Lamentations 5:13 - A Prayer for Restoration

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Context

A Prayer for Restoration
…12Princes have been hung up by their hands; elders receive no respect. 13Young men toil at millstones; boys stagger under loads of wood. 14The elders have left the city gate; the young men have stopped their music.…

Cross References

Isaiah 47:6
I was angry with My people; I profaned My heritage, and I placed them under your control. You showed them no mercy; even on the elderly you laid a most heavy yoke.Jeremiah 6:11
But I am full of the LORD’s wrath; I am tired of holding it back. “Pour it out on the children in the street, and on the young men gathered together. For both husband and wife will be captured, the old and the very old alike.Jeremiah 12:3
But You know me, O LORD; You see me and test my heart toward You. Drag away the wicked like sheep to the slaughter and set them apart for the day of carnage.Jeremiah 15:8
I will make their widows more numerous than the sand of the sea. I will bring a destroyer at noon against the mothers of young men. I will suddenly bring upon them anguish and dismay.Jeremiah 18:21
Therefore, hand their children over to famine; pour out the power of the sword upon them. Let their wives become childless and widowed; let their husbands be slain by disease, their young men struck down by the sword in battle.2 Chronicles 36:17
So He brought up against them the king of the Chaldeans, who put their young men to the sword in the sanctuary, sparing neither young men nor young women, neither elderly nor infirm. God gave them all into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar,Deuteronomy 28:50
a ruthless nation with no respect for the old and no pity for the young.Job 24:9
The fatherless infant is snatched from the breast; the nursing child of the poor is seized for a debt.Psalm 137:9
Blessed is he who seizes your infants and dashes them against the rocks.Isaiah 3:5
The people will oppress one another, man against man, neighbor against neighbor; the young will rise up against the old, and the base against the honorable.Isaiah 14:16-17
Those who see you will stare; they will ponder your fate: “Is this the man who shook the earth and made the kingdoms tremble, / who turned the world into a desert and destroyed its cities, who refused to let the captives return to their homes?”Matthew 11:28-30
Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. / Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. / For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”Matthew 23:4
They tie up heavy, burdensome loads and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.Luke 11:46
“Woe to you as well, experts in the law!” He replied. “For you weigh men down with heavy burdens, but you yourselves will not lift a finger to lighten their load.Acts 15:10
Now then, why do you test God by placing on the necks of the disciples a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear?

Exodus 11:5
And all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his throne, even unto the firstborn of the maidservant that is behind the mill; and all the firstborn of beasts.

Judges 16:21
But the Philistines took him, and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and he did grind in the prison house.

Job 31:10
Then let my wife grind unto another, and let others bow down upon her.

fell

Exodus 1:11
Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh treasure cities, Pithom and Raamses.

Exodus 2:11
And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens: and he spied an Egyptian smiting an Hebrew, one of his brethren.

Exodus 23:5
If thou see the ass of him that hateth thee lying under his burden, and wouldest forbear to help him, thou shalt surely help with him.

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Lamentations 5

Young men toil at millstones;
In ancient times, grinding grain with millstones was typically a task for women or slaves, indicating the severity of the situation in Jerusalem. The young men, who would normally be engaged in more vigorous or skilled labor, are reduced to performing menial tasks. This reflects the dire circumstances and the reversal of societal roles due to the Babylonian conquest. The imagery of young men at millstones can be connected to the broader theme of suffering and humiliation found throughout Lamentations, as well as the consequences of Israel's disobedience as warned by prophets like Jeremiah.

boys stagger under loads of wood.
The image of boys carrying heavy loads of wood highlights the extreme hardship and exploitation faced by the people. In a society where children would typically be protected and nurtured, the fact that boys are burdened with such labor underscores the collapse of social norms and the desperation of the community. This phrase can be linked to the curses outlined in Deuteronomy 28, where disobedience to God leads to suffering and oppression. The staggering boys also evoke a sense of helplessness and vulnerability, pointing to the need for divine intervention and foreshadowing the ultimate deliverance through Christ, who bears the burdens of humanity.

