The quotation or characterization of Israel as slain daily and counted as sheep for the slaughter establishes the continuity of suffering and the apparent randomness of their destruction. The reference to being slain daily suggests perpetual vulnerability and loss of life; the covenant community exists on the brink of extinction. The image of sheep for slaughter reiterates their defenselessness and the implied responsibility of the shepherd (God) to protect them from harm. The characterization of suffering as related to God's sake implies that their subjugation flows from their identity as God's people rather than from their own failures. Yet this does not explain why God permits the slaughter of those who remain faithful to the divine cause. This verse intensifies the pathos and apparent inexplicability of the lament.

COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS

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