Jerusalem remembered in the days of her affliction and of her miseries all her pleasant things that she had in the days of old, when her people fell into the hand of the enemy, and none did help her: the adversaries saw her, and did mock at her sabbaths.
Jerusalem remembered ... her pleasant things - rather, remembers now in her afflicted state. In the days of her prosperity she did not appreciate, as she ought, the favours of God to her. Now, awaking of her past lethargy, she feels from what high privileges she has fallen.
That she had in the days of old, when her people fell into the hand of the enemy - i:e., after which days of prosperity "her people fell."
The adversaries ... did mock at her sabbaths - the pagan used to mock at the Jews' Sabbath, as showing their idleness, and termed them Sabbatarians (Martial, 4:4). Now, said they ironically, ye may keep a continuous Sabbath. So God appointed the length of the captivity (70 years) to be exactly that of the sum of the Sabbaths in the 490 years in which the land was denied its Sabbaths (fulfilling the threats Leviticus 26:33-35: cf. 2 Chronicles 36:21). Maurer, with the Syriac version, translates it 'ruin.' But the English version better expresses the point of their 'mocking,'-namely, their involuntary "Sabbaths," i:e., the cessation of all national movements. A fourth line is added in this stanza, whereas in all the others there are but three. So in Lamentations 2:19.
[Cheth (ch)]