The Tsade (Fish Hook) Revelation

Lam. 4:18 says,

¹⁸ [צ] They hunted our steps so that we could not walk in our streets; our end drew near, our days were finished for our end had come.

The first Hebrew word in verse 18 is צָדוּ (tsadu), “they hunted.” This is derived from the root צוד (tsud), meaning “to hunt, trap, or pursue prey.” Thus the verse itself describes the people of Jerusalem being hunted like animals.

The prophet Jeremiah describes similar conditions. In Jer. 52:7, he tells us that the city wall was breached and the people attempted to flee. In 2 Kings 25:4 the king fled by night but was hunted down in the plains of Jericho.

So the imagery of being hunted was not metaphorical only; it reflected the actual pursuit of fugitives.

Moving from “our end drew near” to “our end had come” suggests a progression. The people first feel pursued, then sense that doom is approaching, and finally realize that destruction is unavoidable.

Ancient Jewish tradition often associated tsade (צ) with righteousness (צַדִּיק, tsaddiq). Hence, there is an irony in this verse. The people refused to hunt righteousness, so they were hunted by unrighteous Babylonians. Their failure of righteousness resulted in becoming prey.

The Koof (Back of the Head) Revelation

Lam. 4:19 says,

¹⁹ [ק] Our pursuers were swifter than the eagles of the sky; they chased us on the mountains, they waited in ambush for us in the wilderness.

The first Hebrew word is קַלִּים (qallim), “swifter.” This word derives from the root קל (qal), meaning “light, swift, or rapid.”

Thus the acrostic pairing is ק (Qoph/Koof) and קַלִּים “swift.” The poet deliberately begins the verse with a word expressing speed, emphasizing the relentless pursuit. In the ancient Near East the eagle symbolized speed, power, and deadly pursuit (as in 2 Sam. 1:23). The same imagery appears in covenant warnings.

In the law of tribulation, Deut. 28:49 says,

⁴⁹ The Lord will bring a nation against you from afar, from the end of the earth, as the eagle swoops down…”

Jer. 4:13 used the same prophecy about Babylon:

¹³ Behold, he goes up like clouds, and his chariots like the whirlwind; his horses are swifter than eagles.

Lamentations therefore recognizes that the curses of the law had come to pass, exactly as Moses had warned. The Babylonian army moved with incredible speed; there was nowhere to hide; and every escape route was blocked.

The imagery of the “back of the head” pictures a swift athlete in front of his competitors. All one can see is the back of his head.

The Resh (Head) Revelation

Lam. 4:20 says,

²⁰ [ר] The breath of our nostrils, the Lord’s anointed [messiah], was captured in their pits, of whom we had said, “Under his shadow we shall live among the nations.”

The first word of the verse is רוּחַ (ruach), “breath, spirit, or wind.” It is a vivid Hebrew expression for the source of life or vitality. But in verse 20, the phrase refers to the king, the nation’s head—specifically Zedekiah—the last Davidic ruler in Jerusalem before the Babylonian destruction.

This is a reference to Gen. 2:7,

⁷ The Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being [“soul”].

By comparing verse 20 with Gen. 2:7, it is suggested that Adam was the first to receive the messianic calling. The breath of God blown into his nostrils imparted this calling to Adam. Of course, we know that he failed, just like the rest of the anointed kings of Judah; yet it points to the New Testament idea that Jesus was “the last Adam” (1 Cor. 15:45), just as Adam was the first messiah. This calling was passed to Adam by the ruach (breath or spirit of God).

The verse calls the king מְשִׁיחַ יְהוָה (meshiach YHWH)
“the LORD’s anointed.” This was the traditional title for Israel’s kings. Examples include: 1 Samuel 24:6, David refused to harm Saul because he was the LORD’s anointed. Again, we read in Psalm 2:2, “Against the LORD and against His Anointed.”

