Phe
“Zion stretches out
Her hands.
But there is no one
To comfort her.
Yahweh has commanded
Against Jacob.
His neighbors should
Become his foes.
Jerusalem has become
A filthy thing
Among them.”
Now we are back to a description about Zion, rather than a first person lament from Jerusalem. Zion wanted to be comforted, but there was no one to reach out to her outstretched hands. Yahweh had commanded that the neighbors of Jacob should become his enemies. Jerusalem itself has become a filthy useless thing among its neighbors. This verse starts with the Hebrew consonant letter Phe. Each verse after this will use the next letter of the Hebrew alphabet in this acrostic poem.
Eugene Finnegan Bible Project 