Fallen Zion Confesses, Expects Light, and Awaits Rebuilding

Fallen Zion tells the enemy not to gloat

Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD shall be a light unto me. Feminine grammar most naturally marks personified Zion, though an individual or liturgical voice remains possible. Darkness is real; it is not the last word.

I will bear the indignation of the LORD, because I have sinned against him, until he plead my cause and execute judgment for me. Confession and a claim for justice sit together. Bearing indignation does not require victims to accept abuse, criminal violence, or false guilt. God will bring her forth to the light; she shall behold his righteousness. Then the taunting enemy is covered with shame, and the speaker pictures her as mire of the streets. That trampling is poetic vindication, not a human instruction to humiliate anyone.

Walls, return, and a still-desolate land

In the day that thy walls are to be built, in that day shall the decree be far removed. The decree/boundary wording is obscure. He shall come even to thee from Assyria and from the fortified cities, from the fortress even to the river, and from sea to sea, and from mountain to mountain. The geography sketches far return, not a modern prophecy map.

Notwithstanding the land shall be desolate because of them that dwell therein, for the fruit of their doings. Rebuilding and remaining consequence are both kept. Hope does not erase deeds; confession does not cancel the need for justice.