Here the title emphasizes how devastating the king’s capture was. If the anointed ruler falls, the nation’s political life collapses. Zedekiah was the last king of Judah before the true Messiah (Jesus) came to claim the throne. He was the anointed Head of the nation and of the whole world.

The people’s hope was that “under his shadow we shall live among the nations.” Although this hope was misplaced, it actually prophesied truly about the Messiah to come. Psalm 91:1 uses the same imagery:

¹ He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.

The lesson is that only a future, righteous anointed King could restore the kingdom.

Lamentations 4 concludes with the last two letters of the Hebrew alphabet: ש (Shin) and ת (Tav). The poem suddenly shifts from lament over Jerusalem to judgment on Edom, which creates a remarkable theological ending to the chapter. After describing Jerusalem’s destruction in chapter 4, the prophet closes by announcing Edom’s coming judgment and Zion’s future restoration.

The Shin (Teeth) Revelation

Lam. 4:21 says,

²¹ [ס] Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Edom, who dwells in the land of Uz; but the cup will come around to you as well, you will become drunk and make yourself naked.

The verse begins with שִׂישִׂי (sisi), “Rejoice!” The command is sarcastic. The prophet is not truly encouraging Edom to celebrate but rather saying, in effect, “Enjoy it while you can (because it won’t last).”

Edom had rejoiced over Jerusalem’s destruction and had even assisted Babylon in some way. Psalm 137:7 records their attitude:

⁷ Remember, O LORD, against the sons of Edom the day of Jerusalem, who said, “Raze it! Raze it to its very foundation!”

Obadiah also condemns Edom for celebrating Judah’s downfall. So the “rejoice” command is a sarcastic prophecy.

Lam. 4:21 says, “The cup will come around to you.” The cup is a common biblical symbol of divine judgment. Examples are: Jeremiah 25:15 — the cup of God’s wrath is given to the nations; and Isaiah 51:17 — Jerusalem drank the cup of staggering.

Jerusalem had already drunk the cup. Now Edom’s turn was coming. But when? A few centuries later, in 126 B.C., Edom (Greek: Idumea) was conquered by Judah, and all the Edomites chose to convert to Judaism so as not to be expelled from their land. Josephus, the Jewish historian in the first century, tells us that from then on, they were known only as Jews. The nation of Edom ceased to exist independently of Judah.

The first-century Jewish historian, Josephus, in his Antiquities of the Jews, XIII, ix, 1, wrote:

“Hyrcanus took also Dora and Marissa, cities of Idumea, and subdued all the Idumeans; and permitted them to stay in that country, if they would be circumcised, and make use of the laws of the Jews; and they were so desirous of living in the country of their forefathers, that they submitted to the use of circumcision and the rest of the Jews’ ways of living; at which time therefore, this befell them, that they were hereafter no other than Jews.”

It is ironic that the Edomites converted to an Old Covenant religion just as that covenant was ready to expire. These Edomite Jews were among the most zealous of all the Jews who fought against the Romans in 66-73 A.D. Jerusalem was razed to the ground in 70 A.D., even as Edom had said in Psalm 137:7. Their last stronghold was Masada, which the Romans subdued on Passover morning of 73 A.D. This ended the war at that time.

The Judah-Edom merger means that the Jews must fulfill two distinct sets of prophecies. The main prophecy given to Judah was to bring forth the kings, culminating with the Messiah (Gen. 49:10). The main prophecy given to Edom was that they would “return and build up the ruins” (Mal. 1:4).

In other words, the spirit behind Zionism is the spirit of Edom. The land which they desired (and believed it was theirs) was just an Old Covenant type and shadow of the greater and better Promised Land that was to come through the New Covenant. This is the land that Abraham foresaw (Heb. 11:13-16). It was a land that was heavenly, and so it was not possible for them to return to it (Heb. 11:15).

