To crush under foot in Revised Standard Version is the first of the three things in these verses of which God does not approve. In some languages it will be more natural to restructure this as a passive; for example, “When all the prisoners of a country are crushed under foot (or, trampled on)….” In languages in which a passive cannot be used, it may be necessary to use an impersonal subject; for example, “If anyone tramples on all the prisoners…” or “If someone mistreats the prisoners….”

All the prisoners may also be taken as a collective or as an individual representing prisoners as a group: “any prisoner” (New English Bible). There are two possible interpretations of these verses: (1) that the reference is to people in general, and that we have here a demand for universal justice; or (2) that the poet is speaking in general terms, but with particular reference to the people of Jerusalem and Judah. The Handbook prefers to believe that the writer’s concern is with Jerusalem and Judah, since this is the theme of the entire book.

Of the earth is taken by those who interpret the poet as speaking universally to mean in any country, or as New Jerusalem Bible has it, “in a country.” However, the meaning is more likely to apply to prisoners in Judah. Traduction œcuménique de la Bible translates “of a country” and defines that in a footnote as Judah. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch says “in our country.”

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. A Handbook on Lamentations. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1992. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .