I. Methodological Consideration: Tribal Reading
Tribal reading in biblical studies has received recent interest in scholarship as it employs tribal hermeneutics to restore tribal culture and identity. Razouselie Lasetso defines the tribals as the indigenous3 people who claim a common ancestry living in a community under one or more chiefs united by language and customs.4 Tribals of NEI are an indigenous group of people who believe that Christianity brought education and development to the region of the tribals. However, they were made to think that they were inferior, needing to be replaced with Christian practises and foreign ideology.5 Renthy Keitzar is the first among tribals who developed tribal hermeneutics. His article “Tribal Perspectives in Biblical Hermeneutics” asserts the approach for how tribal hermeneutics should be developed in the perspectives of the tribals and in their language.6 The worldviews of the tribals are unique—the concept of God,7 forms of worship, and arts and culture, which must be considered in interpreting the Bible. As hermeneutics are conditioned by traditions, tribal hermeneutics attempt to ascertain the tradition when reading the HB.8 Biblical interpretation through the lens of tribal makes the Bible relevant for the tribals because contextual reading of the Bible enables the readers to relate to the text in its theological and social context. Zhodi Angami emphasizes that tribals should read “the Bible that brings tribal spirituality, tribal culture, and tribal history into conversation with the world of the biblical text.”9 Oral tradition or literature such as ballads, legends, fables, songs, tales, and proverbs serve as an important category of ideas and primary sources that deserve serious consideration in tribal readings of the text.10 Therefore, this paper seeks to understand the fall of the crown from tribal perspectives, as the strength of tribal hermeneutics lays in the tribal experience. Because tribals have experienced discrimination and oppression, the tribals recognize them in the text, and the lived experiences of the tribals become relevant in the text.
II. Understanding imago dei and Fall of the Crown
Understanding the fall of the crown begins with understanding the imago dei. Genesis 1:26 begins with the statement, “Let us make human in our image according to our likeness.” Gordon Wenham states that human are not created as an imitation of the divine image but to be the divine image.11 Though the etymology of the word selem, “image” is uncertain, in ten instances the word refers to a physical representation of something (1 Sam. 6:5, 11; 2 Kings 11:18; 2 Chron. 23:17; Num. 33:52; Ezek. 7:20, 16:17, 23:14; Amos 5:26; Pss. 39:7; 73:20).12 Claus Westermann states that the meaning of selem is “representation”13. While the second word demut “likeness” can be translated “to be like,” it refers to physical likeness.14 Thus, demut can be a synonym for selem. According to Edward M. Curtis, “Man and woman were created not ‘according to’ the image of God but rather ‘as’ the image of God.”15 Victor P. Hamilton suggests that “likeness” actually strengthens “image.”16 The image of God stands on analogy with the Ancient West Asia (AWA)17 kings setting up images of themselves throughout their realm.18 This concept can be summarised through the statement of Brueggemann: “The image of God reflected in human persons is after the manner of a king who establishes himself to assert his sovereign rule where the king himself cannot be present.”19 According to Phyllis Trible, Genesis refers to imago dei only with humans, which are defined by their sexuality as male and female, emphasising that humankind exists in a unity as sexually differentiated beings that she characterizes as distinction within harmony.20 Additionally, Brueggemann states that “humankind is a community, male and female. And none is the full image of God alone. Only in community of humankind is God reflected.”21 He further states that “every person is the ‘new creature’ (2 Cor. 5:17), crowned queen/king, entrusted with self-giving rule for the sake of others. The rule of the queen/king is to practice gracious freedom toward others which lets them be, even as the creator does toward us.”22 Thus, male and female are given the crown of creation by the creator of heaven and earth.
Early church fathers much debated the concept of imago dei to understand the image and likeness of human in the image of God and what separates humans from the rest of the creation. Thomas Aquinas focuses on the element of imago dei that distinguishes human from animals (i.e., the rational soul, including the intellect and will23). Thus, the concept of imago dei sets apart men and women from the rest of the creation. Anne Clifford stresses the interconnectedness of all creation and believes that such mutuality reflects the glory of God in all its diversity.24 Therefore, imago dei should not separate us from being compassionate towards the rest of the creation nor should we dehumanize anyone created in the image of God, which results in the fall of the crown. This is made clear in the statement of Michelle A. Gonzalez: “Christian anthropology cannot claim that male and female are equal while simultaneously associating women with those attributes of humanity that are devalued by that tradition.”25 Thus, both man and woman are created in the image and likeness of God to be the crown of creation.
