<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
probably originated from Judeans who remained in the land