Lamentations 4:21

21 "Rejoice and be glad, people of Edom, inhabitants of the country of Uz. The cup [of the LORD's fury] will be passed to you next. You'll get drunk and take off all your clothes.

Lamentations 4:21 Meaning and Commentary

Lamentations 4:21

Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Edom
The land of Idumea, and the inhabitants of it, who did indeed rejoice at the destruction of Jerusalem, ( Obadiah 1:12 ) ; and here, in an ironic manner, are bid to go on with their mirth, if they could, like the young man in ( Ecclesiastes 11:9 ) , as Aben Ezra observes; for it would not last long, their note would soon be changed: that dwellest in the land of Uz;
not the country of Job, which had its name from Uz the son of Nahor, ( Job 1:1 ) ( Genesis 22:21 ) ; but a country in Idumea, from whence the whole was so called, and that from Uz the son of Dishan, one of the sons of Seir: or else the sense is, that Edom or Idumea, and the inhabitants of it, dwelt upon the borders of Uz; and so agrees very well with the place of Job's residence, which was near the land of Edom. The Targum, according to R. Elias ^F15, is,

``rejoice, O wicked Rome;''

but, in the king of Spain's Bible, it is,

``rejoice and be glad, O Constantine (that is, Constantinople), the city of wicked Edom, which art built in the land of Armenia;''

and Jarchi says that Jeremiah prophesies concerning the destruction of the second temple, which the Romans destroyed; but in other copies, and according to Lyra, his words are, Jeremiah here prophesies concerning the destruction of the Roman empire, because that destroyed the temple; and it is usual with him, and other Rabbins, to interpret Edom of Rome; the cup also shall pass through unto thee;
the cup of God's wrath and vengeance; which, as it had come to the Jews, and was passing from one nation to another, in its turn would come to these Edomites; see ( Jeremiah 25:15 Jeremiah 25:21 ) ; thou shall be drunken, and shall make thyself naked;
be overcome by it; as persons with wine, or any strong drink, reel to and fro, and fall; and be utterly destroyed, lie helpless and without strength: "and be made naked" ^F16, as it may be rendered; stripped of their riches and wealth; or they should strip themselves of their clothes, and behave indecently, and expose those parts which ought to be covered, as drunken persons the sense is, they should be exposed, or expose themselves, to shame and contempt. The Septuagint version is, "and thou shalt be drunken, and pour out" ^F17; that is, vomit, as drunken men do; and so Jarchi and Abendana interpret the word of vomiting; and the Targum is,

``and thou shalt be emptied.''

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FOOTNOTES:

F15 In Tishbi, p. 227.
F16 (yrettw) "nudaberis", V. L.
F17 (kai apoceeiv) , Sept. "et eris vomens", Pagninus, Vatablus.

Lamentations 4:21 In-Context

19 Those who were hunting us were faster than eagles in the sky. They chased us in the mountains and ambushed us in the wilderness.

20 The person the LORD anointed [as king], who is the breath of our life, was caught in their pits. We had thought that we would live in our king's shadow among the nations."

21 "Rejoice and be glad, people of Edom, inhabitants of the country of Uz. The cup [of the LORD's fury] will be passed to you next. You'll get drunk and take off all your clothes.

22 People of Zion, the punishment for your wickedness will end. The LORD will not let you remain in exile. People of Edom, he will punish you for your wickedness. He will expose your sins."