Lamentations 1:15

“The Lord hath trodden under foot all my mighty [men] in the midst of me, etc.] As a causeway is trodden; or as mire is trodden under foot in the streets; so were the mighty and valiant men, the soldiers and men of war, trodden under foot and destroyed by the Chaldeans in the streets of Jerusalem, and in the midst of Judea; the Lord so permitting it: he hath called an assembly against me to crush my young men; the army of the Chaldeans, which were brought against Jerusalem by a divine appointment and call; against whom the choicest and stoutest of them, even their young men, could not stand; but were crushed and broken to pieces by them. The word for “assembly” sometimes signifies an…”

“trodden, &c.--MAURER, from Syriac root, translates, "cast away"; so Kg2 23:27. But Psa 119:118, supports English Version. in . . . midst of me--They fell not on the battlefield, but in the heart of the city; a sign of the divine wrath. assembly--the collected forces of Babylon; a very different "assembly" from the solemn ones which once met at Jerusalem on the great feasts. The Hebrew means, literally, such a solemn "assembly" or feast (compare Lam 2:22). trodden . . . virgin . . . in a wine-press--hath forced her blood to burst forth, as the red wine from the grapes trodden in the press (Isa 63:3; Rev 14:19-20; Rev 19:15).”

“The lamentation of the city, personified as a woman in grief over her fate. Lamentations 1:13 It prevaileth - Or, hath subdued. He hath turned me back - Judaea, like a hunted animal, endeavors to escape, but finds every outlet blocked by nets, and recoils from them with terror and a sense of utter hopelessness. Lamentations 1:14 Bound by his hand - As the plowman binds the yoke upon the neck of oxen, so God compels Judah to bear the punishment of her sins. They are wreathed, and ... - Or, they are knotted together, “they come up” etc. Judah’s sins are like the cords by which the pieces of the yoke are fastened together Jeremiah 27:2; they are knotted and twined like a bunch upon the neck,…”

“An assembly - God had called an assembly of Chaldeans against the city, to crush the inhabitants of it. Trodden - God had trodden upon the Jews as men use to stamp grapes in a wine - press. Lamentations 1:16”

“1:15 his beloved city: God had given special care to Jerusalem, like a father protecting his daughter. But her sins had been persistent, and her punishment was horrible. • like grapes . . . trampled in a winepress: This common procedure for extracting juice from grapes is used vividly in Isa 63:3 to show the horrors of punishment. In Rev 14:18-20; 19:15, the image graphically represents universal judgment.”

“trodden: Kg2 9:33, Kg2 24:14-16, Kg2 25:4-7; Psa 119:118; Isa 5:5, Isa 28:18; Jer 50:26 \*marg. Dan 3:13; Mic 7:10; Mal 4:3; Luk 21:24; Heb 10:29 crush: Lam 3:34; Deu 28:33; Jdg 10:8 \*marg. Jer 51:34 the virgin: etc. or, the winepress of the virgin, etc. Jer 14:17 as in: Isa 63:3; Rev 14:19, Rev 14:20, Rev 19:15 Lamentations 1:16”