticulously designed for defense and security. The significant detail that God "destroyed his strong holds" implies that these defenses, which might have been seen as human sources of security or even defiance against God, were ultimately under God's sovereign control and were dismantled by Him, demonstrating His absolute dominion over all human endeavors, even those built for protection.
  • "and hath increased in the daughter of Judah mourning and lamentation." The final clause describes the overwhelming and pervasive consequence of this divine judgment: an exponential and widespread increase in sorrow, grief, and audible lament among the people. "The daughter of Judah" (H1323, H3063) is a common poetic personification of the people of Judah. The "increased" (H7235) mourning and lamentation (H8386, H592) signify a pervasive, profound, and inescapable state of national grief, a direct and inescapable result of the utter destruction and loss inflicted by God's judgment.

Literary Devices

Lamentations 2:5 masterfully employs several potent Literary Devices to convey its message of divine judgment and utter devastation. The most striking is Personification, where the Lord is depicted as an "enemy," an active, hostile figure engaged in destructive acts rather than a passive observer. This bold imagery profoundly underscores the direct, intentional, and personal nature of God's judgment. Hyperbole is evident in the repeated phrase "swallowed up," which suggests a complete and utter consumption, far beyond mere military defeat, emphasizing the totality and irreversible nature of the destruction. The powerful Repetition of "he hath swallowed up" creates a relentless, almost suffocating rhythm that mirrors the relentless and pervasive nature of the judgment, reinforcing the idea of comprehensive ruin. Finally, vivid Imagery is used throughout, painting a stark and visceral picture of desolation: the once-proud palaces and seemingly impregnable strongholds are consumed, leading to a landscape overwhelmed by pervasive "mourning and lamentation." This allows the reader to viscerally experience the profound grief, despair, and humiliation of the "daughter of Judah."

THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS

Lamentations 2:5 stands as a profound theological statement on the nature of God's justice and the severe consequences of persistent covenant disobedience. It challenges any simplistic or one-sided view of God as solely benevolent, revealing His capacity for righteous wrath and judicial action when His people stubbornly rebel against His commands and violate their sacred covenant obligations. The verse underscores God's absolute sovereignty, demonstrating that even national calamities are not outside His control but are, in fact, instruments of His divine purpose and judgment. It serves as a stark and sobering reminder that privilege—being God's chosen people—does not exempt one from accountability; indeed, it often increases it. The profound suffering depicted is presented as a direct, painful result of a broken relationship with a holy God, ultimately intended to bring about deep repentance and a necessary return to faithfulness.

REFLECTION AND APPLICATION

Lamentations 2:5 challenges contemporary believers to confront the profound seriousness of sin and the unwavering justice of God. In an age that often exclusively emphasizes God's love and mercy, this verse serves as a potent reminder that He is also a God of absolute holiness, righteousness, and unyielding justice who holds His people accountable. For believers today, it functions as a solemn warning against spiritual complacency, the insidious nature of idolatry, and any form of unfaithfulness to God's covenant. It calls us to engage in a rigorous self-examination of our own lives, our families, our churches, and our nations for areas where we might be subtly or overtly rebelling against God's revealed will. True repentance, which involves acknowledging God's sovereignty even in the midst of suffering, confessing sin, and earnestly seeking His mercy, is the appropriate and necessary response. Furthermore, this passage helps us to understand that suffering, even that which appears to originate from God's hand, can be a painful but ultimately necessary means of divine discipline, intended to draw us back into a right, humble, and dependent relationship with Him, fostering spiritual growth and renewed faithfulness.

Questions for Reflection

  • How does the portrayal of "The Lord as an enemy" challenge or deepen your understanding of God's multifaceted character?
  • In what specific ways might we, individually or corporately, be "swallowing up" or destroying our spiritual strongholds through disobedience or misplaced trust today?
  • What profound lessons does this verse impart regarding the consequences of persistent sin and the indispensable importance of genuine repentance and reconciliation with God?

FAQ

Why would God act as an "enemy" towards His own people?

