Transformasi Iman dari Personal ke Komunal dalam Kitab Ratapan: Studi Hermeneutik terhadap Ratapan 3 dan 5

Abstract

This study aims to identify and analyze the process of faith transformation from the personal to the communal realm in the Book of Lamentations, particularly chapters 3 and 5. Using interpretive qualitative methods and a structural-literary hermeneutical approach, this study examines poetic patterns, rhetorical dynamics, and key verses that mark changes in expressions of faith. The results of the study show that Lamentations 3 displays a deep reflection of personal faith and becomes a turning point for the spiritual transformation of the people. Key verses such as Lamentations 3:21-22 and 3:40 show a shift from lamentation to a collective call for self-correction and hope in God. This process reaches its peak in Lamentations 5, which is a response and expression of faith and a collective plea for God's sovereignty amid destruction. The main conclusion of this study is that personal faith filled with reflective space can be a source of restoration and strength for the community as a whole. Of course, this study makes an important contribution in seeing suffering not as an ending but as a transformative space for the growth of faith, both personally and communally.