322 JERRY A. GLADSON them, of attacking and forgetting them — but God never re- sponds ” 4. Yet, far from being hidden, the divine Name pervades Lamentations. In the five poems, Yhwh appears 30 times, with the greatest concentration (11 times), ironically, in the third poem 5. In contrast, the more generic phoneme, la, occurs only once, also in e the third poem (3,41), while its plural form μyhla is not found. Linguistically, then, Lamentations cannot be described as silent about God. The issue is however not literary. It is theological. God remains silent or refrains from action toward those who have suffered in extremis at the hands of the Babylonian invaders. The question is insistently posed near the end of the fifth poem: “Why have you forgotten us forever (jxnl)”? (5,20). I. Imploring the Deity in Lamentations 3 The third poem (Lam 3,1-66) most insistently implores the deity. Often regarded as the theological core of Lamentations, this poem combines elements of the individual and communal lament. Structurally, this poem lies near the midpoint of the five poems, hence the claim it constitutes a chiastic center for the entire book 6. The dirges and laments in the first part of the book, according to this view, gradually ascend to a climax in Lam 3, where the dsj of YHWH becomes pivotal 7. The third poem discloses the meaning of Jerusalem’s destruction. “The distress is a punishment,” observes B. Johnson, “but a punishment aimed at rehabilitation, not at definite rejection” 8. The poems gradually descend into despair at O’CONNOR, “Book of Lamentations”, 1021. 4 Lam 1,5.9.11-12.17-18.20; 2,6-8.17.20.22; 3,22.24-26.40.50.55.59.61.64.66; 5 4,11.16.20; 5,1.19.21. B. JOHNSON, “Form and Message in Lamentations”, ZAW 97 (1985) 6 58-73 ; N. GOTTWALD, “The Book of Lamentations Reconsidered”, The Hebrew Bible in Its Social World and in Ours (SBLSS ; Atlanta, GA 1993) 165-73 ; D. HILLERS, Lamentations (AB 7A; Garden City, NY 1972) xvi. “ [Lam 3] Als der Höhepunkt derselben heraushebt” — D. GIESEBRECHT, 7 Die Klagelieder Jeremia (HKAT III/2/2; Göttingen 1907) xiv; J. KRASOVEC, ˇ “ The Source of Hope in the Book of Lamentations”, VT 42 (1992) 223-233; D. A. HUBBARD, “Hope in the Old Testament”, TynB 34 (1983) 45. JOHNSON, “Form and Message in Lamentations”, 73. 8