Jerusalem was destroyed in 586 B.C. by Babylon and again in 70 A.D. by Rome. However, in each case, the city was rebuilt. Jeremiah 19:11 prophesied that the day would come when the city would be destroyed “as one breaks a potter’s vessel which cannot again be repaired.” Hence, another more permanent destruction has yet to occur.

For this reason, it was important to the divine plan that the Zionist movement arise and return to the old land and establish a nation in 1948. It was important, too, that the Zionists of Edom would take full control of Jerusalem in 1967 to prepare the way for the city’s utter destruction.

The Tav (Sign, Mark) Revelation

Lam. 4:22 concludes,

²² [ת] The punishment of your iniquity has been completed, O daughter of Zion; He will exile you no longer, but He will punish your iniquity, O daughter of Edom; He will expose your sins!

The tav is the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet, signifying a mark, sign, or signature (as if to sign his name with an X at the end of the acrostic poem).

The first Hebrew word in verse 22 is תַּם (tam), “completed, finished, or brought to an end.” The phrase reads literally, tam avonekh, “Your iniquity is finished.” This is fitting for the last letter of the alphabet, since the word itself declares the completion of Zion’s punishment.

The word avon can mean iniquity, guilt, or punishment for sin. Here it refers primarily to the penalty of Jerusalem’s sin. The statement indicates that the Babylonian judgment had reached its appointed limit. God’s discipline was severe but not endless.

Jeremiah reflects a similar word from a century earlier, where Isaiah 40:1, 2 said,

¹ “Comfort, O comfort My people,” says your God. ² “Speak kindly to Jerusalem; and call out to her, that her warfare has ended, that her iniquity has been removed, that she has received of the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.”

This line points forward to the eventual restoration of Israel after the Assyrian captivity. A century later, Jeremiah gave the same hope to Jerusalem and Judah, pointing to a time of restoration after the Babylonian captivity.

Jeremiah 29:10 says,

¹⁰ When seventy years have been completed for Babylon, I will visit you and fulfill My good word to you.

Judah had to return to the land in order to fulfill Micah’s prophecy that Christ would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2). This would fulfill the calling of Judah from Gen. 49:10, that Judah would provide the rulers of the Kingdom.

In the same manner, Israel would need to be restored in order to allow the tribes of Joseph to bring forth the fruitfulness mandate inherent in the birthright (Gen.49:22; 1 Chron. 5:1, 2).

The judgment of God upon Judah ended after just 70 years; the judgment of God upon Israel is only now ending as we prepare for the second coming of Christ.

The second half of Lam. 4:22 shifts the focus to Edom:

²² … But He will punish your iniquity, O daughter of Edom.

This suggests that Edom’s destruction is timed to occur when Israel’s long-term judgment ends. In other words, Judah’s conquest of Edom in 126 B.C., though it ended Edom as a distinct nation, did not completely fulfill the prophecy in Lam. 4:22. The Edomites converted to Judaism and became Jews, as every historian admits. The Zionists today are fulfilling the prophecies of Edom. Therefore, we may expect to see the fall of the Zionist state running concurrent with the rise of true Israel, the house of Joseph.

These are the overcomers who are destined to reign with Christ in the age to come. Thus the final verse announces a divine reversal. The captivity of true Israel and Judah are finished when Edom’s judgment begins. The exile of Israel ends fully when the sins of Edom are exposed, or (literally) uncovered, implying that they had been covered up.

The imagery is that of public exposure or disgrace. What was hidden will be revealed. Since October 2023 the sins of Edom have been exposed for all the world to see. Their genocide in Gaza, their attempt to subject the entire Mideast to their oppressive hegemony has turned the entire world against them. The last ones to see it will be the blind church.

Lamentations 5

Lamentations 5 forms the conclusion of the book. Unlike the first four chapters, which are carefully arranged alphabetic acrostics, this final chapter is not acrostic, though it still contains 22 verses, matching the number of letters in the Hebrew alphabet. This suggests that the poet intentionally retained the number of verses while abandoning the strict alphabetical structure.

