RBL 02/2015

Kim Lan Nguyen

Chorus in the Dark: The Voices of the Book of
Lamentations
Hebrew Bible Monographs 54
Sheffield: Sheffield Phoenix, 2013. Pp. xiv + 244.
Hardcover. $95.00. ISBN 9781907534911.

Charles William Miller

University of North Dakota
Grand Forks, North Dakota
The book of Lamentations continues to provide fertile ground for scholars, as evidenced
by the publication of four new monographs on Lamentations in 2013. In addition to the
highly anticipated contribution to the Wiley-Blackwell Bible Commentary series, from
P. M. Joyce and D. Lipton, Lamentations through the Centuries, three more books based
on the authors doctoral dissertations appeared. Among the three was Nguyens Chorus in
the Dark, a revision of her thesis originally written under the direction of Michael V. Fox
at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The focus of Nguyens work is on the two
primary personae in Lamentations: the personified Jerusalem (Zion) and the Man of
Lam 3. The book contains seven chapters, a bibliography, and three indices (biblical texts,
authors, and subjects).
The first two chapters are introductory. In the first Nguyen focuses on major interpretive
issues, including the books date (sixth century BCE), authorship (Jeremiahs authorship
rejected), and composition (a final editor provides literary unity). She also discusses
previous work accomplished on the identification and function of the dramatic speaking
voices, as well as explains her own choice to limit the studys focus to the personified Zion
and the Man. Finally, Nguyen identifies three goals: (1) to understand whom the personae
of Zion and the Man represent, (2) to determine how these personae function to further

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the authors goals, and (3) to suggest how all (four) of the voices in Lamentations
contribute to the meaning and unity of the book. The difficult question of genre is raised
in the second chapter. Nguyen offers an overview of the scholarly positions for the fifth
poem, agreeing it is a communal lament; the first, second, and fourth poems, she also
identifies as communal laments, but of a unique type that incorporates a womans voice
as the primary lamenter; and the third poem, according to Nguyen, is a mixture of genres,
the interpretation of which is dependent upon the identification of the Man who speaks
in the poem.
The next two chapters examine the origins and function of the personification of
Jerusalem as a woman. In chapter 3, after offering her critique of the explanations for the
origin of the personified Zion as advanced by Aloysisus Fitzgerald, Elaine Follis, and
F. W. Dobbs-Allsopp, Nguyen concludes that the personification originated in the
Hebrew prophetic tradition and was influenced by three things: the suitability of the
dirge for mourning a countrys destruction, the death of a virgin as the most untimely
death and the exquisite role of a woman in mourning the death of herself or others, and,
lastly, the fact that city is grammatically feminine in Hebrew (63). Chapter 4 is the
longest and most significant chapter of the book. Here Nguyen attends to the function
and the importance of the personified Jerusalem. The key to understanding Zions role in
Lamentations, as well as the meaning of the book as a whole, rests for Nguyen on her
reading of Lam 2:19. Instead of accepting the conventional idea that 2:19d is a gloss,
Nguyen argues that the breaking of the three-line verse pattern is intentional and
highlights the failure of Deuteronomic theology to account for why the innocent suffered
at the destruction of the city. It is the beginning of a new, though paradoxical, theology,
whereby [t]hrough Zions ambiguous sin and identity the author could justify the citys
destruction and protest the measure of judgment placed on the survivors at the same
time (118).
Chapters 5 and 6 focus attention on the Man of the third poem. Nguyen begins by
addressing the issue of identity in chapter 5. After a review of past interpretations, she
concludes that none is adequate for a complete and unproblematic identification of the
Man. She then offers a new approach wherein she argues that the third poem should be
read as an I-form communal lament, with the Man seen as a type figure of the Davidic
kings. He is not linked to any historical king, but the royal elements within this poem,
including, among others, that the Mans experiences of suffering are similar to other
Davidic kings (e.g., broken bones and bitterness), leads Nguyen to this conclusion. This
identification of the Man opens a possibility for a new understanding of the poem as a
whole, which is the subject of chapter 6. Building on her idea that the third poem is an Iform communal lament, Nguyen offers three functions the Man serves within this poem.
First, by sharing the fate of the people, as well as their goal to find some hope for their

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shared future, he permits their suffering to be heard, thereby fulfilling a psychological

role. A didactic function is the second role he fills, as he identifies the problem and offers
the people a way forward from despair to hope. Finally, he affirms that God is consistent
in Gods dealing with the people, both in regard to the Deuteronomic tradition and the
Davidic covenant, and in so doing fulfills a theological role.
Nguyens final chapter discusses the personified Zion and the Man within the larger
context of Lamentations, especially in regard to their relationship to the two other voices
that appear in the poems. The lamenters voice shows up in Lam 1 and 2 as the voice to
whom Zion responds. However, by the fourth poem, according to Nguyen, the lamenter
has eclipsed Zions voice. The other speaker appearing in Lamentations is the surviving
community. This voice is heard in chapter 5 and in the we parts of chapter 4. Nguyen
suggests that the community voice in 4:1720 has much in common with the lamenter
and may represent his voice, as he has now become a part of the surviving community,
although he offers a slightly different perspective. These two voices play only a minor
role in the book because, for Nguyen, it is apparent that the relationship between Zion
and the Man is key to understanding the meaning of the book (219). That relationship
shows the primary concern of all five poems to be the peoples uncertainty about the
covenantal relationship between God and them. Lamentations reveals the heart of a
people still anxiously waiting to hear from their God (224).
Nguyens monograph is a positive contribution to the growing number of articles and
monographs focusing on Lamentations, especially those focusing on the various voices
one hears within these poems. The strength of Nguyens monograph is in her excellent
summaries of other scholars positions. She presents a fair and balanced overview and
critique of the relevant materials for each of the issues she addresses. Moreover, her
discussions of both Zion and the Man offer several meaningful modifications to the
conventional understanding of these two figures. If one were to criticize Nguyens book, it
would be for the limited attention she gives to the remaining two speakers she identifies
in the poems. Both the lamenter and the surviving community are forced to live in the
shadows of Zion and the Man, receiving little consideration, even though their voices
make up a significant portion of the poetic lines. Nguyens arguments for not including
them as personae are not very convincing. For example, she suggests that by focusing
on Zion and the Man, instead of the lamenter and the surviving community, one can
hear the voices from the perspective of an ancient audience and keep in sight the
authoritative effect of the implied author on the audience (13). It is difficult to know why
narrowing the study in this way will produce these results, since Nguyen offers no defense
for her statement. These critical comments should not be a deterrent to reading this
monograph. Nguyens book will reward anyone who spends the time to read and to

This review was published by RBL 2015 by the Society of Biblical Literature. For more information on obtaining a
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reflect on her many interesting insights into the book of Lamentations, especially into the
function of the voices of Zion and the Man contained in its poetry.

This review was published by RBL 2015 by the Society of Biblical Literature. For more information on obtaining a
subscription to RBL, please visit http://www.bookreviews.org/subscribe.asp.