Lamentations in Ancient and Contemporary Cultural Contexts

Personal tragedy and communal catastrophe up to the present day are universal human experiences that call forth lament. Lament singersfrom the most ancient civilizations to traditional oral poets to the biblical psalmists and poets of Lamentations to popular singers across the globehave always raised the cry of human suffering giving voice to the voiceless illuminating injustice or pleading for divine help. This volume gathers an international collection of essays on biblical lament and Lamentations illuminating their genres artistry purposes and significant place in the history and theologies of ancient Israel. It also explores lament across cultures both those influenced by biblical traditions and those not as the practices of composition performance and interpretation of lifes suffering continue to shed light on our knowledge of biblical lament.