The deceived lover (Lam 1:19-1:19)

Qoph

“I called

To my lovers.

But they deceived me.

My priests,

My elders,

Perished in the city.

They sought food

To revive

Their strength.”

Once again, we are back to a personal lament from Jerusalem itself. This time, it is about the former lovers of Jerusalem who deceived her. Both her priests and her elders died in the city, as they were out seeking food to keep their strength up. This verse starts with the Hebrew consonant letter Qoph. Each verse after this will use the next letter of the Hebrew alphabet in this acrostic poem.