Lamentations 4:14

14 NUN. her watchmen staggered in the streets, they were defiled with blood in their weakness, they touched their raiment .

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:

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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 LAMED. The kings of the earth, all that dwell in the world, believed not that an enemy and oppressor would enter through the gates of Jerusalem.

13 MEM. For the sins of her prophets, iniquities of her priests, who shed righteous blood in the midst of her,

14 NUN. her watchmen staggered in the streets, they were defiled with blood in their weakness, they touched their raiment .

15 SAMECH. Depart ye from the unclean ones: call ye them: depart, depart, touch not: for they are on fire, yea, they stagger: say ye among the nations, They shall no more sojourn .

16 AIN. The presence of the Lord their portion; he will not again look upon them: they regarded not the person of the priests, they pitied not the prophets.