Answer: The portrayal of God as an "enemy" in Lamentations 2:5 is a shocking but crucial theological statement that underscores the conditional nature of God's covenant relationship with Israel. When Israel persistently broke the covenant through idolatry, injustice, and rebellion, as extensively detailed throughout the prophetic books (e.g., Jeremiah 7), God, in His perfect holiness and justice, was compelled to bring about the curses He had explicitly warned of in the covenant (e.g., Deuteronomy 28). His actions were not arbitrary malice but a righteous judgment and a disciplinary measure, ultimately intended to bring His people to repentance and restore their relationship with Him, even through severe suffering. It powerfully illustrates that God's unwavering love does not negate His absolute justice.

What is meant by "the daughter of Judah"?

Answer: "The daughter of Judah" (H1323, H3063) is a common poetic and personified term frequently used in the Old Testament, referring to the people or the land of Judah. It is often employed as a tender yet tragic way to speak of the nation, evoking a sense of vulnerability, sorrow, or lament. In Lamentations 2:5, it specifically refers to the inhabitants of the southern kingdom of Judah, particularly those in Jerusalem, who were experiencing the profound grief, devastation, and humiliation caused by the Babylonian conquest and God's righteous judgment. This personification makes the national suffering more immediate, relatable, and poignant, as if the entire nation is a grieving woman.

CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT

Lamentations 2:5, with its stark portrayal of divine judgment and the "swallowing up" of Israel's strength and security, finds its ultimate Christ-centered fulfillment not in a repetition of such judgment for believers, but in the person and redemptive work of Jesus Christ. The "enemy" God became for His people due to their pervasive sin is the very God who, in the person of Jesus, absorbed that enmity and judgment Himself. On the cross, Jesus became "sin for us" (2 Corinthians 5:21), effectively bearing the full weight of the divine wrath that humanity justly deserved. He was "swallowed up" by death and the grave, descending into the depths of human suffering, only to triumph gloriously over them through His resurrection, offering a new covenant where the "mourning and lamentation" of sin and judgment can be transformed into eternal hope, profound joy, and lasting peace. Through Christ's perfect sacrifice, the "strongholds" of sin, death, and the power of the enemy are utterly destroyed, and a new spiritual "Israel"—the Church—is built, not on perishable human strength or earthly palaces, but on the unshakeable, eternal foundation of His resurrection and apostolic teaching (Ephesians 2:20). Thus, the lament of Judah's destruction points forward to the ultimate Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29), offering reconciliation, redemption, and eternal life where judgment once reigned supreme.

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Commentary on Lamentations 2 verses 1–9

It is a very sad representation which is here made of the state of God's church, of Jacob and Israel, of Zion and Jerusalem; but the emphasis in these verses seems to be laid all along upon the hand of God in the calamities which they were groaning under. The grief is not so much that such and such things are done as that God has done them, that he appears angry with them; it is he that chastens them, and chastens them in wrath and in his hot displeasure; he has become their enemy, and fights against them; and this, this is the wormwood and the gall in the affliction and the misery.

I. Time was when God's delight was in his church, and he appeared to her, and appeared for her, as a friend. But now his displeasure is against her; he is angry with her, and appears and acts against her as an enemy. This is frequently repeated here, and sadly lamented. What he has done he has done in his anger; this makes the present day a melancholy day indeed with us, that it is the day of his anger (Lam 2:1), and again (Lam 2:2) it is in his wrath, and (Lam 2:3) it is in his fierce anger, that he has thrown down and cut off, and (Lam 2:6) in the indignation of his anger. Note, To those who know how to value God's favour nothing appears more dreadful than his anger; corrections in love are easily borne, but rebukes in love wound deeply. It is God's wrath that burns against Jacob like a flaming fire (Lam 2:3), and it is a consuming fire; it devours round about, devours all her honours, all her comforts. This is the fury that is poured out like fire (Lam 2:4), like the fire and brimstone which were rained upon Sodom and Gomorrah; but it was their sin that kindled this fire. God is such a tender Father to his children that we may be sure he is never angry with them but when they provoke him, and give him cause to be angry; nor is he ever angry more than there is cause for. God's covenant with them was that if they would obey his voice he would be an enemy to their enemies (Exo 23:22), and he had been so as long as they kept close to him; but now he is an enemy to them; at least he is as an enemy, Lam 2:5. He has bent his bow like an enemy, Lam 2:4. He stood with his right hand stretched out against them, and a sword drawn in it as an adversary. God is not really an enemy to his people, no, not when he is angry with them and corrects them in anger. We may be sorely displeased against our dearest friends and relations, whom yet we are far from having an enmity to. But sometimes he is as an enemy to them, when all his providences concerning them seem in outward appearance to have a tendency to their ruin, when every thing made against them and nothing for them. But, blessed be God, Christ is our peace, our peacemaker, who has slain the enmity, and in him we may agree with our adversary, which it is our wisdom to do, since it is in vain to contend with him, and he offers us advantageous conditions of peace.

