Lamentations 2:18

18 The heart of them cried to the Lord, on the walls of the daughter of Zion; lead thou forth tears as a strand, by day and night (lead thou forth tears like a stream, both day and night); give thou not rest to thee, neither the apple of thine eye be still.

Lamentations 2:18 Meaning and Commentary

Lamentations 2:18

Their heart cried unto the Lord
Either the heart of their enemies, as Aben Ezra; which cried against the Lord, and blasphemed him; or rather the heart of the Jews in their distress, when they saw the walls of the city breaking down, they cried unto the Lord for help and protection, whether sincerely or not; no doubt some did; and all were desirous of preservation: O wall of the daughter of Zion!
this seems to be an address of the prophet to the people of Jerusalem carried captive, which was now without houses and inhabitants, only a broken wall standing, some remains and ruins of that; which is mentioned to excite their sorrow and lamentation: let tears run down like a river, day and night;
incessantly, for the destruction and desolation made: give thyself no rest;
or intermission; but weep continually: let not the apple of thine eye cease;
from pouring out tears; or from weeping, as the Targum; or let it not "be silent" ^F2, or asleep; but be open and employed in beholding the miseries of the nation, and in deploring them.

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FOOTNOTES:

F2 (Mdt la) "non taceat", Pagninus, Montanus, Vatablus; "ne sileat", Calvin, Michaelis.

Lamentations 2:18 In-Context

16 All thine enemies opened their mouth on thee; they hissed, and gnashed with their teeth, and said, We shall devour; lo! this is the day which we abided, we found, we saw. (All thy enemies opened their mouths against thee; they hissed, and gnashed with their teeth, and said, We shall devour thee; lo! this is the day which we have waited for; now it hath arrived, and we have seen it happen!)

17 The Lord did those things which he thought, he [ful]filled his word which he had commanded from [the] eld days; he destroyed, and spared not; and made glad the enemy on thee (and let the enemy rejoice over thee); and enhanced the horn of thine enemies.

18 The heart of them cried to the Lord, on the walls of the daughter of Zion; lead thou forth tears as a strand, by day and night (lead thou forth tears like a stream, both day and night); give thou not rest to thee, neither the apple of thine eye be still.

19 Rise thou together, praise thou in the night, in the beginning of wakings; shed out thine heart as water, before the sight of the Lord (Rise thou up, praise thou in the night, at the beginning of every watch; pour out thy heart like water, before the Lord); raise thine hands to him for the souls of thy little children, that failed for hunger in the head of all (the) meetings of (the) ways.

20 See thou, Lord, and behold, whom thou hast made so bare; therefore whether women shall eat their fruit, (their) little children at the measure of an hand? for a priest and prophet is slain in the saintuary of the Lord. (See thou, Lord, and behold, they whom thou hast made so bare; and so shall women eat their own fruit, their own little children at the measure of an hand? shall a priest and a prophet be killed in the Lord's sanctuary?)