The characterisation of God in Lamentations

Authors

Elizabeth Boase, University of Notre Dame AustraliaFollow

Publication Details

Boase, E. (2008). The characterisation of God in Lamentations. Australian Biblical Review, 56, 32-44.

Abstract

One of the dominant characters within the book of Lamentations is God. God is spoken about and spoken to, although the voice of God is never heard. Various voices within the text speak of God, describing both God’s actions and God’s attributes. These descriptions give rise to various, and at times conflicting images: God is the violent destroyer of the city and her inhabitants; God is an absent God, whose presence is longed for; God is a God of steadfast love and mercy; God is the one in whom future hope lies. This paper analyses the multifaceted portrayal of the character of God as constructed in the book of Lamentations, exploring the implications of that characterisation for our understanding of the theology of Lamentations.

Keywords

Peer-reviewed, Bible, Lamentations, Theology, Jewish History 586-332 BC, Biblical teaching, Violence in the Bible