This structural shift reflects the emotional tone of the chapter. The ordered lament of earlier chapters gives way to a direct communal prayer. It begins in Lam. 5:1-5,

¹ Remember, O Lord, what has befallen us; look, and see our reproach! ² Our inheritance has been turned over to strangers, our houses to aliens. ³ We have become orphans without a father, our mothers are like widows. ⁴ We have to pay for our drinking water, our wood comes to us at a price. ⁵ Our pursuers are at our necks; we are worn out, there is no rest for us.

In biblical language, when God remembers, it means He acts to fulfill His covenant promises (Exodus 2:24). Thus the opening line is essentially a cryfor covenant intervention. This prayer was answered when Christ came as the Mediator of the New Covenant.

Nonetheless, whereas the prayer was answered partially after just 70 years, the nations remained under Persian rule, followed by Greece and Rome. It was a long-term captivity ending only with the second coming of Christ.

Lam. 5:6-10 continues,

⁶ We have submitted to Egypt and Assyria to get enough bread. ⁷ Our fathers sinned, and are no more; it is we who have borne their iniquities. ⁸ Slaves rule over us; there is no one to deliver us from their hand. ⁹ We get our bread at the risk of our lives because of the sword in the wilderness. ¹⁰ Our skin has become as hot as an oven, because of the burning heat of famine.

The poet describes the breakdown of society: orphans and widows are commonplace, they must now pay for water and wood that once belonged to them, and their rulers are “slaves” (vassals) of a foreign king.

The “famine” in verse 10 was real in the short-term, but it eventually settled into a spiritual famine—that is, a famine of hearing the word of God Amos 8:11, 12 says,

¹¹ “Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord God, “when I will send a famine on the land, not a famine for bread or a thirst for water, but rather for hearing the words of the Lord. ¹² People will stagger from sea to sea and from the north even to the east; they will go to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, but they will not find it.

This reflects the condition of a defeated and occupied people.

Lam. 5:11-16 continues,

¹¹ They ravished the women in Zion, the virgins in the cities of Judah. ¹² Princes were hung by their hands; elders were not respected. ¹³ Young men worked at the grinding mill, and youths stumbled under loads of wood. ¹⁴ Elders are gone from the gate, young men from their music. ¹⁵ The joy of our hearts has ceased; our dancing has been turned into mourning. ¹⁶ The crown has fallen from our head; woe to us, for we have sinned!

Women are violated, princes dishonored, and elders removed from the gates. The institutions that once sustained Israelite society—family, leadership, justice—had collapsed. The emotional state of the nation pictures joy turned to mourning.

Lam. 5:17, 18 says,

¹⁷ Because of this our heart is faint, because of these things our eyes are dim; ¹⁸ because of Mount Zion which lies desolate, foxes prowl in it.

The temple mount, once the center of worship, is now desolate and inhabited by wild animals. This image symbolizes the complete devastation of Jerusalem.

Lam. 5:19 is the prophet’s statement of faith:

¹⁹ You, O Lord, rule forever; Your throne is from generation to generation.

God’s throne is the mercy seat in the heavenly temple, where Jesus sprinkled His own blood to make reconciliation for the people (Heb. 9:12). The prophet knew that His throne was not really in Jerusalem’s Zion, for that was merely a copy of better things to come (Heb. 9:23).

Lam. 5:20-22 concludes,

²⁰ Why do You forget us forever [olam, “indefinitely”]? Why do You forsake us so long? ²¹ Restore us to You, O Lord, that we may be restored; renew our days as of old. ²² Unless You have utterly rejected us and are exceedingly angry with us.

His prayer was answered some centuries later with the coming of Christ, the New Covenant, and the New City made without human hands (Heb. 11:10). Restoration has a requirement—faith in King Jesus, who is also our great High Priest of the Melchizedek Order.