Responsive Reading (with Emotion, Please)
She weeps bitterly in the night and her tears are on her cheeks; she has none to comfort her among all her lovers. All her friends have dealt treacherously with her; they have become her enemies. Lamentations 1:2 NASB
Weeps bitterly – Someone sent me a quote from Tzvi Freeman: “The first job of a teacher is to tell the student, ‘Focus on this; this is important. Do not focus on this—this is only the background.” Let’s apply that instruction to this verse in Lamentations. What should we focus on? You might think “weeps bitterly” is the real point of this verse. After all, I’ve placed those words in bold type. And there are some unusual features about the Hebrew phrase bākô tibke(h). First, the two words are really a repetition of the same root. That means emphasis. Second, the ancient cultural behavior of weeping isn’t like the way we handle these powerful emotions. “Whereas tears are associated with the eyes, weeping is associated with the voice; Semites do not weep quietly, but aloud.”[1] Finally, Hebrew weeping is different than other ancient practices.
“The final usage of ‘weeping’ is unique to the ot. It is the weeping of repentance. In other cultures of the ancient near east weeping out of remorse or sorrow for punishment is known, but never sheer sorrow over having offended the deity.”[2]
So you might think, “All of this shows how important it is to focus on the emotion.” But I think you’d be wrong. You see, the really important idea in this verse is not the emotion or the treachery or the abandonment. That’s the background. The really important word here is the pronoun “she.” Why? Because this verse isn’t about personal grief. It’s about collective grief. It’s about community responsive despair. And why is that important? Brené Brown gives us some insight:
“An experience of collective pain does not deliver us from grief or sadness; it is a ministry of presence. These moments remind us that we are not alone in our darkness and that our broken heart is connected to every heart that has known pain since the beginning of time.”[3]
If we concentrate on the emotional distress, we miss the point that Brown makes. This verse is about all of us together in the sinking ship. We all feel the pain. And because we all feel the pain, we are also together in the experience of God’s hand, both as chastisement and renewal. It’s not the weeping that matters. It’s the common experience, and that common experience opens the door for God to step in. Of course, we could concentrate on our personal grief, but then we would miss the connection between all of us. What really matters is the connection—you and I feeling the distress together, feeling the need for God together, knowing that we are not alone in all this and waiting together for God’s grace.
Topical Index: weeping, bākô tibke(h), community, connection, Lamentations 1:2
[1] Oswalt, J. N. (1999). 243 בָּכָה. R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer Jr., & B. K. Waltke (Eds.), Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (electronic ed., p. 107). Chicago: Moody Press.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Brené Brown Braving the Wilderness, p. 134.
