Do you notice anything different about the text this week?
What images stood out to you the most?
Who is speaking (e.g. gender, identity, circumstances, etc.) throughout Lamentations? Were there multiple voices or just one? Look especially at the difference between chapter 3 and the rest of the book.
In light of this book’s ancient patriarchal context, do you find it significant that the feminine voice of Daughter Zion speaks on behalf of Jerusalem? If so, in what ways?
Dr. Baden says that he thinks the male voice in chapter three is intrusive, overtly domineering, and self-pitying (10:25). Do you agree? Why or why not?
Applying the Text:
Is there hope to be found in the book of Lamentations? If so, where? If not, why?
How would you use the gendered voices in Lamentations to explore concepts of femininity and masculinity, both historically and in our present day?