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Lamentations 4:11-21

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11 1The LORD gave full vent to his wrath; he poured out his hot anger, and 2he kindled a fire in Zion that consumed its foundations.
12 3The kings of the earth did not believe, nor any of the inhabitants of the world, that foe or enemy could enter the gates of Jerusalem.
13 This was for 4the sins of her prophets and 5the iniquities of her priests, who shed in the midst of her the blood of the righteous.
14 6They wandered, blind, through the streets; they were so defiled with blood 7that no one was able to touch their garments.
15 "Away! 8Unclean!" people cried at them. "Away! Away! Do not touch!" So they became fugitives and wanderers; people said among the nations, "They shall stay with us no longer."
16 9The LORD himself[a] has scattered them; he will regard them no more; 10no honor was shown to the priests, 11no favor to the elders.
17 12Our eyes failed, ever watching 13vainly for help; in our watching we watched for 14a nation which could not save.
18 15They dogged our steps so that we could not walk in our streets; 16our end drew near; our days were numbered, for our end had come.
19 Our pursuers were 17swifter than the eagles in the heavens; they chased us on the mountains; they lay in wait for us in the wilderness.
20 18The breath of our nostrils, 19the LORD's anointed, was captured 20in their pits, of whom we said, 21"Under his shadow we shall live among the nations."
21 22Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Edom, you who dwell in 23the land of Uz; but to you also 24the cup shall pass; you shall become drunk and strip yourself bare.
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Lamentations 4:11-21 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO LAMENTATIONS 4

The prophet begins this chapter with a complaint of the ill usage of the dear children of God, and precious sons of Zion, La 4:1,2; relates the dreadful effects of the famine during the siege of Jerusalem, La 4:3-10; the taking and destruction of that city he imputes to the wrath of God; and represents it as incredible to the kings and inhabitants of the earth, La 4:11,12; the causes of which were the sins of the prophets, priests, and people, La 4:13-16; expresses the vain hopes they once had, but now were given up entirely, their king being taken, La 4:17-20; and the chapter is concluded with a prophecy of the destruction of the Edomites, and of the return of the Jews from captivity, La 4:21,22.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Cross References 24

  • 1. Ezekiel 5:13
  • 2. See Jeremiah 17:27
  • 3. [Isaiah 52:15; Isaiah 53:1]
  • 4. [Lamentations 2:20]; See Jeremiah 5:31; Jeremiah 23:21
  • 5. [Lamentations 2:20]; See Jeremiah 5:31; Jeremiah 23:21
  • 6. [Isaiah 59:10]
  • 7. [Numbers 19:16]
  • 8. [Leviticus 13:45]
  • 9. Lamentations 2:17
  • 10. [Isaiah 24:2]
  • 11. Lamentations 5:12
  • 12. Psalms 119:82, 123; [Jeremiah 3:23]
  • 13. Psalms 119:82, 123; [Jeremiah 3:23]
  • 14. Jeremiah 37:7, 8
  • 15. Lamentations 3:52
  • 16. Ezek. 7:2, 3, 6; Amos 8:2
  • 17. Jeremiah 4:13; [2 Samuel 1:23; Habakkuk 1:8]
  • 18. [Genesis 2:7]
  • 19. [Lamentations 2:9; 2 Kings 25:5, 6]
  • 20. [Ezekiel 12:13; Ezekiel 17:20; Ezekiel 19:4, 8]
  • 21. [Judges 9:15; Ezekiel 31:6, 17]
  • 22. [Lamentations 1:21]
  • 23. Job 1:1; Jeremiah 25:20
  • 24. See Jeremiah 25:15, 16

Footnotes 1

  • [a]. Hebrew The face of the Lord
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.