Lamentations 2:2-12

2 The Lord ¹has swallowed up ²without mercy all the habitations of Jacob; in his wrath ³he has broken down the strongholds of the daughter of Judah; he has brought ⁴down to the ground ⁵in dishonor the kingdom ⁶and its rulers.

3 He has cut down in ⁷fierce anger all ⁸the might of Israel; ⁹he has withdrawn from them his right hand in the face of the enemy; ¹⁰he has burned like a flaming fire in Jacob, consuming all around.

4 ¹¹He has bent his bow like an enemy, with his right hand set ¹²like a foe; and he has killed all who were delightful in our eyes in the tent of the daughter of Zion; he has poured out his fury like fire.

5 ¹³The Lord has become like an enemy; ¹⁴he has swallowed up Israel; ¹⁵he has swallowed up all its palaces; he has laid in ruins its strongholds, and he has multiplied in the daughter of Judah ¹⁶mourning and lamentation.

6 He has laid waste his booth like a garden, laid in ruins ¹⁷his meeting place; ¹⁸the LORD has made Zion forget festival and ¹⁹Sabbath, and in his fierce indignation has spurned king and priest.

7 ²⁰The Lord has scorned his altar, ²¹disowned his sanctuary; ²²he has delivered into the hand of the enemy the walls of her palaces; ²³they raised a clamor in the house of the LORD as on the day of festival.

8 ²⁴The LORD determined to lay in ruins ²⁵the wall of the daughter of Zion; ²⁶he stretched out the measuring line; he did not restrain his hand from destroying; ²⁷he caused rampart and wall to lament; ²⁸they languished together.

9 Her gates have sunk into the ground; ²⁹he has ruined ³⁰and broken her bars; ³¹her king and princes are among the nations; the law is no more, and ³²her prophets find no vision from the LORD.

10 The elders of the daughter of Zion ³³sit on the ground ³⁴in silence; ³⁵they have thrown dust on their heads and ³⁶put on sackcloth; the young women of Jerusalem have bowed their heads to the ground.

11 ³⁷My eyes are spent with weeping; ³⁸my stomach churns; ³⁹my bile is poured out to the ground ⁴⁰because of the destruction of the daughter of my people, ⁴¹because infants and babies ⁴²faint in the streets of the city.

12 They cry to their mothers, ⁴³"Where is bread and wine?" ⁴⁴as they faint like a wounded man in the streets of the city, as their life is poured out on their mothers' bosom.

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Lamentations 2:2-12 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO LAMENTATIONS 2

This chapter contains another alphabet, in which the Prophet Jeremiah, or those he represents, lament the sad condition of Jerusalem; the destruction of the city and temple, and of all persons and things relative to them, and to its civil or church state; and that as being from the hand of the Lord himself, who is represented all along as the author thereof, because of their sins, La 2:1-9; and then the elders and virgins of Zion are represented as in great distress, and weeping for those desolations; which were very much owing to the false prophets, that had deceived them, La 2:10-14; and all this occasioned great rejoicing in the enemies of Zion, La 2:15-17; but sorrow of heart to Zion herself, who is called to weeping, La 2:18,19; and the chapter is concluded with an address to the Lord, to take this her sorrowful case into consideration, and show pity and compassion, La 2:20-22.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Cross References 44

1. ver. 16; [Psalms 35:25; Psalms 56:2; Ezekiel 36:3]
2. ver. 17, 21; Lamentations 3:43; [Ezekiel 9:5, 10]
3. Psalms 89:40
4. Psalms 74:7
5. Psalms 74:7
6. Isaiah 43:28
7. See Jeremiah 12:13
8. 1 Samuel 2:1
9. Psalms 74:11
10. Psalms 79:5; Psalms 89:46
11. Lamentations 3:12
12. See Jeremiah 30:14
13. [See ver. 4 above]
14. ver. 16; [Psalms 35:25; Psalms 56:2; Ezekiel 36:3]
15. [2 Kings 25:9]
16. Isaiah 29:2
17. Lamentations 1:4; Isaiah 1:13; Zephaniah 3:18
18. Lamentations 1:4; Isaiah 1:13; Zephaniah 3:18
19. Isaiah 1:13
20. [Psalms 89:38]
21. [Ezekiel 24:21]
22. Deuteronomy 32:30
23. Psalms 74:4
24. [Jeremiah 5:10]
25. ver. 18
26. See 2 Kings 21:13
27. Jeremiah 14:2
28. Jeremiah 14:2
29. Jeremiah 51:30; Nahum 3:13
30. Jeremiah 51:30; Nahum 3:13
31. [Hosea 3:4]
32. Psalms 74:9
33. Lamentations 1:1; Lamentations 3:28; Isaiah 3:26
34. Ezekiel 3:15
35. See Joshua 7:6
36. Jeremiah 48:37; Ezekiel 7:18; Amos 8:10; See Jeremiah 4:8
37. [ver. 18; Lamentations 5:17; Psalms 6:7]
38. See Lamentations 1:20
39. [Job 16:13]
40. Lamentations 3:48
41. [Lamentations 4:4; Jeremiah 44:7]
42. ver. 19; [Isaiah 51:20]
43. See Lamentations 1:11
44. [See ver. 11 above]

The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.

Lamentations 2:2-12

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Lamentations 2:2-12 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO LAMENTATIONS 2

Cross References 44