Lamentations 4:12

12 No one anywhere, not even rulers of foreign nations, believed that any invader could enter Jerusalem's gates.

Lamentations 4:12 Meaning and Commentary

Lamentations 4:12

The kings of the earth, and all the inhabitants of the world,
&c.] Not only the neighbouring nations, and the kings of them, but even such in all parts of the world that knew anything of Jerusalem: would not have believed that the adversary and the enemy would have
entered into the gates of Jerusalem;
when it was besieging, they did not believe it would be taken; and when they heard it was, it was incredible to them; it being so strongly fortified by art and nature, with mountains and hills, with walls and bulwarks, and had such a vast number of people in it; and, especially, was the city of the great God, who had so often and so signally preserved and saved it: the "adversary" and "enemy" are the same, and design the Chaldeans. The Targum distinguishes them, and makes Nebuchadnezzar the ungodly to be the adversary; and Nebuzaradan the enemy, who entered to slay the people of the house of Israel, in the gates of Jerusalem; this was a marvellous thing to the nations round about. Titus, when he took this city, acknowledged it was owing to God F2;

``God (says he) favouring us, we fought; God is he that has drawn the Jews out of these fortresses; for human hands and machines could have done nothing against these towers.''

FOOTNOTES:

F2 Joseph. De Bello Jud. l. 6. c. 9. sect. 1.

Lamentations 4:12 In-Context

10 The disaster that came to my people brought horror; loving mothers boiled their own children for food.
11 The Lord turned loose the full force of his fury; he lit a fire in Zion that burned it to the ground.
12 No one anywhere, not even rulers of foreign nations, believed that any invader could enter Jerusalem's gates.
13 But it happened, because her prophets sinned and her priests were guilty of causing the death of innocent people.
14 Her leaders wandered through the streets as though blind, so stained with blood that no one would touch them.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.