<P> Lamentations has traditionally been ascribed to Jeremiah , probably on the grounds of the reference in 2 Chronicles 35 : 25 to the prophet composing a lament on the death of King Josiah , but there is no reference to Josiah in the book and no reason to connect it to Jeremiah . The language fits an Exilic date ( 586 -- 520 BCE ) , and the poems probably originated from Judeans who remained in the land . Scholars are divided over whether they are the work of one or multiple authors . One clue pointing to multiple authors is that the gender and situation of the first - person witness changes -- the narration is feminine in the first and second lamentation , and masculine in the third , while the fourth and fifth are eyewitness reports of Jerusalem 's destruction ; conversely , the similarities of style , vocabulary , and theological outlook , as well as the uniform historical setting , are arguments for one author . </P>
<P> Lamentations has traditionally been ascribed to Jeremiah , probably on the grounds of the reference in 2 Chronicles 35 : 25 to the prophet composing a lament on the death of King Josiah , but there is no reference to Josiah in the book and no reason to connect it to Jeremiah . The language fits an Exilic date ( 586 -- 520 BCE ) , and the poems probably originated from Judeans who remained in the land . Scholars are divided over whether they are the work of one or multiple authors . One clue pointing to multiple authors is that the gender and situation of the first - person witness changes -- the narration is feminine in the first and second lamentation , and masculine in the third , while the fourth and fifth are eyewitness reports of Jerusalem 's destruction ; conversely , the similarities of style , vocabulary , and theological outlook , as well as the uniform historical setting , are arguments for one author . </P>
who wrote the book lamentations in the bible
who wrote the book lamentations in the bible
probably originated from Judeans who remained in the land
probably originated from Judeans who remained in the land