Lamentations 2:6-16

6 And He has violently treated His tabernacle like a garden booth; He has 1destroyed His appointed meeting place. The LORD has 2caused to be forgotten The appointed feast and sabbath in Zion, And He has 3despised king and priest In the indignation of His anger.
7 The Lord has 4rejected His altar, He has abandoned His sanctuary; He 5has delivered into the hand of the enemy The walls of her palaces. They have made a 6noise in the house of the LORD As in the day of an appointed feast.
8 The LORD determined to destroy The wall of the daughter of Zion. He has 7stretched out a line, He has not restrained His hand from destroying, And He has 8caused rampart and wall to lament; They have languished together.
9 Her 9gates have sunk into the ground, He has destroyed and broken her bars. Her king and her princes are among the nations; The 10law is no more. Also, her prophets find 11No vision from the LORD.
10 The elders of the daughter of Zion 12Sit on the ground, they 13are silent. They have thrown 14dust on their heads; They have girded themselves with 15sackcloth. The 16virgins of Jerusalem Have bowed their heads to the ground.
11 My 17eyes fail because of tears, My 18spirit is greatly troubled; My 19heart is poured out on the earth 20Because of the destruction of the daughter of my people, When 21little ones and infants faint In the streets of the city.
12 They say to their mothers, "22Where is grain and wine?" As they faint like a wounded man In the streets of the city, As their 23life is poured out On their mothers' bosom.
13 How shall I admonish you? To what 24shall I compare you, O daughter of Jerusalem? To what shall I liken you as I comfort you, O 25virgin daughter of Zion? For your ruin is as vast as the sea; Who can 26heal you?
14 Your 27prophets have seen for you False and foolish visions; And they have not 28exposed your iniquity So as to restore you from captivity, But they have 29seen for you false and misleading oracles.
15 All who pass along the way 30Clap their hands in derision at you; They 31hiss and shake their heads At the daughter of Jerusalem, "Is this the city of which they said, '32The perfection of beauty, 33A joy to all the earth '?"
16 All 34your enemies Have opened their mouths wide against you; They hiss and 35gnash their teeth. They say, "We have 36swallowed her up! Surely this is the 37day for which we waited; We have reached it, we have seen it."

Lamentations 2:6-16 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.

Cross References 37

  • 1. Jeremiah 52:13
  • 2. Jeremiah 17:27; Lamentations 1:4; Zephaniah 3:18
  • 3. Lamentations 4:16
  • 4. Psalms 78:59-61; Isaiah 64:11; Ezekiel 7:20-22
  • 5. Jeremiah 33:4, 5; Jeremiah 52:13
  • 6. Psalms 74:3-8
  • 7. 2 Kings 21:13; Isaiah 34:11; Amos 7:7-9
  • 8. Isaiah 3:26; Jeremiah 14:2
  • 9. Nehemiah 1:3
  • 10. Hosea 3:4
  • 11. Jeremiah 14:14; Jeremiah 23:16; Ezekiel 7:26
  • 12. Job 2:13; Isaiah 3:26; Isaiah 47:1
  • 13. Amos 8:3
  • 14. Job 2:12; Ezekiel 27:30
  • 15. Isaiah 15:3; Jonah 3:6-8
  • 16. Lamentations 1:4
  • 17. Lamentations 1:16; Lamentations 3:48, 51
  • 18. Jeremiah 4:19
  • 19. Job 16:13
  • 20. Isaiah 22:4; Lamentations 4:10
  • 21. Jeremiah 44:7; Lamentations 2:19
  • 22. Jeremiah 5:17
  • 23. Job 30:16; Psalms 42:4; Psalms 62:8
  • 24. Lamentations 1:12
  • 25. Isaiah 37:22
  • 26. Jeremiah 8:22; Jeremiah 30:12-15
  • 27. Jeremiah 23:25-29; Jeremiah 29:8, 9
  • 28. Isaiah 58:1; Ezekiel 23:36; Micah 3:8
  • 29. Jeremiah 23:36; Ezekiel 22:25, 28
  • 30. Job 27:23; Ezekiel 25:6
  • 31. Psalms 22:7; Isaiah 37:22; Jeremiah 18:16; Jeremiah 19:8; Zephaniah 2:15
  • 32. Psalms 50:2
  • 33. Psalms 48:2
  • 34. Job 16:10; Psalms 22:13; Lamentations 3:46
  • 35. Job 16:9; Psalms 35:16; Psalms 37:12
  • 36. Psalms 56:2; Psalms 124:3; Jeremiah 51:34
  • 37. Obad 12-15

Footnotes 9

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