(11) Adonai vented all God's fury, Poured out God's blazing wrath; God kindled a fire in Zion Which consumed its foundations.
(14) "Adonai vented all God's fury, poured out God's blazing wrath (Lamentations 4:11)": .... There is a parable about a king who made a huppah for his son and its foundation and its wall and its decoration, and his son went out and did evil debauchery, and so the king went up to the huppah and tore up the curtains and smashed the supports. His tutor went and made a flute of the support and was playing music. They said to him: "The king overturned his son's huppah and you are sitting playing music?" He said to them: "I am playing music because he overturned his son's huppah and did not "pour out his anger" on his son. So they said to Asaph: "The Holy Blessed One has destroyed the Temple and you are sitting and playing music?" and he said to them: "I am playing music because the Holy Blessed One "poured out God's anger" on wood and stone and did not "pour out God's anger" on Israel. See! It is written: "God kindled a fire in Zion which consumed its foundations".
Discussion Questions
- Eicha/Lamentations describes a dark world. What is the darkness that is described in this verse and its commentary? What emotions are involved?
- What do you think about the story of the king and his son? How does it help us put the destruction of the Temple in context?
- The implication in this text is that God destroyed the Temple, not human beings. Do you agree with that understanding of God's power?
- Can you find anything redeeming or hopeful about this text?