Persons / Places / Events

1. Young Men
In the context of Lamentations, these are the young men of Jerusalem who are subjected to hard labor and oppression during the Babylonian captivity.

2. Boys
Refers to the younger generation who are also burdened with heavy labor, symbolizing the widespread suffering and loss of freedom among the people of Judah.

3. Millstones
Large stones used for grinding grain, representing the heavy and relentless labor imposed on the captives.

4. Loads of Wood
Symbolizes the burdensome tasks and the physical and emotional weight carried by the young boys, indicative of the dire circumstances faced by the people.

5. Babylonian Captivity
The historical event during which the people of Judah were exiled to Babylon, leading to the lamentations and expressions of grief found in this book.

Teaching Points

The Consequences of Sin
The suffering of the young men and boys is a direct result of the nation's disobedience to God. This serves as a reminder of the serious consequences of turning away from God's commandments.

The Burden of Oppression
The imagery of heavy labor reflects the physical and spiritual oppression that sin brings. Believers are called to seek freedom in Christ, who offers rest and relief from burdens.

Intergenerational Impact
The suffering of both young men and boys highlights how sin and its consequences affect multiple generations. It is crucial for believers to live righteously to protect future generations.

Hope in Despair
Even in the midst of lament, there is an underlying hope for redemption and restoration. Believers are encouraged to hold onto God's promises even in difficult times.

The Call to Compassion
Observing the suffering of others should move believers to compassion and action, reflecting God's love and mercy to those in need.

Lists and Questions

Top 10 Lessons from Lamentations 5What does a millstone symbolize in the Bible?Lamentations 5:4 mentions buying their own water--does any historical or archaeological evidence confirm or contradict this siege condition?Does the despair expressed in Job 3 contradict later biblical accounts (e.g., James 5:11) that describe Job as patient and steadfast?(Lamentations 4:13) How does blaming prophets and priests for the downfall align or conflict with other biblical teachings on communal guilt?

(13) They took . . .--Better, Young men bear the mill: i.e., were not only set to grind the handmill, which was itself the work of a menial slave, commonly of women, but were made to carry the mill itself, probably as they marched along with the Chaldaean armies on their way to Babylon. (Comp. Isaiah 47:2.) So in like manner the next clause describes the sufferings of the striplings, who were made to carry the wood which was used as fuel or other purposes, and who literally "fell" (or staggered) under their burdens.

Verse 13. - They took the young men to grind; rather, the young men have borne the mill. The lower millstone seems to have been specially hard, and therefore heavy (see Job 41:24), and to carry it about must have required a more severe exertion even than the constant turning of the mill handle. Dr. Thomson "cannot recall an instance in which men were grinding at the mill" ('The Land and the Book,' edit. 1881, p. 108), and both Exodus 11:5 and Matthew 24:41 presuppose that it was women's work. The conquered Jewish youths, however, share the fate of Samson -

Hebrew

Young men
בַּחוּרִים֙ (ba·ḥū·rîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 970: Selected, a youth

toil
נָשָׂ֔אוּ (nā·śā·’ū)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 5375: To lift, carry, take

at millstones;
טְח֣וֹן (ṭə·ḥō·wn)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2911: A hand mill, a millstone

boys
וּנְעָרִ֖ים (ū·nə·‘ā·rîm)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 5288: A boy, lad, youth, retainer

stagger
כָּשָֽׁלוּ׃ (kā·šā·lū)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 3782: To totter, waver, to falter, stumble, faint, fall

under loads of wood.
בָּעֵ֥ץ (bā·‘êṣ)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 6086: Tree, trees, wood

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Lamentations 5:13 Catholic BibleOT Prophets: Lamentations 5:13 The young men bare the mill (Lam. La Lm)