II. Time was when God's church appeared very bright, and illustrations, and considerable among the nations; but now the Lord has covered the daughter of Zion with a cloud (Lam 2:1), a dark cloud, which is very terrible to himself, and through which she cannot see his face; a thick cloud (so that word signifies), a black cloud, which eclipses all her glory and conceals her excellency; not such a cloud as that under which God conducted them through the wilderness, or that in which God took possession of the temple and filled it with his glory: no, that side of the cloud is now turned towards them which was turned towards the Egyptians in the Red Sea. The beauty of Israel is now cast down from heaven to the earth; their princes (Sa2 1:19), their religious worship, their beauty of holiness, all that which recommended them to the affection and esteem of their neighbours and rendered them amiable, which had lifted them up to heaven, was now withered and gone, because God had covered it with a cloud. He has cut off all the horn of Israel (Lam 2:3), all her beauty and majesty (Psa 132:17), all her plenty and fulness, and all her power and authority. They had, in their pride, lifted up their horn against God, and therefore justly will God cut off their horn. He disabled them to resist and oppose their enemies; he turned back their right hand, so that they were not able to follow the blow which they gave nor to ward off the blow which was given them. What can their right hand do against the enemy when God draws it back, and withers it, as he did Jeroboam's? Thus was the beauty of Israel cast down, when a people famed for courage were not able to stand their ground nor make good their post.