The understanding of imago dei is further elaborated in the statement produced by WCC26 that “Christian theological anthropology is not concerned only with Christians but is committed to all humanity, with its diversity of culture, colour, gender, sexuality and beliefs.”27 Further, WCC states, “All human beings, though created in the image of God, are inevitably affected by individual and corporate sin.”28 The fall of humanity begins with disobedience and sin, which is evident in the creation story. The well-being of humans should be considered not in isolation but in relation to God. Dehumanizing anyone created in the image and likeness of God or any creation disturbs the created order and results in the fall of the crown. It is in balanced harmony of men and women and with nature that gives the full realization of the crown of creation.
III. Lament on the Fall of Jerusalem
Prophet Jeremiah is considered the author of the book of Lamentations. The book is known to have been written by an eyewitness who felt the tragedy of the fall of Jerusalem most deeply. The book of Lamentations narrates the communal lament29 as the grief-stricken community offers its petition to God in the form of a prayer. The fall of Jerusalem constitutes a major loss in the history of the people of Judah. The loss of statehood, the loss of Davidic line, and deportation of many important sections of the surviving population brought a major setback in society. The destruction of the temple meant the cessation of the normal practices in the worship of Yahweh.30 Communal laments contain a description of misery and an appeal to Yahweh for help. The communal lament always has two sides: it laments the suffering and the disgrace of suffering.31 Westermann states that laments are structured around three subjects (i.e., God, the lamenter, and the enemy).32 The cry of lament, while ostensibly wrought from the human heart in certain situations, is filled with enigmatic energies, unbearable urges, moments both profane and sacred. Lament is more than railing against suffering, breast-beating, or a confession of guilt. It is a coil of suffering and hope, of awareness and memory, anger and relief, desires for vengeance, forgiveness and healing. It is the way of bearing the unbearable, both individually and communally. It is a wailing of the human soul, a barrage of tears, reproaches, petitions, praise, and hopes which beat against the heart of God.33 Lament at the fall of Jerusalem is also lament for the fall of worship, fall of humanity, and fall in the hands of enemies. Lament at the fall of humanity shows that the crown has fallen because humans have failed to do justice, failed to treat other humans equally, mothers are raped and children are left orphan, young women are raped. Lament is an expression of suffering, injustice, pain, and agony, yet there is hidden hope for restoration in the midst of lamentation.
Literary Structure of Lamentation 5
Lamentations 5 contains the key elements of the communal lament: an address to Yahweh (v. 1); a description of misery/complaint (vv. 2–18); praise of Yahweh (v. 19); complaint (v. 20); an appeal to Yahweh for help (vv. 21–22).34 In its prayerful lament, the community turns to Yahweh, concluding with an appeal and yet, in contrast to expectation, Yahweh remains silent. The final voice is that of a community still in the midst of their pain and suffering. The literary structure of Lamentations 5 can be classified as 1) the affliction and suffering of the people (5:1–13), 2) the loss of joy and hope (5:14–18), and 3) an appeal for the Lord’s restored favor (5:19–22). Therefore, Lamentations 5 can be divided into three thematic units: an extended description of misery, opening with an address to Yahweh (vv. 1–18), a brief praise of Yahweh (v.19), and the future restoration of Jerusalem (vv. 20–22).35
IV. Prophetic Lament on the Fall of the Crown
The social and historical context of Lamentations 5 stands along the period of suffering under the hands of the Babylonians as a sign of punishment for their disobedience. The social setting of Lamentations 5 is in Jerusalem and Judah after the city fell to Babylon. It describes the situation in which Jerusalem suffers greatly. Judah has no political or economic freedom, and Jerusalem has no status among the nations. The temple lies in ruins and worship is hampered. Hunger, death, oppression, deprivation, and disgrace are at its core.36 The fall of Jerusalem and Judah in the hands of Babylon signifies the fall of the crown. Prophet Jeremiah laments the fall of Jerusalem and Judah where temple lies in ruins. It is also suggested that Lamentations 5 may have been sung during one of the festivals at the ruins of Jerusalem.37 It is considered that Lamentations 5 is an expansion of a psalm of communal lament carried over from pre-exilic patterns of worship and dates after Jerusalem was destroyed.38 Such circumstances have left the city desolate not just at the hands of Babylonians but at the loss of humanity as well. As the community was alienated from their normal lifestyle, the destruction of the temple and distortion of community made the Israelites lament to God. However, Lamentation is also an act of mourning, and mourning can lead to hope for a future.
