A COMFORTER — one who consoles, from nacham. 'There is no comforter' is the refrain of Lamentations 1, five times in twenty-two verses (vv 2, 9, 16, 17, 21), and it is what the chapter returns to instead of returning to hope. ⚠ Note what it does NOT say: not 'there is no rescue' but 'there is nobody sitting with her.' The answer to the refrain, when it finally comes, is the opening line of Isaiah 40 — nachamu nachamu ammi, 'comfort, comfort my people' — and it is not in this book. → first discussed at Lamentations 1:2