III. Time was when Jerusalem and the cities of Judah were strong and well fortified, were trusted to by the inhabitants and let alone by the enemy as impregnable. But now the lord has in anger swallowed them up; they are quite gone; the forts and barriers are taken away, and the invaders meet with no opposition: the stately structures, which were their strength and beauty, are pulled down and laid waste. 1. The Lord has in anger swallowed up all the habitations of Jacob (Lam 2:2), both the cities and the country houses; they are burnt, or otherwise destroyed, so totally ruined that they seem to have been swallowed up, and no remains left of them. He has swallowed up, and has not pitied. One would have thought it a pity that such sumptuous houses, so well built, so well furnished, should be quite destroyed, ad that some pity should have been had for the poor inhabitants that were thus dislodged and driven to wander; but God's wonted compassion seemed to fail: He has swallowed up Israel, as a lion swallows up his prey, Lam 2:5. 2. He has swallowed up not only her common habitations, but her palaces, all her palaces, the habitations of their princes and great men (Lam 2:5), though those were most stately, and strong, and rich, and well guarded. God's judgments, when they come with commission, level palaces with cottages, and as easily swallow them up. If palaces be polluted with sin, as theirs were, let them expect to be visited with a curse, which shall consume them, with the timber thereof and the stones thereof, Zac 5:4. 3. He had destroyed not only their dwelling-places, but their strong-holds, their castles, citadels, and places of defence. These he has thrown down in his wrath, and brought them to the ground; for shall they stand in the way of his judgments, and give check to the progress of them? No; let them drop like leaves in autumn; let them be rased to the foundations, and made to touch the ground, Lam 2:2. And again (Lam 2:5), He has destroyed his strong-holds; for what strength could they have against God? And thus he increased in the daughter of Judah mourning and lamentation, for they could not but be in a dreadful consternation when they saw all their defence departed from them. This is again insisted on, Lam 2:7-9. In order to the swallowing up of her palaces, he has given up into the hand of the enemy the walls of her palaces, which were their security, and, when they are broken down, the palaces themselves are soon broken into. The walls of palaces cannot protect them, unless God himself be a wall of fire round about them. This God did in his anger, and yet he has done it deliberately. It is the result of a previous purpose, and is done by a wise and steady providence; for the Lord has purposed to destroy the wall of the daughter of Zion; he brought the Chaldean army in on purpose to do this execution. Note, Whatever desolations God makes in his church, they are all according to his counsels; he performs the thing that is appointed for us, even that which makes most against us. But, when it is done, he has stretched out a line, a measuring line, to do it exactly and by measure: hitherto the destruction shall go, and no further; no more shall be cut off than what is marked to be so. Or it is meant of the line of confusion (Isa 34:11), a levelling line; for he will go on with his work; he has not withdrawn his hand from destroying, that right hand which he stretched out against his people as an adversary, Lam 2:4. As far as the purpose went the performance shall go, and his hand shall accomplish his counsel to the utmost, and not be withdrawn. Therefore he made the rampart and the wall, which the people had rejoiced in and upon which perhaps they had made merry, to lament, and they languished together; the walls and the ramparts, or bulwarks, upon them, fell together, and were left to condole with one another on their fall. Her gates are gone in an instant, so that one would think they were sunk into the ground with their own weight, and he has destroyed and broken her bars, those bars of Jerusalem's gates which formerly he had strengthened, Psa 147:13. Gates and bars will stand us in no stead when God has withdrawn his protection.

IV. Time was when their government flourished, their princes made a figure, their kingdom was great among the nations, and the balance of power was on their side; but now it is quite otherwise: He has polluted the kingdom and the princes thereof, Lam 2:2. They had first polluted themselves with their idolatries, and then God dealt with them as with polluted things; he threw them to the dunghill, the fittest place for them. he has given up their glory, which was looked upon as sacred (that is a character we give to majesty), to be trampled upon and profaned; and no marvel that the king and the priest, whose characters were always deemed venerable and inviolable, are despised by every body, when God has, in the indignation of his anger, despised the king and the priest, Lam 2:6. He has abandoned them; he looks upon them as no longer worthy of the honours conveyed to them by the covenants of royalty and priesthood, but as having forfeited both; and then Zedekiah the king was used despitefully, and Seraiah the chief priest put to death as a malefactor. The crown has fallen from their heads, for her king and her princes are among the Gentiles, prisoners among them, insulted over by them (Lam 2:9), and treated not only as common persons, but as the basest, without any regard to their character. Note, It is just with God to debase those by his judgments who have by sin debased themselves.

