Lamentations 4:14

14 NUN erraverunt caeci in plateis polluti sunt sanguine cumque non possent tenuerunt lacinias suas

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 LAMED non crediderunt reges terrae et universi habitatores orbis quoniam ingrederetur hostis et inimicus per portas Hierusalem
13 MEM propter peccata prophetarum eius iniquitates sacerdotum eius qui effuderunt in medio eius sanguinem iustorum
14 NUN erraverunt caeci in plateis polluti sunt sanguine cumque non possent tenuerunt lacinias suas
15 SAMECH recedite polluti clamaverunt eis recedite abite nolite tangere iurgati quippe sunt et commoti dixerunt inter gentes non addet ultra ut habitet in eis
16 FE facies Domini divisit eos non addet ut respiciat eos facies sacerdotum non erubuerunt neque senum miserti sunt
The Latin Vulgate is in the public domain.