Lamentation 5:1–2239
1 Remember, O Lord, what has befallen us; behold, and see our disgrace! 2 Our inheritance has been turned over to strangers, our homes to aliens. 3 We have become orphans, fatherless; our mothers are like widows. 4 We must pay for the water we drink, the wood we get must be bought. 5 With a yoke on our necks we are hard driven; we are weary, we are given no rest. 6 We have given the hand to Egypt, and to Assyria, to get bread enough. 7 Our fathers sinned, and are no more; and we bear their iniquities. 8 Slaves rule over us; there is none to deliver us from their hand. 9 We get our bread at the peril of our lives, because of the sword in the wilderness. 10 Our skin is hot as an oven with the burning heat of famine. 11 Women are ravished in Zion, virgins in the towns of Judah. 12 Princes are hung up by their hands; no respect is shown to the elders. 13 Young men are compelled to grind at the mill; and boys stagger under loads of wood. 14 The old men have quit the city gate, the young men their music. 15 The joy of our hearts has ceased; our dancing has been turned to mourning. 16 The crown has fallen from our head; woe to us, for we have sinned! 17 For this our heart has become sick, for these things our eyes have grown dim, 18 for Mount Zion which lies desolate; jackals prowl over it. 19 But thou, O Lord, dost reign for ever; thy throne endures to all generations. 20 Why dost thou forget us for ever, why dost thou so long forsake us? 21 Restore us to thyself, O Lord, that we may be restored! Renew our days as of old! 22 Or hast thou utterly rejected us? Art thou exceedingly angry with us?
A. Devastation of Widows and Orphans (5:1–3)
The community pleads with God to “remember what has happened” (5:1). “Remember” is a calling on Yahweh to “consider” what has happened. The element of the past is based on the former and traditional relationship of the people with Yahweh.40 The author draws Yahweh’s attention to “what has happened to us,” which can be read in light of the fall of Jerusalem and the aftermath and refers to the actual conquest of Judah and to the ensuing hardships. The people felt they were all alone, as defenceless as orphans and widows. The cry that “we have become orphans, fatherless” (5:3) show loss of their fathers in the battle and to exile. The beginning verse described Jerusalem’s loss of inheritance, exposure to threatening foreigners, and people’s lack of family. In this verse, “orphan” indicates “one whose father has died.”41 Such a person can be sold into slavery and is certainly at risk. Mother becomes widow, as the father may be killed, captured, or missing, or women may have been abandoned in hard times. The designation of widowhood parallels what 1:1 says about Jerusalem herself. Like Jerusalem, the nation’s cities have suffered losses of men, women, and children.42 It appeals to God to see the humiliation and suffering that had come upon the covenant people. Their inheritance had been taken over by the aliens and strangers, which has left them defenceless as orphans and widows.43 These terms allow the poem to evoke multiple ideas and emotions of pain and suffering to the reader.
The poetry depicts life at its most devasted. According to Kathleen O’Connor, “Every realm of the people’s space is invaded and intruded upon, and the difficulties of survival dominate their speech.”44 Not only is their physical space intruded but their family life as well.45 The siege of Jerusalem meant the death or exile of many of its menfolk, turning children and wives literally or effectively into orphans and widows. And for a wife and mother, the loss of husband and children means the loss of security as well as heartbreak. Having no land or hopes puts the entire community into a position of an orphan and widow.
B. Basic Necessity at the Peril of Human Life (5:4–10)
Lamentations 5:5 reads, “With a yoke on our necks we are hard driven.” A yoke is a traditional image of slavery, and in conditions of foreign invasion, economic enslavement is likely. It is understandable that people live in far-reaching and unrelenting threat. Israelites suffer without home, inheritance, or parental support. They are compared with orphans who have lost their parents to provide basic resources like water and food, which they have to purchase now, indicating these were once available in abundance. Their inheritance has been taken over by strangers and foreigners. The word “price” in 4b indicates oppressive rates which intensifies the “silver” in 4a. According to F. B. Huey, Israelite laments saying “We must pay for the water we drink, the wood we get must be bought” (5:4) shows that the basic life necessities such as water and wood are bought at a price though they were once found in abundance.46 It is heightened with the description that “at peril of our lives we get our bread.” Such a statement show that people suffer hunger and physical deterioration.47 Verse 6 indicates they had made alliances with Egypt and Assyria to survive in the midst of political and military schemes. Verse 7 questions the link between sin and punishment, subverting the prophetic traditions. Additionally, verse 16 stands in tension with verse 7, presenting the destruction on the community as a result of sin.48 The vulnerability of Israelites at the hands of Babylonians is a serious concern as the basic necessities are received at the expense of their life.