V. Time was when the ordinances of God were administered among them in their power and purity, and they had those tokens of God's presence with them; but now those were taken from them, that part of the beauty of Israel was gone which was indeed their greatest beauty. 1. The ark was God's footstool, under the mercy-seat, between the cherubim; this was of all others the most sacred symbol of God's presence (it is called his footstool, Ch1 28:2; Psa 99:5; Psa 132:7); there the Shechinah rested, and with an eye to this Israel was often protected and saved; but now he remembered not his footstool. The ark itself was suffered, as it should seem, to fall into the hands of the Chaldeans. God, being angry, threw that away; for it shall be no longer his footstool; the earth shall be so, as it had been before the ark was, Isa 66:1. Of what little value are the tokens of his presence when his presence is gone! Nor was this the first time that God agave his ark into captivity, Psa 78:61. God and his kingdom can stand without that footstool. 2. Those that ministered in holy things had been pleasant to the eye in the tabernacle of the daughter of Zion (Lam 2:4); they had been purer than snow, whiter than mile (Lam 4:7); none more pleasant in the eyes of all good people than those that did the service of the tabernacle. But now these are slain, and their blood is mingled with their sacrifices. Thus is the priest despised as well as the king. Note, When those that were pleasant to the eye in Zion's tabernacle are slain God must be acknowledged in it; he has done it, and the burning which the Lord has kindled must be bewailed but the whole house of Israel, as in the case of Nadab and Abihu, Lev 10:6. 3. The temple was God's tabernacle (as the tabernacle, while that was in being, was called his temple, Psa 27:4) and this he has violently taken away (Lam 2:6); he has plucked up the stakes of it and cut the cords; it shall be no more a tabernacle, much less his; he has taken it away, as the keeper of a garden takes away his hovel or shade, when he has done with it and has no more occasion for it; he takes it down as easily, as speedily, and with a little regret and reluctance as if it were but a cottage in a vineyard or a lodge in a garden of cucumbers (Isa 1:8), but a booth which the keeper makes, Job 27:18. When men profane God's tabernacle it is just with him to take it from them. God has justly refused to smell their solemn assemblies (Amo 5:21); they had provoked him to withdraw from them, and then no marvel that he has destroyed his places of the assembly; what should they do with the places when the services had become an abomination? He has now abhorred his sanctuary (Lam 2:7); it has been defiled with sin, that only thing which he hates, and for the sake of that he abhors even his sanctuary, which he had delighted in and called his rest for ever, Psa 132:14. Thus he had done to Shiloh. Now the enemies have made as great a noise of revelling and blaspheming in the house of the Lord as ever had been made with the temple-songs and music in the day of a solemn feast, Psa 74:4. Some, by the places of the assembly (Lam 2:6), understand not only the temple, but the synagogues, and the schools of the prophets, which the enemy had burnt up, Psa 74:8. 4. The solemn feasts and the sabbaths had been carefully remembered, and the people constantly put in mind of them; but now the Lord has caused those to be forgotten, not only in the country, among those that lived at a distance, but even in Zion itself; for there were none left to remember them, nor were there the places left where they used to be observed. Now that Zion was in ruins no difference was made between sabbath time and other times; every day was a day of mourning, so that all the solemn feasts were forgotten. Note, It is just with God to deprive those of the benefit and comfort of sabbaths and solemn feasts who have not duly valued them, nor conscientiously observed them, but have profaned them, which was one of the sins that the Jews were often charged with. Those that have seen the days of the Son of man, and slighted them, may desire to see one of those days and not be permitted, Luk 17:22. 5. The altar that had sanctified their gifts is now cast off, for God will no more accept their gifts, nor be honoured by their sacrifices, Lam 2:7. The altar was the table of the Lord, but God will no longer keep house among them; he will neither feast them nor feast with them. 6. They had been blest with prophets and teachers of the law; but now the law is no more (Lam 2:9); it is no more read by the people, no more expounded by the scribes; the tables of the law are gone with the ark; the book of the law is taken from them, and the people are forbidden to have it. What should those do with Bibles who had made no better improvement of them when they had them? Her prophets also find no vision from the Lord; God answers them no more by prophets and dreams, which was the melancholy case of Saul, Sa1 28:15. They had persecuted God's prophets, and despised the visions they had from the Lord, and therefore it is just with God to say that they shall have no more prophets, no more visions. Let them go to the prophets that had flattered and deceived them with visions of their own hearts, for they shall have none from God to comfort them, or tell them how long. Those that misuse God's prophets justly lose them.

Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 1–9. Public domain.
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Thomas AquinasAD 1274
Here is bewailed the destruction of edifices relating to defense. About this idea three further aspects are expressed. First is touched upon the indignation of the Lord God. As asserted: "The Lord has become like an enemy And Isaiah 63:10: "therefore he turned to be their enemy, and himself fought against them." Also, Psalm 44(43): "For our soul is bowed down to the dust; our body cleaves to the ground."

He has broken down his booth like that of a garden, laid in ruins the place of his appointed feasts; the Lord has brought to an end in Zion appointed feast and sabboth, and in his fierce indignation has spurned king and priest."
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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