Like the three preceding poems, this poem is an acrostic. Like chapter 2, it tells of Jerusalem’s faded glory and reiterates the Lord’s part, though not as sharply, in bringing about the disaster. One feature of the lament is the contrast between “then,” a time of glory, and “now,” a time of humiliation.

4:1–10 · Jerusalem’s faded glory: “How” is the recognizable introduction to a lament (1:1). Not Jerusalem only but the country’s suffering populace is the subject. Jerusalem the golden has become very tarnished. Its pride, the sanctuary, is dismantled, and its stones are scattered about in the streets. However, with verse 2 as a clue, “gold” and “gems” may refer to the best of its citizens. The sons of Zion, either Jerusalem’s citizenry generally or the temple functionaries, like currency, …