Lamentations 1:19

Footnotes

1. 115 The term “lovers” is a figurative expression (hypocatastasis), comparing Jerusalem’s false gods and political alliance with Assyria to a woman’s immoral lovers. The prophet Hosea uses similar imagery (Hos 2:5, 7, 10, 13).
2. 116 Here the conjunction כּי (ki) functions in (1) a temporal sense in reference to a past event, following a perfect: “when” ( 473 2.a; cf. , , , ) or (2) a concessive sense, following a perfect: “although” (Pss 21:12; 119:83; Mic 7:8; Nah 1:10; cf. 473 2.c.β) or (3) with an intensive force, introducing a statement with emphasis: “surely, certainly” ( 472 1.e). The present translation follows the third option.
3. 117 The vav (ו) prefixed to וַיָשִׁיבוּ (vayashivu) introduces a purpose clause: “they sought food for themselves, in order to keep themselves alive.”
4. 118 The noun נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) functions as a metonymy (= soul) of association (= life) (e.g., Gen 44:30; Exod 21:23; 2 Sam 14:7; Jon 1:14). When used with נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh), the Hiphil הָשִׁיב (hashiv) of שׁוּב (shuv, “to turn, return”) may mean “to preserve a person’s life,” that is, to keep a person alive (Lam 1:14, 19).
5. 119 The adds καὶ οὐχ εὖρον (kai ouch heuron, “but they did not find it”). This is probably an explanatory scribal gloss, indicated to explicate what appeared to be ambiguous. The often adds explanatory glosses in many OT books.