C. Rape and Violence Heightens the Fall of Humanity (5:11–13)
It is reported in verse 11 that “women are raped in Zion, virgins in the cities of Judah.” The word raped has a general sense of violence, humiliation, oppression. However, in this context it refers to a man forcing a woman to have sex; such situations are hinted in 1:4 and 1:8. The situation is widespread as it intensifies both in Zion and in the cities of Judah. It is also known that the image of princes hung in verse 12 signifies execution by hanging, being impaled on a stake, or exposure of the corpses (after execution) as a means of degradation and for instilling fear in the survivors.49 Women were ravaged; princes were tortured and executed publicly; elders were shown no respect by the Babylonians.50 The devastating state of women, young men, and elders in society suggests utter shame at the hands of enemies. The rape of women had little importance as an offence against women themselves, rather it was a tactic of humiliation and subjugation of the men who should protect them.51 The devastation of the society is known from the life of women who are raped and victimized in society. These laments show injustices and atrocities have taken their toll in society, resulting in the fall of the crown.
D. Fading of Music as a Sign of Grief and Fall (5:14–15)
The author mentions the presence of “elders” and “choice young men” in verese 12–13 and in verse 14. The narrator emphasizes that elders have “ceased from the gate” and the music of young men has faded.52 The narrator emphasizes that the elders who customarily sit in the city gates administering justice are no longer seen at the gates, and the legal and social interchange has ended. The joy of the community ceased with the cessation of music and dancing among the people.53 The narrator laments what has happened to the young women, young men, the elders, and the officials in Zion and the cities of Judah. Such devastation compels the community to bring the plea to God to restore their relationship hope for renewal. There is no safety, no place left for communal or domestic life, and no room for normal roles and behaviour.54 Verse 15 declares that “the joy of our hearts has ceased” which connects with verse 14b. The usage of the verb shebat (joy has ceased) indicates that music, joy, and rejoicing ceased in verse 14b. According to Renkema, the loss of rejoicing is like the loss of rejoicing at festival and worship that is threatened in Hosea 2:13.55 The fading of music symbolizes the terrible situation of the Israelites where the enemies have devasted the daily system of society. It has left the city a desolate place without joy and worship, symbolizing grief and fall of the crown.
E. Prophet Lament to Restore the Fall of the Crown (5:16–22)
The author refers to the impact that the community’s constant weeping has impaired their vision. The combination of the two organs such as heart and eyes is worth noting. The author appears to allude to further physical effects of the hardships, meaning such can be poetic expression for sadness/grief, and the darkened eyes may be a poetic allusion to loss of vitality/lack of vigour.56 The phrase “Woe to us, for we have sinned” shows how people confess that they have sinned. The word “crown” occurs 24 times in the OT. It denotes the crown of a monarch (1 Chron. 20:2; Ezek. 21:31) or high priest (Sir. 45:12) but is often used metaphorically, as in Proverbs 12:4 or Job 19:9 where it refers to honour status.57 The narrator prophesied that joy and dancing have disappeared from the land, and sorrow prevails for “the crown has fallen from our heads” (5:16). The crown that has fallen from the head is because of sin, as verse 16 reads, “The crown has fallen from our head; woe to us, for we have sinned.” The crown is a symbol of glory and honour (Isa. 28:1, 3; Job 19:9). The image of the crown falling from their head symbolizes the loss of their royal dignity and the collapse of their authority and power. The metaphor of fallen crown symbolizes the fall of humanity. In ancient biblical times, the crown was a symbol of kingship and sovereignty, and its loss represented the downfall of a nation and its leaders. According to Huey, the fall of the crown “could refer to the end of the Davidic dynasty with King Zedekiah’s capture.”58 While R. B. Salters states that “the reference to the ‘crown’ falling ‘from our head’ is not simply symbolic language for honour and glory and festivity (Job 19:9; Song of Sol. 3:11) but a metaphor for the broken and collapsed walls of Jerusalem.”59 The narrator laments the loss of status and statehood and interprets events in terms of cause and effect, as verse 7 reflects on the sins of their ancestors and connects it with the suffering they had to undergo.
