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Lamentations 2:4-14

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4 1He has bent his bow like an enemy, with his right hand set 2like 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 3The Lord has become like an enemy; 4he has swallowed up Israel; 5he has swallowed up all its palaces; he has laid in ruins its strongholds, and he has multiplied in the daughter of Judah 6mourning and lamentation.
6 He has laid waste his booth like a garden, laid in ruins 7his meeting place; 8the LORD has made Zion forget festival and 9Sabbath, and in his fierce indignation has spurned king and priest.
7 10The Lord has scorned his altar, 11disowned his sanctuary; 12he has delivered into the hand of the enemy the walls of her palaces; 13they raised a clamor in the house of the LORD as on the day of festival.
8 14The LORD determined to lay in ruins 15the wall of the daughter of Zion; 16he stretched out the measuring line; he did not restrain his hand from destroying; 17he caused rampart and wall to lament; 18they languished together.
9 Her gates have sunk into the ground; 19he has ruined 20and broken her bars; 21her king and princes are among the nations; the law is no more, and 22her prophets find no vision from the LORD.
10 The elders of the daughter of Zion 23sit on the ground 24in silence; 25they have thrown dust on their heads and 26put on sackcloth; the young women of Jerusalem have bowed their heads to the ground.
11 27My eyes are spent with weeping; 28my stomach churns; 29my bile is poured out to the ground 30because of the destruction of the daughter of my people, 31because infants and babies 32faint in the streets of the city.
12 They cry to their mothers, 33"Where is bread and wine?" 34as they faint like a wounded man in the streets of the city, as their life is poured out on their mothers' bosom.
13 What can I say for you, 35to what compare you, O daughter of Jerusalem? 36What can I liken to you, that I may comfort you, O virgin daughter of Zion? 37For your ruin is vast as the sea; who can heal you?
14 38Your prophets have seen for you false and deceptive visions; 39they have not exposed your iniquity to 40restore your fortunes, 41but have seen for you 42oracles that are false and misleading.
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Lamentations 2:4-14 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 42

  • 1. Lamentations 3:12
  • 2. See Jeremiah 30:14
  • 3. [See ver. 4 above]
  • 4. ver. 16; [Psalms 35:25; Psalms 56:2; Ezekiel 36:3]
  • 5. [2 Kings 25:9]
  • 6. Isaiah 29:2
  • 7. Lamentations 1:4; Isaiah 1:13; Zephaniah 3:18
  • 8. Lamentations 1:4; Isaiah 1:13; Zephaniah 3:18
  • 9. Isaiah 1:13
  • 10. [Psalms 89:38]
  • 11. [Ezekiel 24:21]
  • 12. Deuteronomy 32:30
  • 13. Psalms 74:4
  • 14. [Jeremiah 5:10]
  • 15. ver. 18
  • 16. See 2 Kings 21:13
  • 17. Jeremiah 14:2
  • 18. Jeremiah 14:2
  • 19. Jeremiah 51:30; Nahum 3:13
  • 20. Jeremiah 51:30; Nahum 3:13
  • 21. [Hosea 3:4]
  • 22. Psalms 74:9
  • 23. Lamentations 1:1; Lamentations 3:28; Isaiah 3:26
  • 24. Ezekiel 3:15
  • 25. See Joshua 7:6
  • 26. Jeremiah 48:37; Ezekiel 7:18; Amos 8:10; See Jeremiah 4:8
  • 27. [ver. 18; Lamentations 5:17; Psalms 6:7]
  • 28. See Lamentations 1:20
  • 29. [Job 16:13]
  • 30. Lamentations 3:48
  • 31. [Lamentations 4:4; Jeremiah 44:7]
  • 32. ver. 19; [Isaiah 51:20]
  • 33. See Lamentations 1:11
  • 34. [See ver. 11 above]
  • 35. [Lamentations 1:12]
  • 36. [Lamentations 1:12]
  • 37. 2 Samuel 5:20; [Ezekiel 26:3]
  • 38. See Jeremiah 5:31
  • 39. [Isaiah 58:1]
  • 40. See Jeremiah 30:3
  • 41. See Jeremiah 5:31
  • 42. [Jeremiah 23:33, 34]
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.