Lamentations 4:14

14 Her leaders wandered through the streets as though blind, so stained with blood that no one would touch them.

Lamentations 4:14 Meaning and Commentary

Lamentations 4:14

They have wandered [as] blind [men] in the streets
That is, the false prophets and wicked priests; and may be understood either literally, that when the city was taken, and they fled, they were like blind men, and knew not which way to go to make their escape, but wandered from place to place, and could find no way out; or spiritually, though they pretended to great light and knowledge, yet were as blind men, surrounded with the darkness of ignorance and error, and were blind leaders of the blind: they have polluted themselves with blood, so that men could not touch
their garments;
or, "could not but touch it with their garments" F3; or, "might not" F4; it was not lawful for them to do it: the sense is either, that, which way soever these men took to make their escape, they found so many dead carcasses in the streets, and such a profusion of blood by them, that they could not but touch it with their garments; or being besmeared with it, were so defiled, that others might not touch them, even their garments; or these men had defiled themselves with the shedding of the blood of righteous persons; so that they were odious to men, and they shunned them as they would do anything that by the law rendered them in a ceremonious sense unclean, and therefore said as follows:


FOOTNOTES:

F3 (Mhyvwblb wegy wlkwy alb) "quem non possunt, quin tangent vestimentis suis", "Junius & Tremellius.
F4 "Tangebant eum (nempe sanguinem) vestibus eorum quem non potuerunt", i.e. "jure", Gataker.

Lamentations 4:14 In-Context

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.
15 "Get away!" people shouted. "You're defiled! Don't touch me!" So they wandered from nation to nation, welcomed by no one.
16 The Lord had no more concern for them; he scattered them himself. He showed no regard for our priests and leaders.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.