Verse 21 states, “Restore us to thyself, O Lord, that we may be restored! Renew our days as of old.” The people asked for double-edged movement in their relationship, that God return to them and they return to God (5:21). With the verb of turning, the speaker demands restoration of covenant relationship and renewal of life. They ask for a future, a new life, and restored relations with God, relations that had been so disrupted that they could not even get God to look toward them. They ask for more than bodily survival. They want to live, flourish, and be made new.60 The lament closes with an acknowledgment of God’s sovereignty, permanence, and stability. The book closes with the truth of human experience and suffering. Therefore, the fall of the crown is presumed through the devastation of women and orphans, lack of basic necessities in life, rape and violence in society.
V. Lamenting Distorted Intrinsic Relation
There are close similarities between lament and leshe61 of Sumi Naga tribals of NEI. Sumi Naga tribals use leshe as a way of expressing communal laments over departed souls. Leshe is a lament, a ballad about the loss of loved ones or grieving over unfulfilled love and a failed marriage. As stated by Jeviholi Swu, “Leshe originated out of sadness, grave happenings like sudden unnatural death, beheading by enemies, loss of loved ones, and unfulfilled love.”62 Leshe is a rich literature of expressing one’s innermost thoughts and emotions. It expresses the despair, pain, shame, remorse, love, and the being of the composer.63 The following is an extract of one leshe known as Mighimi no Anipu Lumulakeu Mlo Ghime:64
Ni mighimi no kiu,
Kiniuno kilo,
Ilolumoe wo!
Niye apu kuhake, Mishi kuha wo:
Niye aza kuhake, Woli kuha wo.
Sumi Naga leshe of Mighimi no Anipu Lumulakeu Mlo Ghime states the deep emotional pain of an orphan who does not have father, mother, sisters, brother, or friends to initiate his marriage proposal. In this leshe, an orphan laments that he does not have a father so he does not have a cow; he does not have a mother so he does not have a swine. The hopeless situation of an orphan in society drives the lamenter to mourn the situation. Therefore, leshe of Sumi Naga tribals resembles the laments of the Israelites. It encompasses deep-seated emotional pain and grief over the context. Communal laments expressed in Lamentations 5 resonate with tribal experiences and sufferings in present scenarios of distortion and devastation in a land once plentiful and abundant. Sumi Naga leshe expresses such lament on the basis of the context. According to Akani Kinimi, “For the tribals, land is the basis that gives a very strong sense of organic relationship among creatures….if there is no land, there is no personhood and identity. The misuse of land implies chaos among creatures.”65 Tribals are agrarian communities and they share an intrinsic relationship with land and nature. The folk songs, folk tales, folk dance, fables, and poems of the tribals are an expression of the interrelated relationship humans share with nature. One of the folktales of Sumi Naga tribals of NEI, Kasho Papu Ghau meaning Kasho’s father bird, narrates the interrelated relationship tribals share with nature at a time when Sumis had not determined the right time of season to grow crops. It was believed that the sound of a bird chirping Kasho Papu66 gave signs to the villagers to plant the paddy, and that was how they harvested bountifully.67 This folktale is a reminder of the interrelationship tribals share with the nature that provided in abundance. The sustenance of life depends on land, yet the intrinsic relationship tribals share with nature seems to be distorted. Lamentations 5 resonates with tribal understanding of anthropology and the fall in the name of greed and sin. The distortion of the intrinsic relation with nature symbolizes the fall of humanity at the expense of the marginalized. In the modern world, lament in the form of leshe expresses deep-rooted pain and emotions at the distorted relationship. Today, tribals lament because humans have failed to live in harmony with other beings. The news of rape, violence, destruction, and disunity has left the tribals to lament the grave situations of society resulting from the fall of the crown.
