Theme: The judgement of the LORD is devastating and comprehensive; pursue the purity that God wants from his people

Themes in Lamentations 1-2
1:1-11 = A reversal of fortune, the rich queen has become a beggar
1:12-22 = A call for comfort and the judgement of God’s enemies
2:1-8 = A confession of sin, devastation is the LORD’s doing
2:9-17 = The human experience of curse in life
2:18-22 = A plea for mercy and the end of curse

An acrostic poem
Chapters 1-4 of Lamentations follow an acrostic pattern. Each line of poetry begins with a consecutive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Since the Hebrew alphabet contains 22 letters, poems that use this structure demonstrate great skill on the part of the poet since they must both say something meaningful as well as conform to the sequence of the alphabet.