VI. Tribal Worldview to the Fall of the Crown
Prophetic cry in Lamentations 5 shows close proximity to the understanding of the tribals and the fall of the crown. The central message of Lamentations 5 states that “the crown has fallen from our head; woe to us, for we have sinned,” signifying the fallen nature of humans. The fall of the crown not only indicates the fall of kingdom but also the fall of humanity. The utter disappointment and violence in tribal society resonates with communal laments expressed in Lamentations 5. The violence in Manipur (one of the seven sisters of NEI) has been the hot spot of pain and grief for decades. However, the ongoing violence in the Kuki-Zo community since the outburst in May 2023 has left a remarkable impact in the lives of many people. The grieving situation is highlighted through an extract of the poem “Violence is not the Answer” written by Ganbam about the violence in Manipur. It reflects the traumatized and lamenting situation.68
May Day has turned the soil of jewels;
Into the ground of battles.
The hills cry and moved,
Since the valley burnt and killed.
Thus the Switzerland of Indus, fall and break.
When Zo tribes fight for administration,
And Meiteis fret of disintegration,
This haves and have-nots bring disasters with no solutions.
Hence People’s grief and the land suffers.
The mountains were covered with smoke,
And the road filled with blood
As the women died with agony and shame.
This is my unfortunate India!
Where daughter’s become victims of war.
Come let us forgive and forget what has gone.
And focus on ending ethnic cleansing.
Forgiving is the key to rebuilding.
And forgiveness is the key to negotiation.
Let love restore it.
Let love healed it.
Let the peace reign.
These realities of the tribals make Lamentations 5 painful and reasonable. The experiences of violence, pain, and destruction that tribals are facing resonates with communal laments expressed in Lamentations 5. These laments indicate that humans have utterly failed and have sinned. We have failed to look at other beings as created in the image of God. Women are raped, and children are left as orphans in society. Such laments of the narrator show that violence has taken its toll and human suffering has reach its climax. The community laments, for the sins of humans have led to such suffering in society. Sexual exploitation of women’s bodies has taken its toll because women are often seen as objects of violation. These laments show that humans have failed, resulting in the fall of the crown. The Israelite community lamented for former days where food and water was easily accessible, and the sins of humans have left them in a situation where they had to pay the price for water and food at the cost of their lives. These signify that humans have sinned by not taking care of natural resources available at their dispose. The waters are contaminated and food is adulterated. The woods that were available in the forest have been overexploited in the name of development. Thus, these laments come as the lived experience of the tribals grieving at the fall of humanity.
Biblical text has often been translated from an anthropocentric point of view that does not correlate with tribal worldview. But tribal anthropological understandings of the imago dei correlate in shared experience with other human beings and nature. Unless humans truly understand that men and women are made in the image and likeness of God and that our sustenance in life is interwoven with nature, restoration of relationship with God is a far-off scene. The folktale of Kasho Papu Ghau demonstrates how tribals live in close relationship with the ecosystem that provides for them in abundance. It also illustrates the close-knit relationship tribals share with their neighbours and villagers. These help them to live as a society that helps each other and to reap bountiful harvest. In modern society, tribals have been alienated from the culture and traditions of the rich. Therefore, Lamentations 5 resonates with the fallen nature of humans because of human greed and sin (i.e., the fall of the crown). The violence and disturbance in the state of Manipur are paradigms that tribals have failed to live in harmony.
VII. Conclusion
This paper uses the tribal worldview to comprehend Lamentations 5, where the community laments in deep despair at the fall of the crown because of the wickedness of humans in the world. The prophet utters in pain as violence towards the marginalized is heightened in the exilic context. In lamenting, prophet Jeremiah is longing and hoping for better days to unfold in the future. These prophetic laments have deep-seated anthropological arguments that humans have wrestled with since antiquity. Communal laments expressed in Lamentations 5 are relevant and contextual for tribals, as lament is a natural process of profound emotions resulting from pain and grief. The fall of the crown is significant in the violence and bloodshed causing pain and suffering, in the rape and victimization of women and orphans, and in the cry for livelihood and sustenance in society.
Thus, failure to understand imago dei and the fall of humanity synchronizes through the distorted relationship of humans with each other and with nature. These laments help us to look back and hope for restoration. As a tribal living in NEI, the communal laments in this chapter resonate with the contextual realities. I read Lamentations 5 as a tribal living in the twenty-first century with a hope for a restored community in the future. Because the deeper meaning of these laments is in a restored relationship with other beings and nature. However, today we humans have failed to live in harmony with one another, we have failed to care for other beings and nature, and we have failed to care for the orphans, widows, and marginalized, leading to the fall of the crown.
